Inktober 2016 – Day Twelve – Dragon
My main problem with today’s prompt, was I’d done a traditional dragon last year, and I don’t like repeating myself. After dispelling all thoughts of scenes from Game of Thrones from my head, (that’s a different project) I turned to Chinese Dragons.
Off the top of my head, the two dragon stories I remembered were both from Journey to the West. Since I’d illustrated one of those in the past, I did the other one where Monkey gets his staff from the Dragon King.
After drawing this, I looked up the quote and found that I’d misremembered it. Rather than Monkey wreaking havoc in the dragon’s palace, as I drew here, everybody was mostly courteous.
“After my birth,” said Sun Wukong, “I renounced the world and cultivated my conduct, and thus obtained an immortal and indestructible body. Recently I have trained my sons and grandsons to guard our cave, but unfortunately, I have not yet found my self a weapon. I have long heard that my illustrious neighbor enjoys the delights of a jade palace with gate−towers of cowry, and I was sure that you must have some magic weapons to spare, so I have come especially to beg one of you.”
Not wishing to refuse this request, the Dragon King sent Commander Perch to fetch a large sword and offer it to Sun Wukong.
“I don’t know how to use a sword,” said Sun Wukong, “so could I ask you to give me something else?” The Old Dragon King then sent Colonel Mackerel and Guard Commander Eel to fetch a nine−pronged spear.