Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Aug 30

At their largest, dragons can hold a small ecosystem of their own via specialized parasites. From scale-mimics & intestinal cleavers to hide-scrapers & bloodsuckers, even the greatest of beasts become a feast for the small.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Aug 20

Not immediately recognizable as descended from Tenrec ancestors thanks to its heavily patterned face, the Sudanott coils through the rivers of Suddenside, wheee it lives alongside the fiery Maidstoker. These animals can be seen lounging along the riverbanks.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Aug 12

The Wingrunners really seem to have it all: dragon mounts, green pastures, the ability to live free above ground. They enjoy wealth & comfort, & are the envy of many around them. That’s why they push it.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Aug 7

Wanted to take another shot at Toothless/ night furies for a while and how I’d reimagine it. Nothing much changes, based him heavily on Swifts and rays

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Aug 5

One of the strangest of humanity’s relatives, the Karstmen’s feet have elongated into ungulate-like hooves for use in speed & scaling terrain. Remarkably intelligent, they have relationships with humans both endearing & traumatic. Their lives are always lived on the edge.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jul 27

How to traineth ye dragon

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jul 16

Manuscript style illustration of the imposing Fumehorn dragon species. What stands out to the in-world artists are undoubtedly the good-like talons, which they depict as horse feet. The flat face & large horns are imagined as near humanoid, influenced by the fearsome reputation of this dragon

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jul 15

This wickedly intelligent wyrm has turned its rear limbs into dexterous hands, picking apart its favorite prey: young dragons. From its tongue it administers a venom which paralyzes & targets the victim’s motor skills, making resistance futile.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jul 9

In this world, the over-ground is seen as something just as treacherous and untamable as the seven seas of earth’s naval history. There are few who brave it regularly, and in a similar fashion to the sailors of old they mark their bodies in honor of their various milestones.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jun 25

Don’t inspect that strange noise in the dark!
For their great size, Strangler Giants are quiet & stealthy. While they may approach the town to catch a tamed, unaware dragon, they won’t turn down a curious human, who they pop like a soda can.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jun 24

One would assume that in a world dominated by the fear & reality of predatory dragons, a culture that rides one would be enlightened heroes. In truth, they have become a bloated & spoiled society, whose previous struggle now manifests as icy contempt for anyone but themselves. Oh, what power does!

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jun 21

DAMN talk about a day one!

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jun 16

Even at the farthest reaches of the desert, a soft wind pulls powdery sand towards one central point, before being taken by the storm & flung far back into the desert, starting the cycle again. Every sand grain has seen the secrets hidden at the center, something humanity cannot claim.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jun 15

Detritus from a lush aerial ecosystem of dragons has to settle somewhere, & one such place is Sorrowood. The mud absorbs & churns aeroplankton & waste, becoming fertilizer for the massive Heaving Palm, which dominates this ecosystem.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jun 14

I’ve been busy! As my backers know, I’ve spent all week delivering huge shipments of books! This week’s count: 560 books shipped. MASSIVE haul that filled two cars twice over.
I’ve sent out 355 classic edition and 205 gold special edition copies, for domestic US customers. Onward to the next batch!

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jun 13

The Skrill from how to train your dragon , reimagined in my style. As fast and ferocious lightning dragons, what’s not to love. I leaned into a sharp silhouette and low-slung, sharklike personality when drawing it, pulling from several lizards, crocs, & raptors ofc.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jun 6

The Wilderblue: a sprawling expanse of bones, made by the largest dragon. This graveyard is anything but barren, hosting a lush biome atop it. The Wodewarden dragon *is* this ecosystem, as it creates roads with its slithering body, living mountains as it slumbers, and builds the landscape in death.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Jun 1

A relative to the Clatterjaw, the Bloodbelly may be a beast just as fierce. In their knotted masses they descend on the largest of beasts, gulping blood from wounds of their making. Thankfully, they must go lethargic after a blood meal, sleeping the day away before hunger calls once more.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · May 29

The crux of battle- our hero lands the killing blow on the soft underside of a large Havwyrm, both falling to the earth. The hero is victorious, but how will he escape either the impact, or the deadly plague that seeps from the dragon’s skin?
- Watercolor & colored pencil on illustration board.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · May 21

Watercolor illustration of a couple of Chameleons done while mentoring under the legendary Teryll Whitlatch. Studies like this are vital to sharpening an understanding of real world animals to then translate into fantastical designs!

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · May 12

Oh I really quite like this

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · May 11

A favorite from “how to train your dragon”, wanted to draw a Typhoomerang! Gave it some heavier musculature and a thicker neck to support a horned head. These guys are really cool- in no small part because they’re huge!

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · May 5

New vid!

How Sheep Evolved to Survive Dragons | Dragonslayer Codex |
youtu.be/bsfrbw5cHFg

How Sheep Evolved to Survive Dragons | Dragonslayer Codex |

YouTube video by Sawyer Lee

youtu.be

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · May 4

PDF Ebook Dragonslayer Codex has been distributed to backers of the Kickstarter! It also is available for purchase over on Patreon, and offered for free for my highest tier patrons.

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Sawyer Lee @sawyerleeart.bsky.social · Apr 18

Day one book packaging! Over 400 in, getting labels and postage bought and printed, organizing it all by count and type of book bought. No sleep, all work all weekend! WOO!

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