Monday, January 30, 2012

Nexus Ops - Part 1: Humans

Early last year I was approached by the good folks at Fantasy Flight Games to redesign and update all the pieces for the classic board game, Nexus Ops. This project involved miniature designs and full character illustration. After a long wait, I am very pleased to be able to start bringing you the work I did on the game.

There were a total of six different pieces to design, each with their own personality and role in the game. Today, I am starting it all off with the only non-monster piece, the Human...

Human
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

Human miniature turnaround
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

Production miniature for the Humans
(they are super tiny and full of detail!)

For the Human, the direction was more of an armored astronaut rather then a typical space marine type design. Though I stick more to the monsters, this guy was pretty fun to design and work on. If you had one of you hands shoved up a gun you would want the rest of your gear in reach of the other arm. This was also the one piece that had a major revision, and that was the helmet. The helmet was redesigned to be a little more aggressive in profile compared to the original. Looking back at the original now I can see why the change was asked for, though I think the original had it's merits... though it was a little goofy.

I would like to say that this was a really exciting project to work on. The opportunity to design all the pieces for the game like this was truly a unique experience. A special thanks to Kyle for getting me involved with this project as well as the rest of the good folks at Fantasy Flight Games!

If you missed any of the other designs you can see them here: Human, Fungoid, Crystalline, Rockstrider, Lava Leaper, and Rubium Dragon.

See you back here on Wednesday for the start of the Nexus Ops MONSTERS! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact
me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Friday, January 27, 2012

Fresh from the drawing table... Ki-Rin!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is a Ki-Rin! 'K' only has two monsters and with the Kobold already done the Ki-Rin closes out this letter and I could have done much worse than a horse dragon from Asia (looking at you Jaguar and Jackal). I present to you my version of a Ki-Rin...

Ki-Rin
© 2012 Christopher Burdett

Surprisingly, for a creature that rarely sets foot/hoof upon the ground it is not a creature from the Feywilds. There are a lot of interesting and varied takes on the Ki-Rin (or Qilin - look it up!) out there and I tried really hard to produce my own take on a monster that took shape in the 5th century BC. Lots of scales and there are some nice tentacle like tendrils in there so I am satisfied with it being a monster. Even though there was a horrid first attempt on this monster the second worked out and I had a lot of fun bringing it all together.

My first 100 original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual redesigns (A - Z): Aerial Servant, Ankheg, Ant (Giant), Ape (Carnivorous), Ape (Gorilla), Axe Beak, Axe Beak (version 2), Baboon, Badger, Barracuda, Basilisk, Baluchitherium, Bear (Black), Bear (Brown), Bear (Cave), Beaver (Giant), Beetle (Giant) - Bombardier, Beetle (Giant) - Boring, Beetle (Giant) - Fire, Beetle (Giant) - Rhinoceros, Beetle (Giant) - Stag, Beetle (Giant) - Water, Beholder, Black Pudding, Blink Dog, Boar (Giant), Boar (Warthog), Boar (Wild), Brain Mole, Brownie, Bugbear, Buffalo, Bulette, Carrion Crawler, Catoblepas, Cerebral Parasite, Chimera, Cockatrice, Coutal, Crab (Giant), Demon Type III (Glabrezu), Demon (Juiblex), Demon (Manes), Devil (Ice), Dragon (Red), Elemental (Earth), Ettin, Eye of the Deep, Flightless Bird, Frog (Giant), Fungi (Violet), Giant (Hill), Goblin, Golem (Flesh), Hobgoblin, Homunculus, Hydra, Imp, Intellect Devourer, Ixitxachitl, Jackal, Jacklewere, Jaguar, Ki-Rin, Kobold, Lich, Lizard (Giant), Lizardman, Manticore, Mind Flayer, Minotaur, Naga, Neo-Otygugh, Nixie, Ochre Jelly, Ogre, Owlbear, Peryton, Pixie, Purple Worm, Quasit, Ram (Giant), Roper, Rust Monster, Sahuagin, Salamander, Shambling Mound, Treant, Troglodyte, Troll, Umber Hulk, Unicorn, Vampire, Wasp (Giant), Wight, Wyvern, Xorn, Yeti, and Zombie.        

