I’ve had these bookends forever and was about to get rid of them when I realized with a fresh coat of paint, they could be really amazing. So I did just that.
The Good
These Stone Dragon Bookends from Windstone Editions are solid. They weigh 6 lbs. each and are carved 5 inches long by 5 inches wide by 7.5 inches high. Although six pounds doesn’t seem like a lot, these are the rare bookends that are quite heavy and capable of holding up hardcovers easily.
The dragon sculpts themselves are whimsical. Each dragon has horns close to its head, with a long sinuous tail that wraps around its legs. It has bird-like claws with scales on the top of its head, the front of its chest, and the top of its claws. The dragons have a sort of “what is this?” bird-like expression in how their necks are craned. It’s adorable, and the dragons are not the typical red dragon sculpt (sculpted by Melody Pena, her signature is at the base of each statue).
The Bad
Because these dragons have such subtle features, a lot of the musculature is lost. The pictures on the web site use high contrast to show them off, but in real life they’re a muddled mess. As a result, the dragons just looking boring; they come in both stone finish and copper patina — copper would be a better choice, but even then these sculpts suffer from too much homogeneity. But the copper patina gave me an idea, because these dragons look a bit like bronze dragons, and I had some bronze paint so…
Should You Get It?
The first thing I did was base these dragons with bronze paint. Then, I used a bone paint color to outline their wing features, something that gets lost in the stone finish. I was surprised to see the dragons had scales — without the picture, you wouldn’t know — and used more paint to bring out those features. I finished it all off with a camouflage stain and then two different dry brushes to bring out the muculature. I’m happy with how they turned out.
That said, these are expensive. The set averages over $120 and is out of stock in most places. And they are heavy; these are old school bookends, the kind to keep hardcover manuals upright on a shelf without any other support. In that regard they’re perfect for gamers, but probably not for general use. And without the paint, they’re quite bland. If you’re willing to repaint them, the end result is a unique dragon sculpt you don’t see often on a bookshelf. Just be sure the shelf can handle the additional weight!
These bookends are out of stock at Windstone, but you can purchase them separately (at $72 each!) by adding your name to their waiting list (left and right) or pick them up at By the Sword.
Read more at this site