Air Caste Courier - Warhammer 40K: Conquest - Process

Back in December of last year I first shared with you my contribution to the Legions of Death expansion to Warhammer 40K: Conquest, the Air Caste Courier. Today I have for you the process and steps that went into making that piece. To start things off here is what final version of the card looks like as well as what the final version of the painting looks like...

Air Caste Courier (Modified final)
Warhammer 40K: Conquest - Legions of Death
14 x 11 - Acrylic and pencil on board with digital edits 
Original available over on my web store 

© 2015 Fantasy Flight Games

Air Caste Courier (Original)
Warhammer 40K: Conquest - Legions of Death
14 x 11 - Acrylic and pencil on board 
Original available over on my web store 

© 2015 Fantasy Flight Games

There were some revision requests made after the painting was completed that involved global changes to the piece so they were done digitally, which is why there are two versions of this piece.

As with everything I create, there was a photo shoot for reference and then I got started on thumbnails for this piece. It needed to depict a big headed blue alien from the Warhammer 40K universe carrying a case onto a dropship as it prepares to take off. Pretty straight forward even though the alien is a little silly. Here are how the thumbnails turned out...

Air Caste Courier - Thumbnails

© 2015 Fantasy Flight Games

Did I say reference? Here is a look at one of the many images taken during the photo shoot to work out this piece. It was also the image used for the approved thumbnail, option "C".

Air Caste Courier - Reference

Photo by Achsa Nute

With an approved thumbnail it was time to get started on the final drawing for the piece. Here is how said drawing turned out...

Air Caste Courier - Drawing
Warhammer 40K: Conquest - Legions of Death
17 x 14 - Pencil on paper 
Original available over on my web store 

 © 2015 Fantasy Flight Games

There was some concern the head was not long enough and I was asked to extend it. I still think it ruins the perspective a bit and makes the whole face appear to be more parallel to the viewer than it is meant to be, but I make the revisions requested of me. There were some other little edits here and there to the drawing that I was asked to make as well. I made all of these edits digitally since I didn't want to risk messing up the final drawing with an incorrect revision and I did not have time to redraw the entire with with the revisions. Here is how the revised drawing turned out...

Air Caste Courier - Drawing (modified final) © 2015 Fantasy Flight Games

The revised drawing was approved and I was ready to get started on the painting. For some reason I took a photo of my work space right before I got to work on this painting. It was mixed in with all the process images I took and  I had completely forgotten about it. For those interested in seeing what my painting space looks like, here you go...

Work space before painting begins

The painting portion for this one was relatively straight forward. Just fumbled my way through it until I had a finished painting, or so I thought. As mentioned before, there were some global revisions requested after the painting was considered completed by me. Making these revisions digitally took a lot of the guess work, anxiety, and risk out of making them. Here is a look at the piece coming together (including digital revisions)...

Air Caste Courier - Process progression © 2015 Fantasy Flight Games

Here is an animated version of the painting coming together so you can better see the stages building on each other as well as the edits that were done digitally. Besides making the entire piece more yellow, there were small changes to his anatomy were the interruption of the miniature and the painted figure were ambiguous.

Air Caste Courier - Animated process progression © 2015 Fantasy Flight Games

Here again is the final version of the Air Caste Courier painting as well as an image of the final production card for you viewing pleasure. It is funny how some of the things I was asked to edit, revise, and change in the final are not even visible on the final card do to cropping. Oh well, that is the way of things...

Air Caste Courier (Modified final)
Warhammer 40K: Conquest - Legions of Death
14 x 11 - Acrylic and pencil on board with digital edits 
Original available over on my web store 

© 2015 Fantasy Flight Games

Air Caste Courier in handy dandy card form

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