The Art of How to Train Your Dragon

(far leftand above) Dragon Concepts- N'co Marlet- pencil & marker. (loll) Dragon Eggs - Nico Marlet- peocil &marke(.

(above) Dragon Concepl - Andy Bia'k - dig'lal painl. (above leff) Mulli·Eye Dragon - N'co Marlel- pencil & marker. (belowleft) Viking on Dragon - Nco Marlet- pencil & marker. (below) Dragon Concept- Darren Webb- digillll paint.

(aboVII) Dragon Concepts- AndyBia'k- dig:tal paint. (below) Dragon Exploration - J.J.Villard - digital paint.



\\ ! ( (/811) Dragons Staring - Jean ffancois·Rey- acrylic. (above) Dragon Nursery- Em~ Mitev - digital pa'nt. (below) Dragon Heads - Nico Marlet- pencil &marker.



(left) Cave Creatures - Nico Marlel - pencil &marker. (above) Dragon Concept -Jean Francois·Rey - acrylic. (below) Dragon Lineup - NicoMarlet- pencil &marker. · -' :,·· ~·· . . ·~. ' ' . ~ \"~ •' :; ,. . ' •i'\"







The Viking people possess their own energy and style, an intrigui ng mix of barbarianism, brute force and bu llheaded loyalty to one another. It was im- portant to the artistic crew of this film to channel that unique spirit into their cast. Character Designer Nicolas Marlet developed a shape language that con- veyed a sense of physical strength using solid bases of squares and rectangles and then created a very diverse Iineup of characters from there. Models for the human characters were built with great enough detail to appear naked, all the way down to each of their toes. \"We do that just in case they end up losing their shirts or other accessories somewhere in the story, plus it helps make clothing contact more realistic,\" explains Modeling Super- visor Matt Pau lson. Speaking of wardrobe issues, the Viking costumes present a number of rigging and animation challenges due to their richly fu rred and/or chain-laden features. While the production did not want to make the cast look underdressed to account for technical concerns, \"fur vests were used sparingly due to hair interactions and fur-topped boots were a problem because they kept penetrating the characters' legs when animated. So we simply rational- ized that shorter, matted fur made sense on these items for both story and practical reasons,\" recalls Visual Effects Supervisor Craig Ring. While all costumes were rigged to move with the skin underneath them, some required special attention in order to portray a realistic motion, and the character ef- fects department was quick to smooth out such issues. (previous pages) Viking Charge - Pierre·O:ivier Vincent- digital paint. (left andabove) Sturdy Vikings - Nioo Martel - pencil & marker.

~eveloping Hiccup was a balancing H1Ca.if \"lt was important to make Hiccup a normal kid who would not stand out Vact. He had to be appealing, but he Hiccup grew up a lot over the in our modern world-he's a smart, course of this production, both in charming, and mild-mannered guy. also had to be enough of an individual social maturity and physical design. It's when he's placed in the Viking to frustrate his father at the same In the earliest days of development, world occupied by outrageous time,\" explains Director Chris Sand- his character was much younger, characters that he doesn't quite fit in, ers. As a teenager Hiccup still wants pegged in the range of six or seven and the audience can empathize ·with to be a true Viking but he has come to years of age and more aligned with this awkwardness,\" explains Head of realize his intellect and physical stat- the character in the original book. Character Animation Simon Otto. ure are not typical Viking material. His final build and look is not as As such, \"he feels he hasn't gotten his stylized as the other young characters father's approval and respect,'' notes in the film, which was a means to Director Dean DeBlois. help the audience connect with hi m. 0\\ir ~~~~tft ckA.HtH~t WA.f tA.ktH~ tke \\jO\\iH~ Hlcc\\iy tkA.t (nHit!A. <owen kA.t! tHv(f(oHtt! A.Ht! t\\irHIH~ k(~ (Hto A. teeHA.~tr. Tk~tt ke Wo\\i\\t! ~A.IHtA.tH tkt A.ff&A.t A.Ht! ckA.r~ (owttt k~tt! ~lveH k(~ W~tf l~yortA.Ht to tkt ftonj. -6oHHie Arnot'*., tro'*\\o1cer (above) Hiccup- Nico Marlet - pencil &marker. (above /ell) Hiccup Determined - Cressida Cowell - pencil.

