The DOODLES, DESIGNS, and aRT of CHRISTOPHER BURDETT: Black and White

Showing posts with label Black and White. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Nefarious Criminal Despot - 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 and is the next character piece in the book, the Nefarious Criminal Despot. And now the villain presents himself, or more to the point, the hero(s) must seek out the being known in whispers as the Basilisk to retrieve something dear to them(him). This is a character I created some time ago, and I have been waiting to introduce them to the Grand Bazaar. Whielding powerful mathematics and magicks, the Basilisk is to be feared, but he is not without his place within the Grand Bazaar. If you find yourself in the Warren, it is best to keep your head down and not draw the attention or ire of this criminal mastermind.

Nefarious Criminal Despot
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
11 x 14 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper

Original - Contact me if interested
© 2025 Christopher Burdett

Nefarious Criminal Despot - Drawing

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper
© 2025 Christopher Burdett

Here is a look at the sketch and tonal study for the Nefarious Criminal Despot to show where it began.

Nefarious Criminal Despot- Sketch

Digital

Nefarious Criminal Despot - Tonal study

Digital

As a bonus, I have some images of the rendering process of this piece so that you can get a better idea of it taking shape.

Nefarious Criminal Despot - Process

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, June 16, 2025

Hauteur Girasol Administrator - 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 and is the next character piece in the book, the Hauteur Girasol Administrator. One of the issues with retranslating a story written thousands of years in the past is that the original writings are incomplete. While I will go into more of this in the book, suffice it to say there are some holes in the story. One of the isolated sections involves a female Girasol that has come to the rescue of the heroes and has slaughtered a group of Gallionic Gallowglass that were asailing the stories' band of heroes. You may remember the Girosal from the first book when their species was nearing its end, but here, they are at their prime and a rising presence on the planet. I look forward to writing and sharing more about them. I present to you the Hauteur Girasol Administrator - and oh so many dispatched Gallionic Gallowglass.

Hauteur Girasol Administrator
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
11 x 14 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper

Original - Contact me if interested
© 2025 Christopher Burdett

Hauteur Girasol Administrator - Drawing

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper
© 2025 Christopher Burdett

As much as I enjoy the large environmental pieces (just see last week!), it is nice to return to a smaller image for this piece. Due to time and production delays beyond my control, I have made the call to make the pieces in the book smaller than initially planned. This will greatly speed things up and result in more pieces from the book being at better price points. A win/win. Here is a look at the sketch and tonal study for the Hauteur Girasol Administrator to show where it began.

Hauteur Girasol Administrator - Sketch

Digital

Hauteur Girasol Administrator - Tonal study

Digital

As a bonus, I have some images of the rendering process of this piece so that you can get a better idea of it taking shape.

Hauteur Girasol Administrator - Process

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

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Battle on the Airship - 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 and is the next chapter plate in the book, the Battle on the Airship. The heroes find themselves pursued aloft by a determined regiment of Gallionic Gallowglass that hopes to bring the heroes' airship down. Or possibly not, as the new translation points to other events entirely. What is important is how courageous and stalwart the farmhand is and how he is ready for a pitched battle with highly trained and equipped warriors. I present to you the Battle on the Airship.

Battle on the Airship
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper

Original - Contact me if interested
© 2025 Christopher Burdett

Battle on the Airship - Drawing

13 x 17 - Pencil on paper
© 2025 Christopher Burdett

This illustration was meant to be smaller to save time and speed up production on the next book, but as all of the heroes are included, two airships, a regiment of dark warriors, and the skyline of the Grand Bazaar below, it needed to be larger in the end. I could have easily done this at 16x20, but in the end, I went with 13x17. Here is a look at the sketch and tonal study for the Battle on the Airship to show where it began.

Battle on the Airship- Sketch

Digital

Battle on the Airship- Tonal study

Digital

I try to share my reference as much as possible, but usually, the photos I use are not for public viewing. While I have no photo reference of me acting out all of the character, I do have a rare thumbnail that I created to explain the piece to my wife so that we could get the images I needed for this piece. As you can see, there is a straight line from this thumbnail to the final illustration.

Battle on the Airship - Thumbnail

As a bonus, I have some images of the rendering process of this piece so that you can get a better idea of it taking shape.

Battle on the Airship - Process

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

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

And Still I Blog...

Things are certainly interesting these days. I am dealing with work fires on multiple fronts with so much to do. There is certainly not enough time right now for everything, and a lot of starting to slip through the cracks. No, that isn't correct. I have to be serious about how I prioritize things due to my schedule as of late, and I find myself making choices I would not have previously. Namely, my art and blog are not getting put on the back burner while I put out others' fires. I am tending those fires for sure, but through it all, the blog goes on, and I completed another piece for book two over the weekend.

Another pencil gave its all to the cause.

If you want to see this finished piece before anyone else, all you need to do is sign up to my mailing list!

Historically, my art is the first to go when life gets complicated. It is the easiest thing to do. I forgo the things I need and want to address others' needs. I am definitely not avoiding my duties and responsibilities to others, but I am making sure my time is as important. There are extenuating circumstances currently for sure, and I will go into that in time. But overall, this is a long time coming and something I have been working on for decades - better work/life balance.

Okay, I feel like this was all a lot to say, "Hey, things are super busy. BUT the blog and my art are just as valid and important, and even though things are crazy, I am still making art and talking about it." That and I also realized I needed a blog post today, and I didn't have one queued up yet. So, it's a win/win. I can't wait to share this new piece for book two with you all!

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