Make Your Own Paper Dragons product reviews

This is an astounding little kit, though nothing like what I was expecting when I read about it in the catelogue. Since I can't draw to save my life, I was a little disappointed at the high level of emphasis on drawing and painting, however the origami was a lot of fun for both me and my young son, and the books still held a lot of fun information for us both. I suspect a true artist would gain a lot more from this than I would, being more of a purely-digital designer.

The art kit is great, adding some serious value for money and allowing a total novice to get straight into the swing of things without having to go out and source anything special, or even not-so-special in the way of raw materials. The pencils are a good starter mix, of HB and 3B, and the watercolours you are given are a good spectrum for dragons; red, yellow, green, blue and brown. With care, a skilled artist could make a very stunning picture from just those alone, and as you advance in skill and confidence, the purchase of a wider range of colours is only as far away as your nearest stationery and bookshop.

Overall, for those that are into the whole hand-made art scene, this is an excellent introduction to dragons and dragonlore. For those who are just curious about getting started, this has to be worth a look at, if nothing else. It contains some really simple steps that can take you from a few squiggles on a rough page through to a final piece of art you can be proud of, and you will learn many helpful basic techniques as you go. For those who, like me, can't even draw a circle freehand without the aid of a compass, protractor or computer... well, if my efforts are anything to go by, you probably aren't as bad as you think you are... even I had something showing some potential after an hour or so of playing around with this book. Looks like a win-win-win to me.