(aboVIIfrom left) Hlcwp 1 and Hiccup 2- flico Marlet - pencil & marker; Hiccup 3- Callos Gtangel- pencil & f'llal1(er; Hiccup 4- Sinon 011o - pencil; Hiccup Final - Takao Noguchi- CG rough model.



Tk(f c\\~ff(c ~rcket\\jf~\\ rrot~\"oHI{t te.t\"-f to \"o eltker tke Rrro\"~..Ht w~~, ''Yo\\1 Rre ~\\\\ wroH\" RH\"- ~o\\1 \\\\ {eeJ or tke r,,{e\\f-\"-errec~t(H\" OHet ~~ '~~eJ I wi'{k I co\\1\\\"- ~e H~e ~\\\\ of ~o\\1.\"' We WeHt wltk tke \\~tter1 we W~Hte\"- ~ ~ore e~r~tketlc ck~r~cterJ ~ k\\1~~\\e frOt~\"OHt{t tk~t \\e~rH{ tke v~\\\\ie of k(~felf ~H\"- (f ~ccerte\"- for Wko ke (f. - AieH«I11(ro (Arlol11~ Hed of 5to\"j (far left and abo1-e} Hiccup - Nico Martel - pencil & marke.-. (left} Hiccup - David Soren - pencil. (sbovs} Hiccup- Nico Martel- pencil & mar1<er. {above right} Hiccup- Shane Prigmore - digital paint.

(above) Hiccup Poses - Simon 0Ito -pencil (center) Hiccup ExpressIons - S•.110n Otto - •penc1 s·(/ell) Hiccup Expressions - 1mon 01to - penc 1.

HICCUP OFFERS a clear example ofhow skin textures further support the look ofa stylized reality, .featuring a thoughtful balance o.freal skin qualities with subtle stylizations in blush andfreckle usage. \"it was such a liberating state ofmind.for stt~facing to be told to make everyone look dirty and grilfy,\" says Head ofStt~facing Sabrina Riegel. (above) Hiccup Expressions - Gabe Hocdos - peOOI. (right) CG Still.



The ideal trainee, Astrid embodies on far more hairstyles than her male the single one she now sports seems the ultimate combination of focus, counterpart ever did. \"When we a distraction from her tme, athletic, energy, competitiveness, and ski ll. gave her two braids, one on each side focused self She also happens to have a highly ofher head, it was fun in design but attuned sense of pride in her own not for animation, especially as she \"Astrid represents motivation: work, and is quick to attack anyone turned to look another way and hit Hiccup wants to become a true not pulling their own weight. other characters,\" recalls Character Viking to impress this girl as well Designer Nicolas Marlet. Indeed, as (more subconsciously) his father, Like Hiccup, Astrid has done a she's had a varied number of braids and she herself is the most motivated lot of growing up during the develop- on her head, but anything more than V~king trainee of the group,\" notes ment of this film, but she has tried Head of Story Alessandro Carloni. {left, above,and below) Astrid Concepts- Nico Martel -pencil & marker.

We \\ove tkRt {ke ({ \\t10r& of R\\eRHJ Rtk\\etlc ~eRck vo\\\\e\\jPR\\\\ f\\R\\jer R{ OffO{ed. to tke P~\\k\\jJ {kot-r~tti~H' t\\jf\" of V(k(.,., WO\\t1RH. -sr~oK Otto, HeA~ CTj (MrArter AKI~AtloK (top left) Astrid Expression- Simon Otto - pencil. (lop righl} Astrid Story Sketch-Tron Mai - dig:tal paint (aboW) Astrid- Nico Marlet - pencil & marker.

\\ (topJeh andboi/Om) Astrid - Nico Ma~el - penal &marker. (top right) Astrid Final - Nico Marlet - character design - Zhaopng Wei- diglal pant.

-~~. ~ r SHoflo~t/\"\"r, ~\\ \\ A nother of the Viking trainees, good test for the rigging team in their \\ \\ Snotlout is \"all about having efforts to constrain a Viking helmet . \\\\ \\ambition without the skills to back it to its character's head and to control eyebrows from not interpenetrating \\.1 ltp,\" says Head ofStory Alessandro the helmet on certain expressions. I Carloni. Snotlout was one of the 'first models built, and he served as a \\ (top left) Snollout - Nico Martel - pencil & markat. (above) Snolloul Expressions - Simon Olio- pencil. (right) Snollout Final - Nioo Martel - character design - Zhaoping Wei - digllal paint.



