Kickstarter Roundup - Dahlinger, Fritz, and Colin

Today on the blog, I wanted to point out several current Kickstarter projects that I think you all might be interested in. They feature fantastic art by incredible artists, and if you have not already checked them out, you should do so NOW!

Sarah Dahlinger's Astra Fauna: Expeditions

First up is Sarah Dahlinger's Astra Fauna: Expeditions. Sarah shares:

Hi friends, let me tell you a tale…

...of aliens and adventures in far off places.

Let me tell you about, Astra Fauna!

Astra Fauna: Expeditions is a story-filled artbook that follows five alien scientists as they explore the wonders of a creature-filled universe.

You'll experience new worlds with unique creatures and peoples, read stories of mystery,  love,  and danger, and experience things both cute and monstrous.

Every chapter showcases the adventure of an alien scientist who's exploring life on a far-off planet.

They will candidly tell the tales of their adventure first hand, bringing you into their worlds and lives.

Bonus Content Added! All copies will come with stat blocks so you can use the Astra Fauna creatures and characters in your own homebrew role playing games!

I am extremely excited about this project. I love world and monster creation, and I can not wait to get this in my hands. It has been a joy to watch Sarah breathe life into the project, and we all need to lend support to make sure this is made a reality. There is so much more to share about Astra Fauna, be sure to follow the link and read all about it.

Tawny Fritz's La Fleur Mystique - Coloring Book

Next up is Tawny Fritzs La Fleur Mystique - Coloring Book. Tawny shares:

Born in New Orleans, I am heavily influenced by magic and mysticism. I don't know if you know this, but flowers are incredibly important to both the physical realm and the magical. Bees need them for nectar and we need bees for pollination. Flowers are what connects us. Lavender has calming qualities both in science and in spells. Nightshade can be used to banish and to poison. I spent the last few months drawing what I see as the personification of many of my favorite flowers and I would love for you to add life to them with your colors!  

La Fleur Mystique will be a silky soft cover foil stamped coloring book, perfect bound at 8.5"x11", with over 24 pages printed on 80 lb paper. The back of each page will be left blank so you won't have to worry about bleed-through. Each image was hand drawn by me using micron and Faber-Castell pens.

Each image is printed twice, giving you the opportunity to try different materials and different color palettes.

This is another great project from Tawny, and if you know her work, you know how beautiful it is. If you love gorgeous images that you can color, then this is the project for you.

Brian Colin's RPG Squeeze Plush – Soft & Cuddly Dungeon Crawl Critters

Lastly, there is Brian Colin's RPG Squeeze Plush – Soft & Cuddly Dungeon Crawl Critters. This is through Brian's company Creature Curation and, unlike the other two is happening on Backerkit and not Kickstarter. Brain shares:

Here at Creature Curation we love all monsters, especially cute squishy dungeon crawl critters! And, when we need something to squeeze, we give one of them a squish.

Each RPG Squeeze Plush, is made from high-quality materials that are soft, huggable, and ready to squeeze! Classic dungeon crawl monsters in the form of plushies featuring the Gelatinous Cube, Strixbear, Black Ooze, Hellhound, and Eyegors

Brian is awesome, his monsters are awesome, and I have shared his projects several times before, and they have always had top-notch results. These look so fun, and I can not wait to see them in person. Be sure to head over and help out with this current project.

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

Blufferfish - Magic: the Gathering - Process

I have for you today the process and steps that went into my Blufferfish painting for the Magic the Gathering set, Unfinity. This was my only contribution to the Unfinity set, but it was another fish to add to my growing MtG fishy army, so I am thrilled. Here is how the final painting for the Blufferfish turned out.

 

Blufferfish

Magic the Gathering - Unfinity

14 x 10.27 - Digital

Prints available at OMA!

ARTIST PROOFS available over on my web store!

Art Director - Dawn Murin
 © 2022 Wizards of the Coast

The assignment called for a surly fish performer all puffed up and living its best fishy life wearing a little hat. I got to work on thumbnails as I played around with the look and feel for the fish. The assignment called for the hat to be on a string around the fish's head, but fishy don't usually have necks, so I made the best of it. These are the thumbnails I turned in for the Blufferfish.

Blufferfish - Thumbnails

 © 2022 Wizards of the Coast

Production felt the string around the neck made it look like the fish was being strangled rather than wearing a fun little hat. Also, as mentioned, fish do not have a neck like other animals. The string was dropped, and I was asked to give option A another pass as I worked out the face, head, and body anatomy a little more. Here is the updated thumbnail that I submitted. 