That is all for another exciting week on the blog, see you back here next week for NEW WORK! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact
me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Arkham Horror Monsters - Dark Young

Arkham Horror Monsters - Premium Figures, are now available over on the Fantasy Flight Website. I mention this because one of the brand new fully painted miniatures they are offering, as part of wave one, is my very tentacled Dark Young. The Dark Young was the very last Lovecrathian miniature that I designed, and I am just thrilled that I am not having to wait to the end to see it! Here is the miniature turnaround...

Dark Young
(With 100% more tentacles)
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

I ordered myself one so that I could hold it in my hands and I was not disappointed in the quality of the miniature. It is nice and big and is surprisingly true to the design, though with all minis some changes had to be made. I took some pics of the mini, and here they are...

RAWR! I came here to cause madness with my tentacles and chew bubble gum... and I am all out of bubble gum.

If you are a fan of Mansions of Madness and MoM: Forbidden Alchemy then you are in luck! The miniature appearing in both sets that I designed are also part of wave one of Arkham Horror Monsters - Premium Figures. Now you can have a fully painted Crawling One, Hound of Tindalos, and Witch (as well as the rest of the these set's monsters) to have a hold in your hands! They make great miniatures for any game and I can't wait for my D&D players to run into a pack of Crawling Ones or a Dark Young or two. I am sure there will be many more of these in the future and I will be sure to share them with you here!

That is all for another exciting tentacled filled Wednesday, see you back here on Friday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact
me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Monday, January 23, 2012

Spectrum... Once more with FEELING!

It's that time again! What time you ask? It's that time to get the ego squarely knocked back down to its' proper place. Which can only mean one thing, the Spectrum deadline is fast approaching. If you haven' heard of Spectrum, by all means check out my post last year on this very subject! There is of course the Spectrum website!

The submission deadline for Spectrum 19 is this upcoming Friday and according to my tracking code my entries were delivered this past Friday. Hopefully they arrived in one piece and were not folded in half. I did all I could to ensure that they would at least remain dry. This is the second year that I have submitted work and like last year I am not kidding myself about my chances of getting into the publication. Mind you, I feel a ton more confident in what I submitted this year compared to last. It is after all a publication of the 'BEST OF THE BEST'. Oh look, a pretty picture...

Spectrum 19 submission poster by Rebecca Guay

There is an amazing line up for the judges this year and I do not envy the difficult job ahead of them in trying to select the line up for Spectrum 19. I hate popularity contests and I hate having to compare myself to others and having them compared to myself. But I think that is just the underlining nature of the beast when it comes to art and things that involved the esoteric judging mechanics of a person's opinions snd feelings. You can't win if you don't try and you can't have winners without losers. ...not really sure losers is anywhere near the proper or accurate term.

Anyway, that all said, I picked the 5 pieces I felt that were my strongest, printed them out at their best quality and sent them out into the world for judging. I cross my fingers. Expect the worst. And maybe, just maybe, hold onto a little hope that this year will be the year I did my very best.

(1994) "It would be amazing to be in a book like Spectrum..." - status: incomplete

That is all for another Monday, see you back here on Wednesday for something NEW! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact
me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Friday, January 20, 2012

Bugbear Process

On Wednesday I brought you my second traditionally created painting, the Bugbear. Today I am bring you some images that track my progression through the painting. Thanks to my much smarter phone I can now track things like this much more easily. Here is the progression in two blocks of eight images, generally speaking, each image is taken roughly an hour apart...

