Monday, February 29, 2016

Chaac - Gods and Goddesses

In 2014 I had the opportunity to visit the Yucatan and while there to visit several ancient Mayan ruins. Since that visit I have been wanting to make a piece in response to the things that I saw and experienced. Namely a piece centered around the Mayan God of rain, thunder, and lighting, Chaac. Thanks to the new art anthology, Gods and Goddesses, being put out by Michael Publishing, LLC I had the extra motivation to finally get a Chaac piece completed. Here is my take on Chaac...

Chaac
11 x 14 - Acrylic and pencil on board
Original available over on my web store
© 2016 Christopher Burdett

Chaac is fresh off the work station and still needs to be varnished and framed before it is available. If you are interested, drop me a message or email and we can talk. Here is the pencil drawing that I produced leading up to the painting...

Chaac
14 x 17 - Pencil on paper
Original available over on my web store
© 2016 Christopher Burdett

From the first moments I laid eyes on the profile of Chaac at Uxmal I knew I needed to make a piece of Chaac art. I saw Chaac at other locations, but Uxmal had the most and the best Chaac sculptures that I saw in the Yucatan. Corners of pyramids and buildings had Chaac running up them, the facades of buildings had Chaac on them, there were even bits and pieces of Chaac all over the ground (especially his distinctive nose). My take on Chaac is a mix of what I saw first hand in the Yucatan, read in books, and my personal voice. Here are but a few of the many images of Chaac I took while visiting Uxmal...

Images © 2014 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, February 26, 2016

Fresh from the drawing table... Centaur!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is a Centaur! Continuing with the "C" monsters we arrive at a crazy horse man hybrid chimera thing. Is it a horse with man parts or a man with horse parts? Who knows... but it does have hooves and hands. I present to you my version of a Centaur… 

Centaur
9 x 12
Pencil on paper
Original - Currently not available
© 2016 Christopher Burdett

I am sure from the point of view of the Centaur the human and the horse are the strange half creatures. The humans have their own hatred for anything not fully human (and many things that are human). The horses, well, the horses don't care about any of this. You might think that I will blame a wizard for the Centaur, but you are TOTALLY wrong. It was probably a druid... or not. The Centaur may have even evolved on their own, much like the humans and the Flumphs. It is hard to say when the war between the Centaurs and humans began, but it certainly involved alcohol and a saddle.

Current 100 original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual redesigns (C - ?): Camel (Wild) and Cattle (Wild).

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, February 24, 2016

Viper Probe Droid - Star Wars - Prcoess

Today I have for you the process and steps that went into a piece I first shared with you in July of 2015, the Viper Probe Droid for the Force and Destiny Game Master's Kit. This was the first Star Wars piece that I painted traditionally and will always be a favorite for mine for that fact. Before we explore the process, here is the how the finished Viper Probe Droid turned out...

Viper Probe Droid
Force and Destiny Game Master's Kit
9 x 12 - Acrylic and pencil on board
Original - SOLD
© 2015 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

Thankfully there is a ton of great reference out there for the Probe Droid so this was in many ways a still life exercise. The droid did not have to be doing anything special since it a spot illustration. I wanted to make sure it looked good and that I actually finished the painting. I got started with some thumbnails, as I always do. This was a very straightforward piece so I only provided two options. Both of these options would have been fun to do, but option "A" definitely feels more ominous since the viewer is looking up at the droid.  Here are the final thumbnails...

Viper Probe Droid - Thumbnails
© 2015 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

Option "A" was obviously the winner and I was cleared to move onto final drawing. To ensure that I captured all the detail I made sure to create my drawing at 100% the final resolution. This was not necessary when working digitally, but I knew that if I blew any of my drawings up for their paintings that they could loose their tightness and detail density. This has since required me to work on a larger size of paper for all of my drawings associated with my paintings. While this seems like a no brainer, it was not obvious to me when I first started my first tests at painting traditionally. All that said, here is the final drawing for the Probe Droid...