Blufferfish - Update thumbnails

 © 2022 Wizards of the Coast

This time around, the thumbnail was approved, and I could get to work on the drawings. I produced a rendered drawing and a tonal study for this piece. If you notice the background between the two, you will notice I received a change while working on them. It was decided that the background observation pods needed to be rotated so that they were aligned to the viewer's point of view and that only the fish would be at an angle. I would much rather receive a change like this early in the project, so it was a relief it came while I was still working on drawings and could adjust it now, and not while painting. Here are the two drawings I produced for the Blufferfish.

Blufferfish - Drawing

Magic the Gathering - Unfinity

14 x 11 - Pencil on paper

Art Director - Dawn Murin

Original - SOLD
 © 2022 Wizards of the Coast

 

Blufferfish - Tonal study

Magic the Gathering - Unfinity

14 x 11 - Pencil on paper

Art Director - Dawn Murin

Original - SOLD
 © 2022 Wizards of the Coast

The drawings were approved without comment, and it was time to paint. Save for the rotating background elements; this was a straightforward piece to work on. I did adjust the fish's overall body shape as I was working on it. While it seemed correct in the drawings, as I was painting, it became clear that the form was just off and needed some extra attention to get it looking right. I looked at so many fish reference while working on this. I love all the subtle forms that the spines on a pufferfish have and create across the fish's skin. I wanted to bring some of that to this piece. Here is a step-by-step look at the painting taking shape.

Blufferfish - Process

 © 2022 Wizards of the Coast

There was one single change asked of me after submitting it - please add some bubbles. It was so simple and yet so impactful. Again, this points out the importance of having an art director that can give you the little push to make the piece 100%. It was funny how it went from I think that is underwater to that is definitely underwater. Here again, is the final painting for the Blufferfish and the production card.

Blufferfish

Magic the Gathering - Unfinity

14 x 10.27 - Digital

Prints available at OMA!

ARTIST PROOFS available over on my web store!

Art Director - Dawn Murin
 © 2022 Wizards of the Coast

 

Blufferfish in handy dandy card 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

Goarrinn Portrait - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

I am thrilled to share another new piece from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia. This illustration is for Book Two: The Completed Circle. This will be a character portrait accompanying one of the short blurbs at the beginning of a chapter. I shared more about these with the first post focused on these portraits. With most of these, I have an idea regarding their voice and placement in the book, but the fun part is that it is not set in stone and may turn into something very different from what I first planned. This piece was one of the first I did of these headshots and one I have been wanting to do for several years. I will share more another day, but this one is inspired by something I frequently observed while attending IX. Monster reference is all around us, and you never know what will inspire the next creature. I present you with a Goarrinn (name to come later).

Goarrinn
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
5 x 5 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - SOLD
© 2022 Christopher Burdett

Goarrinn - Drawing 

5 x 5 - Pencil on paper
© 2022 Christopher Burdett

These are the smallest pieces created for the books. There is something charming about a 5 x 5 image, and I have already framed them all up. They look great in a frame and will make an excellent addition to my conventions later in the year. I have completed the first planned set of them, and I will likely begin making more of them soon. Here is a look at the sketch for the Goarrinn to show where it started. Once I have shared all of this first batch, you might notice some Easter eggs in the backgrounds.

Goarrinn - Sketch 

Digital
© 2022 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

Chucklehead 2D Miniature

I mentioned last week that I would have more of the monsters I painted for Dungeons & Dragons making a return appearance as a new miniature. What I did not know, on top of some of my monsters getting updated miniatures, was that some of the monsters were getting 2D acrylic miniatures too! I stumbled upon the line of D&D acrylic miniatures by accident and was thrilled to see so many of my monsters included in the various sets. To start things off, I have for you the 2D mini of Chucklehead. I painted Chucklehead for The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, and here is how the final painting turned out.

Chucklehead

The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

11 x 14 - Digital

Art Director - Kate Irwin

© 2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC

Now that I know there is a line of 2D acrylic minis, I have been looking into all of the sets. If you want to seek out this set, here is an image of the packaging. The 2D Chucklehead can be found in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight Set 2 of the D&D Idols of the Realms line of miniatures.

The Wild Beyond the Witchlight Set 2

I find these to be very fun. They are very high quality and the printing is excellent. There are bases for all of the miniatures, and they are arranged by size. Here is the 2D version of Chucklehead.

Chucklehead 2D Miniature

I find it interesting that the pose of the 2D image is flipped from the 3D miniature. I guess this is an easy way to make them different and unique. You can compare the 3D mini to the 2D. I like them both and would always go for a 3D piece in the end, but the appearance, color, and detail are all superior in the 2D mini. To each, their own, and more minis are fine by me. 

