character design/
creature design
Max Kostenko as character designer collaborated with DreamWorks Animation on the visual development of the hit animated series "Dragons: The Nine Realms". Set 1,300 years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon, Max was tasked with designing a new generation of dragons for a modern, hidden world discovered by a group of courageous kids.
In this collaboration with the DreamWorks creative team, Max Kostenko focused on the ideation and conceptualization of unique dragon species. The challenge was to maintain the beloved aesthetic of the original franchise while introducing fresh, contemporary designs that reflected the diverse environments of the "Nine Realms"—from crystal caverns to fire-swept landscapes.
The task was to make creatures that would remind the dragons from the main movie, but at the same time have original features
Idea of research
wings of a flying squirrel or beetle
I tried to work not only with the shape, but also with the features of the wings. So I decided to play around with the idea of beetle wings that are hidden under hard armor.