(above) Snotlout - Lorna Cook- marker. (below) Snotlout Expressions - N'co Marlet - pencil & marker.

AT ONE POINT in character devel- opment, there was a consideration o.fmaking Snotlout afemale, and a tough one at that. But it 's probably not wise to mock this kid.for wearing a dress now. (above} Snollout Girl - Nioo Ma<lel- peiiCil & marker. {below) Snotloul - Nioo Marlel- perd & malker. ..

. .. •• • ' .. • As a counterbalance to Snotlout, \"Fishlegs is the underappreciated dragon enthusiast of the group, constantly spouting facts and stats on each of the species,\" explains Director Dean -\" DeBlois. His square, solid build suggests the ideal Viking body type, but his obsession with dragon trivia gets him into trouble when pitted against them in the ring. At one point in the development process, Fishlegs was thinner, wore glasses, and acted as a sidekick for Hiccup, more like the character in the book. Ultimately it was determ ined that Hiccup's situation was more powerful if he had to stand alone.

(far lefl) Flshlegs - Nico Marlet- pencil & marker. (above, left to right) Fishlegs 1- David Soren - marker;Flshlegs 2- Dan Krall - marker; Flshlegs 3, 4,5- Nico Marlet - pencil &marker.(below) Flshlegs Expressions - Simon Olio- pencil & marker. (bottom) Flshlegs Expressions - Nico Marlel - pencil &marker.(right} Fishlegs Final - Nico Marlet - character Design- Zhaoping Wei - dlgital paint. FISHLEGS IS AN EXCELLENT EXAi\\lfPLE oftalented character modeling. \"This model shows a true understanding ofanatomy that is necessary when you're building offofa design that's as graphic as Nico's,\" says Production Designer Kathy Altieri. Without such structural knowledge, the flat shapes q( the cll'awings could translate into an under-shaped mass qfskin, but here the believable way the chin. sets into thejaw and the cheekbones lay on the.face provides an authentic interpretation ofMarlet's strength ofstyle.

(top right) TlJffnut Sketch - Nico Martel -pencil & marker. (top left} Tuflnut Sketch - Simon Olto - pencil. (above) Tuflnutand Ruflnut Flying- Nico Marlet- perd &marker.

Tuffnut and Ruffnut are \"adrena- line junkies who are extremely competitive and always policing each other for signs of weakness,\" says Director Dean DeBlois. Their long and wiry designs perfectly comple- ment their springloaded personali- ties, always poised to jump into the next fracas. Although at first glance it may be difficult to tell the twins apart, Tuffnut is the boy and Ruffnut is the girl. \"That was actually part of the fun in designing them, because it made for both an efficient modeling effort and a joke among the crew to try to keep them straight,\" recalls Producer Bonnie Arnold. 7'J

Stolck tke V«{t f or all the confide nce that Stoick establishing Stoick's very foundation who is frustrated with his son and the Vast projects when leading the as a large, hulking square shape. His the son being resigned to this fact. Vikings, he exhibits the total absence The two are intellectual and physical of such assurance when parenting his cape further accentuates this statu re, opposites, a tenet highlighted by their son, Hiccup. While his heart is in the and even his beard helps portray his contrasting character designs. While true personality because it limits his th is dynamic seems very dramatic, right place performing both roles, his movement, suggesting a steadfast, it actually provides humor in mo- emotional capacity is not nearly as unwavering fortitude. ments when the commu11ication is strong as his brawny muscles. unbelievably awkward between these r11 terms of character develop- two. Stoick is a father who genuinely As the chief of his Viking tribe, cares about his son and actually fea rs Stoick must stand tall and carry an ment, \"we wanted the father-and-son for his safety more than anything. He air ofstrength and authority above relationship to be fi rst and foremost is very hard on Hiccup in tl1e open- and beyond all other human charac- in our story, so that's what we used ing of the film, which is the ideal ters in the fi lm. Character Designer as the bui lding block of the fi lm,\" Nicolas Marlet conveys this by recalls Director Dean DeBlois. In its essence, it is a story about a father (above left) Stolck Pose - Nico Marlet- pencil & marl<ar. (above) Stolck on Dragon - Nico Marlet- pencA & marker. (1811) Stolck Pose- Carlos Grange!- penal & marker.