Bugbear painting progression part 1

Bugbear painting progression part 2

Compared to my first painting I tried to make sure I addressed the background from the beginning, but it went pretty much untouched again till close to the end. It did make it much easier to control the environment to make sure that it felt like it surrounded the Bugbear. It did feel like I had much more control over the entire painting this second time out. It only felt like it was spiraling out of control a couple times early on but I manage to pull it back. I still can't get the paint to do everything I want it to yet and I think some of my forms are a little more simplified they I had planed them to be in the drawing. That said, the paint does make it much easier to make some things much more complex. I can live with that right now.

In this painting I made a conscious effort to go in a fix things I felt that weren't working, unlike in my first painting which was over all much more of an evolving creation. I was not happy with how the hood turned out pretty much one color early on and went in and added more variation. This is something that would have been fair straight forward digitally, but for me was a little more involved with the paint. Also, the skull on his trophy rack somehow ended up a little long in the face. I was worried that going in and trying to match a rather thinly applied and rather layered background would be a little beyond my current abilities. I think it turned out pretty okay. As always, I am trying to make sure I am looking at plenty of reference through out the entire painting. There are some slight difference in how I use the reference while working traditionally. On the computer I can have the reference onscreen or even on a separate layer in the piece I am working on so that I can look directly at it while working. With the painting there is a more back and forth flow of looking and then painting and then looking again. Of course... there is no handy eye dropper tool to grab those pesky hard to figure out colors!

Here is the finished painting again to see how it turned out. I am still not 100% with how they are reproducing, but I have come to learn int he last few years that no matter how good the reproduction is the actual painting looks a million times better in person. And once the varnish goes on, they look even better!

Bugbear
© 2012 Christopher Burdett

I have a ton of stuff going on right now and a ton of stuff to share on the blog! The next several weeks are going to be full of new work and (miss)adventures! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact
me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Bugbear

On May 7th 2010 I posted the first of many 'fresh from the drawing table' drawings. It has taken me a while, but I have finally completed the first painting associated with those drawings. Also, this painting makes the second traditional painting that I have completed. I started with where the drawings started, the Bugbear, and this is how it turned out...

Bugbear
© 2012 Christopher Burdett

Hopefully it will not take me close to another two years to paint the next one! At this rate I will have them all done in 52 years. Had a lot of fun working on this piece and I felt much more comfortable compared to my first attempt at working traditionally. I will be working traditionally only for myself for the foreseeable future and it is a good way to separate the work I do for clients and the work I do for myself. Can't wait to start on my next painting... maybe I can do that this week!

See you back here on Friday when I will have for you a step by step walk through of this Bugbear painting! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact
me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Friday, January 13, 2012

Fresh from the drawing table... Jaguar!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is an Jaguar! 'J' is a bit of a problem, it has three listings and only one of them is technically a monster. It was only a matter of time, but I have finally reached the first non-monster entrees in the Monster Manual. There was only one thing to do, pick one and get a lot of reference! I present to you my version of a Jaguar (which is pretty much a Jaguar)...

Jaguar
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

It's a Jaguar! Not much more to say about that... Well, actually... I did think long and hard about whether or not to make the mundane animal entrees in the Monster Manual more MONSTROUS or to leave them as is. I am still on the fence, but as you can see from the Jaguar I am for now going in the direction of making them representations of their normal selves. I still might end up making some of the mundanes a little more then they normally would be, but for now they will remain the natural threat that they are. RAWR!