Chucklehead Miniature

 That's all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here next week. Until then...

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

NEW ARTIST PROOFS! Blufferfish and Stinging Lionfish

I am thrilled to announce after many delays, I finally have my Blufferfish artist proofs, and they are on my store. As you might remember, the Blufferfish was another fishy friend I designed and painted for the Magic the Gathering set, Unfinity. In addition to the Blufferfish, I recieved my APs for the reprint of the Stinging Lionfish that appears in Jumpstart 2022. 

New Magic the Gathering Artist Proofs are NOW AVAILABLE!

Blufferfish (regular and foil) and Stinging Lionfish (Jumpstart 2022)

ARTIST PROOFS available over on my web store!

I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Blufferfish proofs, and they look so good in person. I can not wait to start putting drawings on their backs and sending them to their forever homes. 

Here is a look at all the final art for the above listed cards. You will also find links to their corresponding prints if that is something you are interested in. 

Blufferfish

Magic the Gathering - Unfinity

14 x 10.27 - Digital

PRINTS available at OMA!

ARTIST PROOFS available over on my web store!

Art Director - Dawn Murin
 © 2022 Wizards of the Coast

 

Stinging Lionfish

Magic the Gathering - Theros Beyond Death 

14 x 10.2 - Digital 

PRINTS available at OMA! 

All of my Magic the Gathering Artist Proofs!  

Art Director - Dawn Murin 

© 2020 Wizards of the Coast

 

All artist proofs are signed and numbered and can include an original drawing on the back. 

 

And for those interested in getting a drawing on the back of any artist proof, here are samples of what to expect.

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

NEW Yuan-ti Broodguard Miniature

If you are saying to yourself there is already a Yuan-ti Broodguard miniature out there and that I shared it here on the blog, you are correct. Today I am sharing the NEW Yuan-ti Broodguard miniature that was recently released. I am sure some are wondering why we need a new Yuan-ti Broodguard miniature, and I will address that, but first, let us look back at my original Yuan-ti Broodguard painting that I created for Volo's Guide to Monsters.

Yuan-Ti Broodguard

Volo's Guide to Monsters

11 x 14 - Digital

Art Director - Kate Irwin

© 2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC

BEHOLD! It is a miniature, and it looks awesome and is based on my illustration. For those wondering why there is a new version of this monster, I guess they are correcting the mistake of making the original Yuan-Ti Broodguard mini too small. The version that came out in 2017 was a tiny or small-scaled mini, and the monster is more of a medium-sized monster. Here is a look at the new and improved Yuan-Ti Broodguard miniature.

Yuan-ti Broodguard Miniature - Sand and Stone

© 2023 Wizards of the Coast LLC

Lastly, I want to share an image of the previous miniature version. It turned out great, if not a little small. This original version did have its tongue out like my painting, but no tongue is perfectly fine too. Maybe seven years is enough time to warrant a new version of any miniature. I have it on good authority that this is not the only one making a return appearance as a new miniature. But more on this another day.

Yuan-ti Broodguard Miniature - Tomb of Annihilation

© 2017 Wizards of the Coast LLC

That's all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here next week! Until then...

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

"Recent" Magic the Gathering Artist Proof Drawings

Today I have "recent" Magic the Gathering artist proofs that I added a drawing to their backs. All available artist proofs and drawing options can be found on my store. I have been producing many of these lately, and I am properly behind in sharing what I have been working on. I present a selection of monster drawings on the back of Magic the Gathering cards.

This is likely one of my favorite cards that I have done and my favorite Ancient Carp.

The lurker never gets enough love, so it was nice to not do one card...

 

...but two cards. This one was to be inspired by a ninja. This was too much fun to draw.

 

Don't think there is no interest for the black and white drawings.

Another Ancient Carp with a focus on the boat.

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

Dungeons & Dragons Word Search and Coloring Book - The Return of the Ankheg

Sometimes I go looking, and sometimes these things come to me. Another Facebook ad gave me the heads-up on something I might want to check out. I checked it out, and I can confirm that it did fall well within the sphere of my interests. After a quick glance at the recently released Dungeons & Dragons Word Search and Coloring Book, I noticed that under Ankheg was something very familiar to me.

Dungeons & Dragons Word Search and Coloring Book

For all your Dungeons & Dragons Word Search and Coloring Book needs.

Much to my surprise (but is it really at this point), under Ankheg I found the design drawing that I produced while working on the 5E D&D Monster Manual and monster redesign. It looked a little funny, but I am sure it was modified a little to make for a better coloring page. Here is my Ankheg drawing.