starting place for his character arc: would provide animation controls if Stoick seems really irrational in and simulation parameters; and then the beginning, then when he finally opens up and shows some vulner- animation would run motion tests. ability in the end, it is a much more Meanwhile, surfacing would add satisfying progression. color, texture, and small-scale varia- tion and finally, lighting would pull Stoick's design demonstrates it all together to render test images,\" one of the most ambitious undertak- explains Visual Effects Supervisor ings on this cast of characters with Craig Ring. What made this effort his abundance offacial hair, most even more involved was the fina l notably his beard. Once an initial goal of3D stereoscopic film delivery, design was established, beard groom- \"which meant that even the inside ing became a lengthy cross-depart- layers of the beard would be visible, mental challenge, \"where modeling so it had to move correctly all the would produce span lines; rigging way through, not just on the surface.\" (above leN) Hiccup & Stoick - Nlco Marie! - pencil & marker. (llboWI) Stolck Expressions- Nlco Marlet - pencil & ma!ller.



(left) Slolck Final - Nico Marie! - character design- Zhaoping Wei - d:gltatpaint. {above) Sloick the Vast- Cressida Cowell - pencil. (right) Sloick 2 - Pierre·Oiivier Vincent- digital paint (below} Stolck Fire- Dominique louis-!igilalpaint.

..... .., ........ \" •• /!early the most battle-worn of counselor by nature of his relation- ship with them- as tJ1e best friend '-anthe characters in the lineup, of one and mentor to the other- and he serves that role even if he's not Gobber has the physical markings to equipped to do so,\" say Director Dean show that he has gathered years of DeBlois. With a colorful personality firsthand experience with dragons and a humorously varied selection of and is the ideal candidate to serve as prosthetic appendages, Gobber is the the trainer ofthe recruits. He is also most incomplete character physically, the blacksmith for the village, but but he is emotionally more complete. more importantly, Gobber is the nec- essary intermediary between Hiccup and Stoick. \"He's like a fami ly (alx>ve) Gobber Final - Nlco Marlat - character design - Zhaoping Wei - digital paint. (top rlglll and center) Gobber- Nico Marie!- penc1l &marker.

6-o~~tr ({ tkt ~t{t frltH~ of Sto(cf.:, tkt OHl~ rer{OH lH tkt won~ wko f.:HOW{ tkAt Sto(cf.: Al~o{t cr(t~ OHCt . - (krif 5~t~t*trf, ~(nctor (lop lefl) Gabber- Dan Kral - mart<er. (lop righl) Gabber- Geelvtoo Boodoe- pastel. (Above) Gabber Expressions - Simon Otto- penci.

~rR,oK l{lRK~ I{ th.e *O{t twl{te~., off-kilter., R~{trRct_, \\4\\KWe\\co*tK,., fOtKt\\j RK~ VO\\CRKtC eKVtfoK~eKt (*\"''\"\"~\\e. It\"{ Ko WoK~er th.e V(k(K'{ lo{t \"\" th.efr {Mf{ wh.eKever th.e\\j WeKt to took for (t. - 1\\P.tk\\j Alt(en~ tro~\\irtlott ~e{l\"tter (left) Dragon Cliff - Pierre-QI,vfer Vincenl - digital paint. (above) Dragon Cliff lava - Pierre·Oiivier Vincent- dig!tal paint. (right) Dragon Island Final - Plerre·Oiivier Vincent- d!gilal paint.

tlased on the grandfather character duties over the course of her time in the film . Her role varied from Vinthe original book, the now shaman of the village when a mythic element had to be explained to an out-of-picture Old Wrinkly once empathetic confidant for Hiccup served the Viking community as its when he needed to talk to her \"wise old man.\" His character was current role as village elder. a predecessor to Gothi, a soothsayer who fulfilled a number of different (below center) Gothi 1- Darren Webb- pencil & marker. (leff) Gothi 2- David Soran- pencil &marker. (below righl) Gothi 3- Nice Marlet-pencil & marker. ALTHOUGH THEY UVE mainly in the shadows ofthe morefantastical creatures ofthe film, there are a number of well-designed and more realistic animals that inhabitant the Viking world. Jt~s a shame that sheep as adomble as these really only serve asfly-by appetizers/or the dragons. (left) Sheep - Nice Marlet - pencil & marker.