My first 100 original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual redesigns (A - Z): Aerial Servant, Ankheg, Ant (Giant), Ape (Carnivorous), Ape (Gorilla), Axe Beak, Axe Beak (version 2), Baboon, Badger, Barracuda, Basilisk, Baluchitherium, Bear (Black), Bear (Brown), Bear (Cave), Beaver (Giant), Beetle (Giant) - Bombardier, Beetle (Giant) - Boring, Beetle (Giant) - Fire, Beetle (Giant) - Rhinoceros, Beetle (Giant) - Stag, Beetle (Giant) - Water, Beholder, Black Pudding, Blink Dog, Boar (Giant), Boar (Warthog), Boar (Wild), Brain Mole, Brownie, Bugbear, Buffalo, Bulette, Carrion Crawler, Catoblepas, Cerebral Parasite, Chimera, Cockatrice, Coutal, Crab (Giant), Demon Type III (Glabrezu), Demon (Juiblex), Demon (Manes), Devil (Ice), Dragon (Red), Elemental (Earth), Ettin, Eye of the Deep, Flightless Bird, Frog (Giant), Fungi (Violet), Giant (Hill), Goblin, Golem (Flesh), Hobgoblin, Homunculus, Hydra, Imp, Intellect Devourer, Ixitxachitl, Jackal, Jacklewere, Jaguar, Ki-Rin, Kobold, Lich, Lizard (Giant), Lizardman, Manticore, Mind Flayer, Minotaur, Naga, Neo-Otygugh, Nixie, Ochre Jelly, Ogre, Owlbear, Peryton, Pixie, Purple Worm, Quasit, Ram (Giant), Roper, Rust Monster, Sahuagin, Salamander, Shambling Mound, Treant, Troglodyte, Troll, Umber Hulk, Unicorn, Vampire, Wasp (Giant), Wight, Wyvern, Xorn, Yeti, and Zombie.        

That is all for another exciting week on the blog, see you back here on Monday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact
me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Project That Never Was (Part 6)

Continuing my coverage today of a big project that I worked on back in 2008. The project died before it ever saw completion and the work I produced for it has remained sealed away every since. ...until NOW. Please keep in mind while I can now share my work I can not divulge any other details regarding the project. If you missed any of this series of posts, you can see them here: PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5, PART 6, and PART 7.

Today for the sixth installment I have for you two of my favorite pieces from the project, 'Fire Head' and 'Super Fire Head'. I really liked how the armor turned of and there is just something about their legs that I really liked and had a lot of fun drawing... THEY HAVE HOOVES! The floating 'specter of death' skull head wreathed in fire is not to bad either! I wonder what got 'Super Fire Head' all riled up that he popped his seams? Before I say to much, bring on the monsters...

'Fire Head' Turnaround
© 2008 Wizards of the Coast

'Super Fire Head' Turnaround
© 2008 Wizards of the Coast

That's all for another installment of unreleased monsters that I can't really talk about! I have only one more pair of monsters left to share with you from this project. Stop back by in the near future to see the last of the monsters!

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog, see you back here on Friday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact
me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Monday, January 9, 2012

Claw Killer - Dreamblade

You may be aware that I worked on a little miniatures game called Dreamblade some time back. This blog is littered with turnarounds and work that I generated starting now over six years ago. Though it seems hard to believe at this point I still have more to share with you from that time in my career!

Today I have for you a little creature from the second set of the game, the Claw Killer. Claw Killer was a vanilla piece meant to fill in the lower end of the spawning curve. With no powers and no abilities the Claw Killer was meant to hit the board early and most likely be in the Graveyard soon after. If I recall, the CK was described as a little piggish mutated creature with GIANT hands with GIANT claws. This is what the turnaround for the Claw Killer looked like...

Claw Killer
© 2005 Wizards of the Coast LLC

As was common back then my first attempt at the Claw Killer didn't really hit the mark and I had to do a round of revisions to make sure it was up to speed for the game. I was a little timid maybe, or I was unsure of the intended feel for the character, or maybe I just didn't know any better. No matter, my first version of the CK was updated and overhauled, but you get to see it now...

Claw Killer version 1
© 2005 Wizards of the Coast LLC

As I am want to do, I did have some extra time recently and I thought it would be fun to take a fresh crack at the Claw Killer to see how I would go about it today, some six years later. I addressed some elements I was never happy with, though these changes may not have been able to happen since the mini was a common and had to have a simple two piece mold. But these concerns are not really important now after the fact, I am just having fun drawing monsters. All that aside, here is the 2011 version of the Claw Killer...

