Markwood artist Bianca Paola is bringing dragons from around the world to Wangaratta for a solo exhibition with Artmania.

The 30-year-old has spent months researching folklore, mythology and ancient history to create about 20 large-scale dragon artworks, each inspired by a different culture or part of the world.

Rather than the familiar medieval, fire-breathing dragon, Bianca has focused on creatures she said people would not usually find in books.

"These artworks are dragons from different parts of the world, from folklore," she said.

"They’re all styled out of what I thought some of them would look like, but the dragons that you normally wouldn’t find in any book."

Bianca said fantasy had long been part of her life.

She reads fantasy, ancient history, mythology and folklore, anything she can get her claws onto.

That research is central to her creative process, with Bianca sketching ideas before developing each dragon into a finished work.

"They live in my head rent free," she said.

"I do a few sketches first of what I think the dragon would look like and then go from there."

Among the works are dragons connected to Patagonia, Alaska, Eastern Europe, Ireland, Europe, Latvia, Thailand, Bali and Indonesia.

For a Patagonian fox serpent, Bianca said she used the Patagonian grey fox as a reference, while an Alaskan dragon drew on features of animals from that part of the world.

"With the Alaskan dragon I did do a polar bear-like head, killer whale features and fluffy otter-like fur because that’s animals that you would find in Alaska," she said.

Bianca said she liked taking cultural references and adding her own interpretation to them.

"They may not be correct, but they’re my babies and what I picture what they would look like," she said.

The exhibition has also pushed Bianca into a medium she had previously avoided.

While she usually works with fine liners, markers, paint markers, coloured pencils and digital programs such as Procreate and Paint, the Artmania pieces have involved charcoal.

"I never used to have a love affair with charcoal, but I do now," she said.

"I used to come out looking like a coal miner."

The backgrounds are yellow ochre acrylic on cartridge paper, chosen to look like old parchment.

Bianca said she always had "a flare for the medieval", but the work was not bound by strict rules.

"I’ve always been drawn to the magical side of the world and ancient history and ancient civilisations," she said.

"It can be what you want it to be.

"There’s no set fixed rules with it."

Art has been a constant for Bianca, who said she had always drawn and needed to keep her hands busy.

"Even when I’m watching television or doing something, I have to do something with my hands and that’s usually sketching," she said.

She has been attending Art Mania for about four years, and although she has previously shown work through Pangerang Community Hub, the information centre, Artmania and in Melbourne, this will be her first solo exhibition with Artmania.

The exhibition opens on 3 October and will run for three months, finishing in early December.

Follow Artmania Wangaratta on Facebook for updates on upcoming exhibitions.