Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Happy Birthday to Dear Wife!

Today is Dear Wife's birthday and I could not think of a better way to use today's blog post than to share some images of her from our many adventures. She is my loudest cheerleader, relentless supporter, faithful art director, and the best adventurer. Always looking forward to our next adventure and to the ordinary things we find in our journey through life. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Images from Germany, Italy, Mexico, Bahamas, Caribbean, and United States.

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

Friday, May 26, 2017

Tentacle Carrion Crawler Miniature

Close to a year ago I mentioned that a miniature was in the works based on an illustration that I created for Michael Bielaczyc and his Sagaborn RPG. Jump ahead and they are now available! If you are so inclined, you can head over to eBay to get one for your very own. The Tentacle Carrion Crawler miniature comes unpainted, but here are some images of a painted up one for your viewing pleasure...

Tentacle Carrion Crawler painted miniature 
Images courtesy of Michael Bielaczyc

I grew up on metal monster miniature and I absolutely love designing them and having my work turned into them. My first work in the gaming industry was designing miniatures and it has shaped the course ever since. Here are some images of the miniature in the raw, as it were...

Tentacle Carrion Crawler unpainted miniature 
Images courtesy of Michael Bielaczyc

Lastly, here is the original illustration that I did that the miniature is based on. Hard to believe it has been four years since I work on this. Time does fly sometimes...

Tentacle Crawler - Elves of Uteria
9 x 12
Pencil on toned paper
© 2013 Christopher Burdett

That's all for another exciting week on the blog, Monday is a holiday so there will not be a post, 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

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Festering Mummy Drawing Time Lapse - Magic the Gathering

Today I have for you another time lapse video that I recorded about a year ago. This is the drawing for the Festering Mummy that I did for the Amonkhet expansion to Magic the Gathering. This expansion just came out so I am actually posting this when it is half way relevant. First things first, here is how the final drawing turned out...

Festering Mummy
Magic the Gathering - Amonkhet 
17 x 14 -Pencil on paper
 SOLD
 © 2017 Wizards of the Coast



The video should speak for itself. If you follow my blog at all you will be familiar with my thumbnails that I create as part of the process of creating an illustration. When I go about making the final drawing I use the approved thumbnail as a guide. I make changes and corrections along the way, which you can clearly see in the video when I erase and rework various parts as well as slim down the body and limbs. If all goes as planned, which it mostly did here, it comes together quickly so that I can move onto the next step in the process, the painting. Here is how the final painting turned out, you can compare the drawing with the painitng to see how they are interconnected...

Festering Mummy
Magic the Gathering - Amonkhet
14 x 10.2- Digital
© 2017 Wizards of the Coast

I will be sharing more about this piece when I finally get to the process post for it... which at I current pace will be sometime later in the year.

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, May 22, 2017

Virulent Artificer - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

I have a new piece from my series of toned paper monsters! Today's monster is the Virulent Artificer. If you need poisons, vile chemicals, and solvents of all kinds, there is only one real choice in the Bazaar. The Virulent Artificer takes great pride in its work and makes sure every customer leaves happy. Pray that you do not find yourself on the receiving end of a gift from the Virulent Artificer...

Virulent Artificer
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper 
© 2017 Christopher Burdett

Virulent Artificer - Drawing
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper 
© 2017 Christopher Burdett
 
Here are all the other completed monsters for The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia: Aberrant Stilter, Belled Kreep, Corrupted Knight, Dight-Kin, Eau-de-nil Elder, Ethra VanDalia, Footman, Gray Wanderer, Gullet, Humgruffin Mother, Irritated Girasol, Judicator, Kiplorbic Animal Dealer, Lammergeier Transport, Myopic Riflemen, Nimsbane Curse Victim, Ophiomornous Bureaucrat, Petrous Blacksmith, Quincaillerie, Saint Marque, Smokestack, Thrice, Uncanny Scribe, Virulent Artificer, Xandrell Tree, Yote Arms Dealer, and Zombic Spore.
 
As an added bonus, I have some images of the line work and rendering process of this piece so that you can get a better idea of it taking shape... 


Virulent Artificer - Process © 2017 Christopher Burdett

That is all for another exciting Monday on the blog. 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, May 19, 2017

Art in Unexpected Places

In our neighborhood some unexpected art has appeared. On a fence some actual paintings and canvas prints of paintings have been hung for the enjoyment of the neighborhood. At least I hope everyone is enjoying it, because I am really enjoying it and appreciate the people responsible.  The squirrel piece is especially a nice touch...