Claw Killer Redux
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Not sure I can add more to the conversation that the image doesn't already covey. Less pig frog waving hello and more mutated killer ...well, that is what I am hoping the new drawing is conveying.

That is all for another exciting Monday, see you back here on Wednesday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact
me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Friday, January 6, 2012

SKETCHBOOKS STILL AVAILABLE!

Did Santa not bring you what you really wanted this year? Well, fear naught, I still have copies of both my sketchbooks left AND they could be yours! Act now before they are all gone!

I have a couple different price points to fit your needs:

Your very own copy of creatura libri OR creatura libri 2 (please specify) with shipping to anywhere in the US: $20 (additional fees apply to those outside the US)

Your very own copy of creatura libri OR creatura libri 2 (please specify) featuring an ORIGINAL hand drawn sketch on the first page with shipping to anywhere in the US: $25 (additional fees apply to those outside the US)

SPECIAL DEAL! Your very own copy of creatura libri AND creatura libri 2 featuring an ORIGINAL hand drawn sketch on the first pages with shipping to anywhere in the US: $40 (additional fees apply to those outside the US)

Send an email to: My Yahoo Account and I will send you my paypal info. If you need to send cash or a money order I will provide my home address, but I prefer Paypal. Supplies are limited and it will be on a first come first serve basis. Please specify which book(s) you would like to purchase and if you would like sketches when you email me.

Speaking of sketches, here are some examples of what you could get in your books!

Mr. Dragon would like to show the peasants his fire trick - RAWR!
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Intense monster is starring intently - RAWR!
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Another dragon, this time with a more distinguished mustache - RAWR!
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

That is all for another exciting week on the blog, see you back here on Monday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact
me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

2011 - Okay, NOW WHAT?

It feels like only yesterday I was reflecting on 2010 and preparing to sum up a years worth of experiences and learning ...and here we are, already in 2012. If you have missed my previous posts you can read them here: 2009 Part 1 & Part 2 and 2010 ...you can read all about getting serious.

Do it for yourself, not for them.

In years past, before writing I would spend time reflecting on the things I did right and the things I did wrong. Believe you me, in the last couple of years I have made some mistakes, but thankfully I have done some things correctly as well. Looking back at 2011, the year feels a bit different. It is hard to put my finger on one thing, but I think in 2011 I realized that I need to be doing this art thing more for myself and less for somebody else. I don't think this began to take shape in my head until June, but it completely came together this past week, the last week of 2011.

I was VERY busy this year, the most busy I have ever been as an artist. This has its' pluses and minuses and everyone has to deal with these challenges in their own way. For me, I was seriously burnt out by April or May and I really didn't know what to do. It was my own fault and I only can blame myself. I could not say 'no' to anything. Mind you, I worked on some really fun and interesting assignments, but at the end of the day I was exhausted (I of course did my best and did the assignments to the best of my abilities).

Thankfully there was an exterior influence that saved the day ...the Illustration Master Class!

Haggling
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Just in the nick of time the IMC made me schedule a break in my deadlines and required me to make a piece of work that was for myself and only for myself. A week to paint, have fun, and to learn ... who could ask for more? that I did all there in abundance (after I stopped freaking out). And you know what? I really enjoyed it! Making work that was in my voice, that accomplished my needs as an artist was an incredibly rewarding experience, one that I had almost forgotten about. This reminded me that I need to be invested in what I am doing, I need for my assignments to fulfill my needs as an artist. Not every project will allow this and in many situations you will need to figure out how to make the assignment fulfill this need. This did mean I had to learn to say 'no' more often and to make sure I really wanted to work on any given assignment. Thankfully, because of my efforts in 2009 and 2010 I have been focusing on my passions as an artist (see the links above for more details) and making sure my Art Directors are aware of the work I want to do. This lead to some incredibly fun assignments, many of which I can't share with you yet, but some I can...

