Almost twenty years from the publication of Dragons Vol. 1 by Filip Leu, followed a year later by Dragons Vol. 2 by Filip Leu – both of which sold out in a matter of months –, Tattoo Life presents an impressive anthology, Dragons – The Collection: over 100 plates of dragons drawn by Filip Leu for the first two volumes plus a further 10 never before published plates prepared by Filip this year in 2021.
DRAGONS – THE COLLECTION BY FILIP LEU
By popular demand the powerful image of the Dragon by Filip Leu is back.
This book is a collection of 90 illustrations of dragons which Filip Leu made for the first two volumes, with an additional 10 new illustrations, created specifically for this new volume by the indisputable master of this subject.
The dragon is one of the best loved and most often used subjects in tattoo, one which all tattoo artists have to face sooner or later to realise their level of artistry in terms of fluidity, dynamics and the ability to follow the anatomy of the body.
It is the very strength, movement, sinuous curves and vitality of the dragon that Filip Leu manages to convey with such impact that make him the indisputable master of this subject. Under his hands, the dragon goes from being an unreal mythological creature to something larger than life. It moves and moves us to awe. Not merely an image to be observed, it captivates and draws you in with its mesmerising gaze, the flames which accompany it and the visual interplay of scales, claws and tail.
It all began in 2002 when Filip showed to the publisher of Tattoo Life Miki Vialetto – during a visit to Lausanne, in the tattoo shop he had before the current one in Ste-Croix – the sketches he was doing without giving them much thought, just jotting down his most unconscious creative impulses. It had been a suggestion of his father’s, at that time recently deceased Felix Leu, and he had continued with the project in his honour… Even though they were line drawings in Indian ink, they provided so much vital information for anybody who wanted to study the dragon in every detail and form.
The first volume was published in 2003 and flew off the shelves, the second one was published one year later and it too sold out almost immediately. These two books helped change the way of tattooing dragons of so many tattooists who were inspired by Filip. And almost two decades later all the drawings from both these books are now available again in a landmark collection with the addition of 10 new plates.
A new generation of tattoo artists may draw inspiration from the genius of Filip and these drawings as relevant today as they ever were twenty years ago.
DRAGONS – THE COLLECTION BY FILIP LEU
By popular demand the powerful image of the Dragon by Filip Leu is back.
This book is a collection of 90 illustrations of dragons which Filip Leu made for the first two volumes, with an additional 10 new illustrations, created specifically for this new volume by the indisputable master of this subject.