Unexpected art that will hopefully weather the elements for a while

Now that I see these I wonder why this has not been done more often

The even have lighting so that they can be enjoyed at night... though one light is currently out

The lighting so they can be seen at night is an especially nice touch. Going that extra steps shows me they care about what they are doing and thought it all they way through. While we don't have an exposed fence like this, if we did I would certainly want to hang some art to make the neighborhood nicer. Granted, you would need to not cherish anything you put out, the elements of a Florida summer will make quick work of a painting or canvas print. Hopefully they have additional paintings to switch out with these once the outdoors have their way with them.

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, May 17, 2017

Numenera Monsters - Process

Last week I shared with you the return of some of the monsters I did for the Numenera RPG. Upon posting these monsters again, I was reminded that I have never shared the process and steps that went into making them. Granted, I do not have a lot to share for these. I was working on all four at once, and I was moving very quickly through them and did not take photos of the paintings taking shape. What I do have are the thumbnails, drawings, and a false start for one of them. Initially, I did not think I had enough time to paint these traditionally and was going to work on them digitally. After starting the first one digitally, however, I quickly lost interest and was not being artistically sated by the experience. I decided to double down, make the time, and do these all traditionally, and boy, was I happy that I did that. While I wish I had photos of these paintings coming together, I am much happier that I made the deadline and that they all turned out how I wanted. 

To start things off, I have all the thumbnails that I did for these. This assignment was a bit different than the usual job. I was asked to just come up with monsters with very little perimeters. I was assigned four monsters, and they just needed to be aquatic and fit with the Numenera look and feel. So, I just sat down and let the monsters take shape. I worked fast and loose on these and just tried to get as many down and then worry about editing and changes later. Here are the twenty final concept thumbnails that I turned in...

 Numernera: Into the Deep - Thumbnails
© 2015 Monte Cook

After turning these in, my feedback was as followed:
"2 (jellyfish with human brain! Yes!)

13 (freaky-deaky sharky kind of thing. love!)

And he could pick his other two favorites. The only one that might not work is 18, because it looks a bit too much like a normal squid"
Can't go wrong with this. After a brief exchange of ideas regarding the final two choices with my art director, the four monsters were selected. 9 and 19 filled the remaining slots, and I was good to work up the final drawings. If you are at all familiar with my work and process that I share here on the blog, you will know that my drawings and thumbnails are almost exact in their silhouette and major forms. The drawings address small issues and tweaks, as well as bring in all the details. I try to nail it in the thumbnails and finalize all the major forms and overall design. I was excited about all of these and was really ready to get started on the final pieces. Here are the final drawings for each of these pieces...

Rythcallocer
Numenera: Into the Deep
14 x 11 - Acrylic and pencil on board 
Original - SOLD
© 2015 Monte Cook

Jybril - Drawing
Numenera: Into the Deep
11 x 14 - Acrylic and pencil on board 
Original - SOLD
© 2015 Monte Cook

Spiny Scishan - Drawing
Numenera: Into the Deep
11 x 14 - Acrylic and pencil on board 
Original - SOLD
© 2015 Monte Cook

Into the Deep Monster #4 - Drawing
Numenera: Into the Deep
11 x 14 - Acrylic and pencil on board 
Original - SOLD
© 2015 Monte Cook

The drawings were approved without comment, and I was ready to start working on the paintings. While I was not necessarily thrilled to be working on these digitally, as I said, I did not think I had another option due to scheduling and deadline conflicts. I sucked it up and started on the first one on the computer...

Into the Deep Monster #4 - False start
Digital - Unfinished
© 2015 Monte Cook

It was like pulling teeth to start on this one. I was apprehensive that this whole assignment would crash and burn because I was fighting the computer the entire time I was working on this. I took a break, really thought long and hard about it, and decided that the best option to move forward was to start over and work on these traditionally. It did mean some frantic hours following this decision because I had to prep the drawings for printing, print the drawings, and mount them on board to start painting the following day. I lost a night worth of work time, but in the end, it all paid off, and I had four real paintings to show for my time and effort. Here are how the final paintings turned out; needless to say, they were all approved without comment...


Jybril
Numenera Ninth World Bestiary 2
12 x 9 - Acrylic and pencil on board
Original - SOLD
© 2015 Monte Cook

Rythcallocer
Numenera Ninth World Bestiary 2
12 x 9 - Acrylic and pencil on board 
Original - SOLD
© 2015 Monte Cook

Spiny Scishan
Numenera Ninth World Bestiary 2
12 x 9 - Acrylic and pencil on board
Original - SOLD 
 © 2015 Monte Cook

Into the Deep Monster #4
Numenera: Into the Deep
12 x 9 - Acrylic and pencil on board 
Original - SOLD
 © 2015 Monte Cook

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