Heart of the Scar / Shoth-Goragg.jpg
© 2011 Wizards of the Coast
Giant tentacle monster for Dungeons and Dragons. Yes, this I can get behind and while following the art order and giving the client what they want, I can add my voice to it, which hopefully will make it even better.

In the second part of 2011 I really made sure I said 'yes' to the projects that were best for me and my needs. Not sure how well I did, but I definitely felt better about the work I was doing and I was invested in the assignments. I tried to approach them all with the same philosophy, "What can I add to this assignment so that I can get the most back from it." So far, it seems to be working.

It is good to have goals!

Hopefully I have mentioned the importance of having goals before now. They are incredibly important and I feel they help shape your motivation and direction with your career. When I am asked the 'What does it take to become an artist' question, I answer with, "Have long term goals and invest lots and lots of time and hard work". If you don't know where you are going, how do you expect to get anywhere, let alone someplace you want to be? I have been making goals for myself and my career for a very very long time and thankfully I have been able to (in one way or another) complete most of them. Here are the goals that I set out for myself ...

(1980) "OMG DUNGEONS & DRAGONS MONSTER MANUAL!" - Completed 2008
(1984) "I want to make MOVIES!" - Completed 1999 - 2000 & 2002 - 2005
(1996) "I would really like to design toys" - For me, designing miniature definitely fits the bill - Completed 2005 - today
(1998) "I would really like to work on a video game." - Completed 2008, 2010 (and hopefully 2012) *none of these projects have yet to be released*
(2010) "There is no way I will ever get to do a cover because monsters never get to be on covers by themselves ...but it would sure be nice to do one" - completed 2011

But there was always a hold out, the one that began them all...

(1977) "I want to make Star Wars."

For years I have quested for this first and most dear of goals. I foolishly thought I had a chance at one of the coveted ILM student internships. I thought I would be close when I moved to LA to work in the film industry, but no. I thought I was even closer by working with Wizards of the Coast, but I still could not make it happen. I even interviewed with Lucas Licensing in the hopes of getting one assignment, yet again I was denied. It only took me 34 years but as of 2011, I finally got to 'make Star Wars' ...twice even.

These are purely for reference purposes ...and a small sample of a larger addiction.

I won't be able to share my Star Wars work until sometime in 2012, but it was very weird to finally work on that license after so very very long. In many ways they were just another set of assignments. At other times I felt like climbing onto the roof and shouting, "The circle is now complete, when I left you I was but a learner, but now, I AM THE MASTER!". And no, I was not working on any Darth Vader pieces. It also, in its own way, made me feel like I can do anything if I put my mind to it. Of course this resulted in a little problem ...all my goals are complete ...OKAY, NOW WHAT?

Well, I realized in the last week of 2011 that the answer to this question is answered by my first topic, I need to do things for me and myself. Evidence of this has already been showing up on the blog and hopefully more will be along soon! Instead of looking to others to help complete my goals, I am going to be looking to fulfill them myself. Two birds, one stone.

Push yourself and learn new things because you are better then you were and will be better then you are now.

2011 was marked by a lot of learning opportunities. While I have sought situations in the past to learn and grow, 2011 was just chalk full of them. It started with the before mentioned Illustration Master Class which lead into Gen Con ...I will stop right here and mention that setting up at a major convention for the first time was very much a learning experience. It is important to see how the public responds to your art and art in general, what works, what doesn't, and of course all the very important face time with your peers, your heroes, and your ADs. So, Gen Con lead into Illuxcon 4, which by far was a completely new and exciting experience for me. I wrote at length on it, but after IMC and Gen Con I got something very different out of Illuxcon compared to the last two years I attended. I mean this in the best and most positive way that I can, it was a AWESOME time.

Okay, as I am writing this, I think I figured it out, I found self confidence as an artist this year. As strange as this might sound, I think it has taken this long to feel like I am standing on my own two feet, I have something unique to say with my work and that I bring something that is my own to any assignment I take on. I think this feeling can be summed up in one pair of drawings, something that I had on my blog within the last couple of months. One of my redesigns of work I did on Angel...