A drawing of a monster that is near and dear to me.

As mentioned, I recognized it immediately as my work, but the more and more I looked at it, it felt a little off. Not by much, but something just seemed different. I could clearly see my mark-making and my work, but something was... strange. I compared it to the original design work.

Ankheg - Version 02

Digitally modified drawing

12 x 9

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Ankheg - Final Concept

Digital color over modified drawing

12 x 9

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

After a side-by-side comparison, I knew something was off. It was my design, but with less detail, and the shading was off. That is when I remembered I did additional detail drawings for all of the monsters I painted for the 5E MM, including the Ankheg. Since my final design for the monster was a digitally edited version of my drawing and the illustration in the book was in a more cropped action pose, I redrew that original concept as one of my detail studies. Since it was going to be smaller, I dropped some of the details in the original drawing and changed a couple things here and there. And thus, the mysetery is solved, and I was correct, it was my drawing, just not the one I thought it was at the beginning. Here is a look at all the detail drawings I did for the Ankheg ten years ago. 

Ankheg - Detail drawings

 9 x 12 - Pencil on paper

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

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

From the Archives: No Face - Angel Season 5

I am honestly surprised that after twenty years, I still have not officially shared this piece. It is from my time in the film industry working in Los Angeles. While this piece has been a part of my makeup effects gallery for a long time, I have never discussed it or shared process images. There were several other makeups that we did at the same time as this one, but this was the one I designed and painted. From the archives, I present to you from season 5 of Angel, episode 4, the ghost, "No Face."

Before I go too far, I must remind everyone that this work is a collaboration of many talented artists and technicians. I was one of many that brought this thing to life. This time, I was the designer and painted the final makeup appliance. After twenty years, I only still possess a couple of the names of the others involved with this work. Therefore I am unable to properly give credit to the others involved. Sorry, but people's names were the first to go after I left LA. 

I do not believe I have watched this particular episode, so I am not sure the context of the ghost we worked on and how they related to the episode. I am not even sure how long they are in or if they are even in the episode. So goes the realities of working in the entertainment industry. All I know is that I made (as far as I remember) three ghost makeups. One was made from recycled makeup appliances, one had a small appliance made (a shard of glass into an eye), and this one was a completely new makeup and prosthetic arm with hand. I was likely given about three minutes to design this thing, so I was able to get a total of two designs made. They picked the second, but I am getting ahead of myself. Here are some set and shop images for the work done on the "No Face" ghost.

We were all aware of the movie Spirited Away, which made the naming of this ghost "No Face" all the more of an issue. But here we are all the same twenty years later. This is "No Face" on set in all his glory. All things considered, it really turned out well, and I still proudly display it as an example of the work I could do at the time.

 This was the first design I did for "No Face."

I likely had little time to work on these, and people at the shop had already bound my hands and would force me to use photographs we didn't have usage right for as the starting point of my designs. It is a good thing they never made an 'Art of Angel' book and used any of these because a lot of people would have gotten into a lot of trouble. Knowing myself, this first one was just getting out of the bad ideas.

This is the second and final design that I did for "No Face."

This was deemed the Micheal Jackson design, and those that named it as such had themselves a long giggle. Needless to say, this was the one they picked. But I have no idea what, if anything, was sent to production for approval. Sometimes they didn't care and would just take what we made. Other times, they would nitpick our work into the ground. They may have only ever seen this second design and were told that this was what we were making.

Two different angles of the "No Face" sculpture. I wish I could remember who was responsible for this work, but that is long gone knowledge for me. I still like it a lot, but it was a rush, like so, soooo, SOOOOO much of the work we did.

Now that "No Face" was designed, sculpted, molded, and cast in foal latex, it was time to paint it. Painting the makeup was often an enjoyable time. I felt a lot more competent while wielding an airbrush and paint than I did while designing. I am not sure I would know my way around an airbrush these days, but I do miss having one.

Several more angles of the "No Face" appliance. We coated the teeth in resin to make them rigid, and so they have the right look to them. The gums and the juicier lacerations were coasted in an acrylic gloss we could paint with. It was common for the on-set union makeup artist to go off script and repaint an appliance, or at least make HEAVY changes to them, without consult or approval. This would come back to us at the shop even though we had nothing to do with it. Thankfully, this one was nearly untouched, and you can see my paintwork in the final photos from set.

 

Lastly, here is another image from set and the cut away prosthetic hand and arm. When the fingers are removed with a knife, blood would flow out of the stumps. All low-tech on-set effects, but they get the job done. I was not on set for this one, but I assumed it all went according to plan.

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