Gothi was a challenge because she In the book as well as early versions existence diluted the principal rela- was the oldest character to swface, of the film, Hiccup had a mother tionship of the fi lm- that of father and her skin qualities were quite named Valhallarama. \"But due to and son- she had to go,\" explains different/rom the other Vikings. \"We time constraints and the fact that her Producer Bonnie Arnold. gave her more dull and desaturated skin, and even an old lady beard,\" (abo'le left) Gothi- Sinon Otto - pena l. recalls Head ofSwfacing Sabrina (above altd below) Valhallarama - Nco Mallet - penci & marlw. Riegel. Gothi makes a briefcameo appecmmce along with the young Hiccup and young Astrid models when the Vikings set sail in search ofDragon lslcmd.



Tke V(k(H~ eHer~~ (f R lilt ~oof.JJ R{ tkelr io~IHRHCe co~e{ fro~ llrnte force) Hot {trRte~~ · - flem-OI(v(er V(HceHt, Art ~lre<tor While Character Designer Ni- American football players, \"the colas Mar!et crafted a varied models had to be built with regular but complementary cast of Viking neck proportions and correct spine villagers, one particular trait is quite lengths so their rigs would work well, uniform throughout the lineup- and then they were posed to look like their apparent lack of necks. In order less neck is actually there,\" explains to achieve this race of caricatured Production Designer Kathy Altieri. (lelt and atxFte) General Vikings- Nico Mallet- perd & marker. {bekYN) Gene.al Vikings - Tony Sil.llo- pencil & market.





Home base for the dragons is a jagged, black, lava-formed structures location undiscovered by the that blend into its dark skies to create Vikings. Around the island, \"there an eerily imposing and mysterious is heavy fog which blocks out the environment. Its volcanic presence view of the stars and other cues of has an infernal atmosphere \"due to navigation, the sky is choked with the common association between dragons, and the coastal landscape dragons and demons,\" explains Art is populated with creepy towers of Director Pierre-Oiivier Vincent. rock that are disorienting. Thus, Earlier designs featured rock the Viking ships would generally structures that suggested dragon get lost, get devoured by dragons, shapes, but the production went away or crash into these rocks,\" explains from these less realistic images in Director Chris Sanders. favor of a more intimidating and dramatic set for the dragons' lair. Dragon Island is composed of IN EA RLIER DEVELOPMENT concepts, there was one shared island, with dragons living on one side and Vikings on the other. \"That's what inspired the Fire ctnd Ice image,\" explains Art Director Pierre-Oliver Vincent, who took the traditional associations ofan icy arctic Viking environment and a.fie1y dragon den and blended them into one intriguing land mass. (previous pages) Dragon Island Beach - Plerre·Oiivier Vincent - digital paint. (top /ell} Dragon Island Concepts - Pierre·Oiivier Vincent- digital paint. (above lelt) Dragon Island Concept- Geelwee Boedoe- digital paint.







The interior of the island is es- fondly called the \"Swiss Cheese set\" sentially a caldera- a cavernous by the modeling department. \"It's our basin created in the collapsed center term of endearment for the space in of a volcano. It is rife with stalactites which we were asked to build many and stalagmites, for wh ich the mod- holes, a task which is as difficu lt eling department sculpted a series of to model in CG as it is in physical columns to convey the desired shape sculpting,\" notes Modeling Supervi- language, and then placed and scaled sor Matt Paulson. This set was origi- them throughout the cavern to create nally intended to serve as the dragon a sense of chaotic, maze-1 ike depth. rookery, a protected colony where countless baby dragons awa ited their The inner sanctum of the caves moments to fly in an earlier version houses the nest of the Red Death, of the story. and the entrance to this location was (left) Nursery - Paul Shardlow - digital paint (above) Dragon Cave Sketch - Emil Mtev- peool.