Viper Probe Droid
Force and Destiny Game Master's Kit
11 x 14 - Pencil on Paper
Original - SOLD
© 2015 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

The drawing was approved without notes and I was all set to begin painting. As mentioned above, this was in many ways a still life exercise. I had my reference and it was a great way to explore the materials as I relied on an object and images in front of me to guide my painting choices. This is not the norm, most of the time, no matter how robust my reference is, I have to bring a lot of painting to life using my imagination and the things I have previously observed or practiced. Here is the Probe Droid coming together in twelve easy steps...

Viper Probe Droid - Process Progression
© 2015 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

After establishing a lot of the overall values and local color for this piece I worked from top to bottom. Very straight forward and at times meditative. Here is the progression of the painting in a handy dandy animated form to better show the steps and the painting taking shape...
Viper Probe Droid - Animated Process
© 2015 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

Here again is the final Viper Probe Droid painting as well as a scan from the book it appears in...

Viper Probe Droid
Force and Destiny Game Master's Kit
9 x 12 - Acrylic and pencil on board
Original - SOLD
© 2015 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

Viper Probe Droid in handy dandy book form

That's 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, February 22, 2016

Pensacon 2016 Recap

I am back from Pensacon 2016 and I had a blast. I am exhausted as usual, but I had a blast at the con. As a guest artist I found the con very well organized and they were warm and attentive hosts. This being my first time at Pensacon I did not know what to expect and I was impressed at every turn. There was staff checking on us regularly and when it came time for panels staff came to take me to the location or to transportation to other event venue. It was nice to not have to watch the clock and try to find my own way to a building a half mile from the convention center.

I met a ton of really great people at Pensacon and there was never a dull moment. I got to visit the vendor floor a couple of times before the con opened and checked out the celebrity room before anyone had arrived the first day, but other then that I was either busy at my booth or in panels. It was great being able to share my work with so many new people and to send some of my monsters home with them.

A HUGE thanks goes out to Mike Ensley for having me out and to all the staff and volunteers at Pensacon 2016. Thank you so much for making my three days at the con fun and memorable! 

Here are some images and thoughts from Penascon 2016...

Looking down from my table at the vendor floor when I arrived Thursday afternoon. Time to get started loading in all my stuff and to get set up. 

Nothing is ever simple... but that is the way of things.
On my second trip into the building one of my wheels on my cart shattered going over some rough spots in the parking lot. I was able to making it work for the remaining trips in and out of the building. The three remaining wheels more or less were able to do the job of four with a bit of help on my end. Time to find a hardware store of a new wheel!

All set up!
It is a little dark though. I wonder if I can do anything about this?
I do need to go to a hardware store...

The back of my wall faced down toward the vendor floor and remembered I have an extra banner.
I was and still am unnecessarily pleased with myself about this. I did have people tell me they found me by looking up and seeing the banner.

Friday morning found me with a new set of three clamp lights and a new wheel for my cart.
The lights GREATLY improved the look and presentation of my booth and it was a solid investment that I will get a lot of use out of in the future.

Found some Jawas working (stealing) a Gonk Droid.

Some idiot and a Royal Guard.

I can see my banner from here.
Looking up from the vendor floor at my booth.

A look around the main areas of Pensacon 2016.

A look around the main areas of Pensacon 2016.

At my panel Star Wars panel with Kevin J. Anderson, Troy Denning, and Dave Dorman.
SUPER FUN! 

None of my photos of the audiences of my panels will do them justice.
There was a great turnout for each one, though my photos can't show everyone in one image.

I signed a lot of Magic the Gathering cards over the weekend.
It never gets old and I am more then happy to do it.

My Gamorrean Guard study went home with Famous Gabe! RAWR!


SUPER FUN!

Another misleading panel audience photo.

Panorama fun of my booth and the vendor floor.

Another great and fun panel. All of my panels were a ton of fun and trilled to be a part of all of them.

Yet another misleading panel audience photo. Had a really good turn out for this one.

Sketch commission... RAWR!

The only celebrity I had a chance to meet.

Saturday was the BIG day, but I was impressed with the turnout on Friday and Sunday. The continuous flow of people down to the vendor floor was never ending.

Sketchbook sketch... RAWR!

Then there was a squirrel.

