twenty one pilots are gearing up to release their new album, Scaled And Icy, and one of the things that caught fans' eyes was the dragon on the front cover.
Trash The Dragon is set to become a much-loved figure within the twenty one pilots fandom, but it turns out that designer Brandon Rike, who created the album artwork, has pulled inspiration for Trash from an unlikely source.
Replying to a fan on Instagram, Brandon revealed that the origin of the dragon comes from an "old 1860s (terrifying) children's book illustration by Walter Crane." Walter Crane is a British artist and book illustrator that's most-known for his work on children's books.
I asked the Brandon Rike, whocmade the album cover where the dragon is from and he responded! It's made by a children's book illustrator, Walter Crane.@New_Era_News @dmaorg_bar pic.twitter.com/CZkHg6ENXm
— ?endi (@20bndk05) April 9, 2021
Fans were quick to discover that the original artwork seems to appear in The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spencer. As the artwork, and the book, is over 100 years old, twenty one pilots and Brandon were able to transform the art into Trash The Dragon.
READ MORE: Here Are The Wild Fan Theories Behind Twenty One Pilots' Forthcoming Album 'Scaled And Icy'
Check out some of the original art below. We love what Brandon Rike has done with it, and we're already big fans of Trash The Dragon. Just try not to let the original drawings haunt your dreams...
Found the original illustration! It is from The Faerie Queen by Edmund Spencer (illustrated by Walter Crane). pic.twitter.com/yP1oW5wMPl
— fpe-art (@fpe_art) April 9, 2021
I found these from a book named The Faerie Queene pic.twitter.com/7GccaUY6WE
— Mica ⊬ (@mimimicaela_) April 9, 2021
cop some twenty one pilots merch here
