The reference artwork belongs to Firai

I really love the anime Tales from Earthsea — it’s the Studio Ghibli film I rewatch more often than any of their other works.
I’m captivated by the landscapes of its magical world, the music, and the many quiet, peaceful scenes where you can just think or simply enjoy the view. Every time I watch it, I live through this film again — the hand-drawn scenes impress me every single time, and the dragons hold a special place in my heart.

There aren’t many dragons shown in the movie, but their overall design mesmerizes me… Danger and elegance in every movement, grace in the tips of their sharp wings… Pure magic.
It’s an incredible design — one of the rare cases where I truly adore very spiky and heavily scaled creatures.

Recently I rewatched the film again, and a simple thought came to mind:
“Why not create a dragon character in this style?”

And so… here they are.
Yes, this is my dragon sona, shaped skillfully by Firai in the style of the movie’s dragons, and I’m incredibly grateful for it.
The work was meticulous, but absolutely worth it!

I haven’t read the original Earthsea books yet, unfortunately, but I definitely will in the future.