Wednesday, April 20, 2011

My life as a crappy artist - Aztec Warrior Demon

You of course remember the Aztec Warrior Demon from episode 5, The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco, from season 5 of Angel, right? Any good Angel fan would, right? I barely recall this demon and I was on the design team for it. So that everyone is on the same page, this is the Aztec Warrior Demon...

RAWR! I'm the Aztec Warrior Demon and I love ketchup! OM NOM NOM NOM NOM! Can't get enough ketchup!

I was able to find some time to take a fresh pass at another demon that I designed while working on Joss Whedon's Angel series. This time around the Aztec Warrior Demon was the lucky winner of making me cringe more than all the others. Despite my better judgment here are my original designs for the Aztec Warrior Demon from 2003...

Oh boy... well, at least the chest plate thing is not too bad, might just have to keep that bit. Not sure what is going on above the neck and that sad hand is killing me. Would it have killed me to look down at my own hand and draw it rather then have that mitten ball?
© 2003 Almost Human

Apparently we needed to get closer to my shame, because I did a head study too. You know how something might look weird from a distance and when you get closer it all makes sense? This is not one of those times...

GAH! Oh noes! The mildly displeased monster may have taken notice of us. This demon appears to be slowly melting toward its right side while his helmet is bulging toward the left. Is it just me, or does he look like he is about to cry?
© 2003 Almost Human

Another classic case of me freaking out under a ridiculously short deadline (maybe a couple of hours) and having no solid direction to move forward with. This was a winning combination for me back then... one of those lose/lose situations. If I remember correctly, this demon was an old foe of a band of super hero Mexican wrestlers. The demon made his return after all but one of the wrestlers were dead. The demon would rip the hearts out of people and that just won't fly in Los Angeles these days. Not sure if any of the designs produced actually looked like the final demon or if the sculptor just distilled them all into the final creature. Now was my chance to rework this bad boy from south of the boarder and put right another of my wrongs, with something... newer...

Taking the Aztec Warrior Demon back!
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

I kept that breast plate deal and the bird head helmet. One thing demons don't have enough of these days is FEATHERS. I think the demon would have looked a lot more imposing if the helmet and gear were much bigger and had more bits that moved when he moved. Some facial paint other then the ketchup mouth would have been nice too. Once again, if I had only taken a deep breath and tried to have some fun rather then freaking out about the design maybe I could have come up with something better those many years ago... or maybe not. In the end I am not sure if it is a better design, but I am much happier with the drawing.

I will leave you with another pick of the final Aztec Warrior Demon on set. Check out that styling chest plate! Soon all the classy demons will be wearing them. You might notice how his head is totally a different color then his body... yeah, that was all me too...

RAWR! At least I can keep my eyes open while looking at the camera! RAWR!

That is all for another exciting day 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

3 comments:

  1. the second to last drawing looks sick with the aztec warrior

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dude, this is an episode and demon i never forget. I always liked the way it turned out. Of course it was one of many instances where they never really let us get a good look! Hence my being here. Still, theres been a lot worse looking creatures on tv. Especially now that its all cgi.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! :) Really appreciated! They were all amazing to work on, and it was an amazing time. Just wish I had been a better artist at the time to make a better show of things. :)

      Delete