Dexerto can exclusively reveal concept art for Dungeons & Dragons’ redesigned Copper Dragon, with insight from D&D Head of Art Josh Herman.
Dungeons & Dragons is gearing up to release a major rules overhaul. The first copies of the new Player’s Handbook went on sale at GenCon earlier this month, with the full release coming in September.
Not surprisingly, all of the game’s titular creatures appear in the new books. This includes the Copper Dragons, the game’s witty and sociable metal dragons.
Wizards of the Coast has given Dexerto an exclusive first look at the concept art for the Copper Dragon update. which served as inspiration for the final artwork in the Dragons of D&D digital art book – available as a pre-order bonus for anyone who purchases the new core rulebooks on D&D Beyond.
As Conceptual art by Alexander Ostrowski And Artwork by Campbell White shows that copper dragons are majestic and playful, but still pose a threat with their caustic breath.
Herman stressed the importance of concept art, especially for these epic creatures. D&D’s dragons, after all, aren’t simple color palettes, but creatures in their own right with their own aesthetic, personality, and lore, and it was important to Herman that the rules rework come with “a broad selection of dragons.”
“For the (10 types of) dragons, we wanted to create new concept art that would set the vision for the new designs and serve as a starting point for our illustrators.”
The Copper Dragon’s distinctive appearance is due in large part to its striking mix of orange, copper-colored scales and blue-green accents, which are intended to replicate the chemical reaction between nitric acid and copper and the way the metal patinas.
As Herman explained, the creature’s vivid details and personality helped solve a problem: making the copper dragon stand out from the similarly colored bronze and brass dragons.
He described it as a “visual challenge” to make each animal distinctive in shape and color. This challenge was something the designers were able to recognize early on in the conception phase, as it was “difficult for people to recognize who is who in an illustration.”
“We were very deliberate in choosing the color ranges and gradients of these three,” said Herman.
Herman also explains how the Copper Dragon’s strong personality and intelligence compared to the other metal dragons inspired the artwork: “When you read the text about the Copper Dragon, a lot of it is about being a playful prankster or trickster.”
In addition, “the Copper Dragon is the most intelligent of the Metal Dragons (in terms of stats), so we wanted it to be cultured as well. They are surrounded by people and things that interest them intellectually, not just for the sake of vainly accumulating things.”
This creative impulse and his fun-loving nature resulted in the artwork, which shows the Copper Dragon enjoying a concert in a giant amphitheater, jamming along on what appears to be an air lute.
In addition to the Dragons & D&D digital art book, fans can also expect plenty of new artwork in the upcoming revised core rulebooks. Herman previously told Dexerto that the Monster Manual (2025) alone contains over 300 pieces designed to “convey the gaming experience.”
The Player’s Handbook (2024) will be released on September 17, 2024. It will be available two weeks earlier, on September 3, 2024, at local game stores and on D&D Beyond.