As Sunday afternoon progressed there crowds did finally begin to thin.

The vendor floor came down quickly... with much singing and fanfare. Seriously.

Another convention comes to an end. One last look at way was my booth. 
Thanks again to everyone at Pensacon 2016. We had a blast and look forward to Pensacon 2017!

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, February 19, 2016

Fresh from the drawing table... Cattle (Wild)!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is Cattle (Wild)! Continuing with the "C" monsters we come to another mundane monster, which need all the love and attention that the fantastical monsters get. I present to you my version of Cattle (Wild)… 

Cattle (Wild)
9 x 12
Pencil on paper
Original - Currently not available
© 2016 Christopher Burdett

I think the Wild Cattle of the realms is pretty much doomed. What band of adventures, a dragon, or horde of Orcs would not stop to have a fresh steak or hamburger? Not too mention the XP and possible pack animal assistance that the Cattle provides. The mundane monsters of the realms must flee in complete terror from anything that is not one of their own species. Anything else could certainly be their death. I wonder if the spirits of cheating player characters return to the game as hapless mundane monsters...

Current 100 original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual redesigns (C - ?): Camel (Wild).

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, February 17, 2016

BLOG-a-versary!

On this very day, February 17th, in 2009 I began this blog. Seven years and 1139 (give or take) posts later here we are and it is still going. Crazy fun times! If you are curious, you can have a look back at this blog's humble beginnings on February 17th 2009. A lot has changed for me in these seven years and a lot has stayed the same.

Yes, I am posting this monster eating a computer again.
Yes, I really like this drawing.
Yes, I found it relevant to today's anniversary post.
SEVEN YEARS RAWR!

I feel like I say the same things every year when this rolls around, but many of those thoughts and feeling stay the same. I hope that those reading this blog find my journey and ramblings helpful and entertaining. Growth and change are continuous and are a constant struggle. You need to make the art first and foremost for yourself... whenever possible.

I hope, as I begin year eight here on the blog, that my journey continues to be a productive and rewarding one, just as I hope the same for you as you proceed along your journey. My thanks for reading, commenting, and lurking on this blog, I hope to find it in me to keep this thing going as long as it is needed and useful. RAWR!

One last thing for today...

DON'T FORGET!
I will be a guest at Pensacon this weekend! Come see me in Pensacola, Florida February 19-21!


That's all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog, see 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, February 15, 2016

Come see me at Pensacon 2016 this weekend!

This upcoming weekend is Pensacon 2016, in Pensacola Florida, and I will be there as a guest! I hope to see you there because I am bringing all my monsters with me so they can go home with you. Pensacon is February 19-21 and will have a ton of guests, artists, and celebrities in attendance... even this knucklehead...

Come see me at Pensacon 2016 for all your monster needs! RAWR!

In addition to me just being there with my monsters I will be a part of three different panels during Pensacon. My schedule page has all the details and links to the individual panels. If that is too much work, I have this for you...

Don't forget my panel schedule!
Come see me talk about things with other people who will also be talking!

Anyone near the Florida Panhandle should get on down to Pensacon 2016 this week and check out all the fun! Come for the fun, stay for the monsters... or something like that. Hope to see you there!

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, February 12, 2016

Fresh from the drawing table... Camel (Wild)!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is a Camel (Wild)! Starting off my second set of 100 Monster Manual redesigns right where I left off from the first 100... right in the middle of "C". Knocking out some of the mundane "C" monsters first to get then out of the way. I present to you my version of a Camel (Wild)… 

Camel (Wild)
9 x 12
Pencil on paper
Original - Currently not available
© 2016 Christopher Burdett

Oh no... another unsuspecting creature going about its life until it crosses paths with a band of adventures. Whatever will happen?! Will there be a dinner of tasty camel meat? Will the Dwarf not have to carry everything now with the addition of a new beast of burden? Will the adventures get a little more XP? OR, while the players are all standing around trying to figure out what they are doing to do to this poor innocent Camel and Ankheg burst up and pulls the Camel into the ground to be eaten. No matter what, the day has gotten a lot worse for this Camel... and mostly the Ankheg too.

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