High Priest 2003 / 2011
© 2003 Almost Human / © 2011 Christopher Burdett
Yeah ...a little difference. Looking at them I can't stop feeling like they were done by different people. With an eight year gap between them, they kind of have been drawn by very different people.

Maybe you only see two monster concepts, one that is 'meh' and one that is better ...maybe you don't even see that ...but to me I am floored. These both came from my brain and my hand buth if the last eight years of a LOT of drawing, hard work, and time had not happened the one of the right would not exist. It just finally hit me, maybe I can do this thing, maybe I am actually be an artist. I have only been working as an artist professionally since 1999 ...maybe it is about time I feel a little confident of the job I do ...as long as I don't become a total jerk.

I keep mentioning this past week, well, last week I produced my first traditional painting. It is acrylic on board and I used a drawing I really liked that I did way back in 2008. I have been feeling the itch to paint with real paint since the IMC and I finally had time to do it over the holidays. Here is how it turned out...

Myopic Thrasher
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Even though this is my first traditional piece I am really happy with how it turned out and really looking forward to doing more of these ...a lot more actually. I know I have a lot to learn I am just thrilled that the things I have been learning while working digitally have actually paid off when I worked traditionally.

Wrapping it all up...

I feel like I am forgetting so many other things that happened this year that played a huge roll in shaping it for me. One that I have not mentioned is my inclusion in the blog group Shadowcore. Check out this awesome group of artist is you already have not. Okay, to wrap things up… what I have come away with from 2011 is that I need to make sure I am doing work that I am passionate about and invested in and if I am not, I need to find a way to invest myself in the project. I need to focus on my new goals which are in many ways linked to working on projects that I am passionate about. And finally, continue to learn and push my boundaries as I improve and strengthen my abilities, feeling more confident about the work I do. …it is just that easy! :P

If you have any questions or would like me to clarify anything, let me know. I hope my ramblings have been helpful, useful or at least mildly amusing. I hope 2011 was a good year for you and here's to 2012 being even better! Now, let's get to work!

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Monday, January 2, 2012

A Brave New World - Part 3 - The Unexpected Journey

As I mentioned in my posts last Wednesday and Friday, I have been working on my first traditional painting. Today, I bring you the conclusion of my first attempt. Since I was focusing on the figure to get my feet under me and to get accustom to handling the paint I concentrated on the figure and had left the background untouched. In my last day of painting I remedied this situation. I have for you again a progression of my work in more or less hourly increments showing the painting as a whole, medium shot and close up...

Full image painting progression. I was happy and a little surprised with how quickly and easily the background laid in to the piece. I of course had to make some modifications to the figure to better tie the two together and make sure that the light was consistent. One thing that the background was... it was really FUN to paint!

Medium shot painting progression.

Close up painting progression.

I have a couple more tasks ahead of me before I call this first painting done and begin working on a second... I need to find a good way to make a digital backup, I need to sign it, and I need to varnish it. I have taken some photos of it, but they are not doing a good job of capturing it well and the colors are all off a bit. I will be scanning it hopefully later today since it is only 11 x 14 and I am hoping for some better results (this is now done, see below!). I also need to make a decision on varnish and move forward with that. I know I have a lot to learn with working traditionally, but this first painting does give me a sense of hope that I am not crazy for attempting it. I look forward to making more work traditionally... but my clients should fear naught! I am not moving to traditional media for my hired work. This is something I am currently only doing for myself.

*UPDATE* I have now scanned the painting and leave you with a much better reproduction of the painting which shows the detail and color much better and is MUCH closer to the original then the other photos I have been posting...

Myopic Thrasher
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

So concludes the happenings of 2011, I will have for you on Wednesday (hopefully) a look back at 2011 and a look ahead at 2012! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact
me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com