Ill-Prepared Summoner - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

I am thrilled to share another new piece from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia (with another new piece tomorrow!). This illustration is for Book Three: In the Black. Summoning beings not meant for this level of reality is difficult at best and suicidal at worst. This piece focuses on the aftermath of a failed attempt to summon and capture a being of power that exists in a place very different than ours. Unfortunately, did the ritual not work, but the being only known as Sister now is loose in the Grand Bazaar. I present to you the Ill-Prepared Summoner.

Ill-Prepared Summoner

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

 

Ill-Prepared Summoner - Drawing 

13 x 17 - Pencil on paper
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

This piece means a great deal to me. I first envisioned it over ten years ago after attending my first Illustration Master Class. While attending IMC, I had completed the first full-color concept image associated with the Grand Bazaar, Haggling. The world was already in my mind, and I began to imagine more and more possibilities for it. When I arrived home, I did a series of photoshoots with my wife playing the demon and me, the summoner. I worked out the composition and got the sketch ready for production. Here is the sketch of the Summoner from 2011.

Summoner - Sketch 

Digital
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

I had the idea, I had the sketch, but after that, nothing happened. I didn't know how I wanted to finish this piece. While I was working digitally, I was already thinking about transitioning to traditional media. My schedule was very full as well, and in time this piece was shelved as I had more pressing assignments to focus on. Even though it was shelved, it never left my thoughts. I wanted very much to see this finished. Jump ahead nearly a decade, and that time had finally come. As I was finishing the first book of The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia, I looked around at the ideas that didn't make it into the first book. I had a handful of pieces slated for production and knew it was time to dust off this one and queue it up. My concept for the Grand Bazaar had evolved over the past decade, which meant that I needed to update the sketch for the Summoner. There are no humans, so the summoner needed to change. I am not a fan of human gender queues being used on monsters and non-human beings, so Sister needed a little updating as well. Lastly, my esthetic and design for the Grand Bazaar has progressed, which meant that the level of detail and visual information needed to increase. With all that addressed, I had a new sketch from which to work. 

Ill-Prepared Summoner - Sketch 

13 x 17 - Digital
© 2019 Christopher Burdett

With a newly updated sketch in hand, one more fitting the Grand Bazaar, it was time to get to work. I finished the linework and then completed a tonal study. A piece of this complexity needs to be worked out ahead of time, or I would likely get lost along the way. If that happened while rendering, it would be next to impossible to correct things. Here is the tonal study for the Ill-Prepared Summoner.

Ill-Prepared Summoner - Tonal Study

13 x 17 - Digital
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

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.  

Ill-Prepared Summoner - Process

© 2021 Christopher Burdett 

 

That is all for another exciting Tuesday 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

Recent Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia Bookplates

I have been taking a little blog break as I posted my 100 days of Dungeons & Dragons. Hard to keep all the plates spinning sometimes, and it is easier to focus on the least involved venture for a while and let the other sit on the back burners. I think I am due a bit of a break, mainly since I have run this blog since 2009, but that is neither here nor there. 

Today I am sharing a selection of recent Grand Bazaar bookplates that I had at IX in October. Since this was the first time the books would be in the wild, I knew I needed to get some bookplates ready ahead of time. While I may have been a little overzealous in getting twelve completely, I was surprised with how many deluxe versions sold at IX and in the following weeks. No complaints will be coming from me. The only regret is that I have not shared these with you sooner - which is where the first paragraph of this post comes in.

Before my next event, I will need to draw some more of these, but I have a few months to worry about that. For now, here are some images of the plates.

 

Each deluxe version of my book comes with a signed and numbered bookplate that features an original drawing and stamp. With only 100 deluxe versions available, your opportunity to get one decreases all the time. 

 

The Smokestack is one of my go-to images for the bookplates. They are fun to draw, and I love any excuse to use the Shaper stamp. 

 

Sometimes I like to draw characters that are briefly mentioned or will be mentioned in the future. 

 

Things in jars and bottles are a mainstay of the Grand Bazaar and for bookplates.

 

A little guest appearance of Sister, who will be making her debut in book three.

 

This was easily my favorite of this set of bookplates, and it was the first to go at IX. Don't worry, there will likely be another Ethra or two on bookplates before we reach the end. 

 

Like the Smokestack, the fan-favorite of the Gray Wanderer has adorned many bookplates.

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

The Summoner Update and Sneak Peek

At the very end of August, I was in the grove again. Making art for the next installments of The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia and getting things done. IX was ahead of me in October, and there was a lot to be done. I shared the state of things about the Grand Bazaar and beyond at the time and was very optimistic about what was happening. While IX was a success and everything I planned came to fruition, unfortunately, the thing that once again suffered was making time to work on the books. This has been a reoccurring pattern since the beginning of 2020, and while I thought I had moved past it, I have not. The piece I had finished the linework on at the end of August has sat untouched until this week. Thankfully, I have pushed forward with it, and I am once again working on it. Life continues to throw things my way, but the black render is underway. My plan is to have this piece and a smaller second piece completed by the end of the year. Come hell or high water, this is happening. It only takes me sitting in my chair and working. Something that used to be so easy and since 2020 has become increasingly difficult. I hope to share the completed Summoner with you soon, but for now, here are some glimpses at it coming together.

This is where Sister was at as of August 30th. She sat this way for nearly two and a half months.

 

I had to get a bit done on the mid and backgrounds, but once there was enough established, I felt comfortable moving to the figure. ...FINALLY!

 

The figures are going to be back, and side lit. Thankfully I have plenty of reference images to work from when I planned this piece over ten years ago.

 

I have progressed past this point, but I can't show all the image just yet. Need to leave a little for later. As long as I can continue to sit in my chair and work, I will hopefully have something to share with you sooner than later.

That is 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

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia Update and Sneak Peek

A lot is going on with the Grand Bazaar these days. I am more or less back on a regular production schedule working on the images for the next books. On top of that, a lot is happening behind the scenes to be ready for IX in October and conventions, in general, moving forward. This includes finishing new work, getting prints ready, and even making better publicity images of the books. My entire convention setup and appearance is changing, and that is requiring a lot of new construction, organization, and planning. At least by IX, I will be able to share that with you. 

Until then, I can leave you with a pair of sneak peeks at the piece I am currently working on. This is an illustration I planned out over ten years ago but never moved forward with it beyond shooting reference and creating the digital sketch. I have carried it around trying to find a home for it for a decade and finally realized it was always meant to be in the Grand Bazaar. I made some updates to the sketch and prepped it got production. I completed the linework for it over the weekend. I will begin rendering it this week. For now, here is a glimpse at a bad day in the Grand Bazaar.

 

There will be a few beings having very, very bad days in book three, In the Black.

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

Fortune Teller - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

I am happy to share another new piece from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia. This illustration is slated for Book Three: In the Black. This piece focuses on a hapless Kiplorb coming to terms with their life choices and how trapping a being not meant for this level of existence may not have been the best idea. The captured being, only known as Uncle, bides its time for now as it shares possible futures for any that place a coin in the bowl. I present to you the Fortune Teller.

Fortune Teller

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

 

Fortune Teller - Drawing 

13 x 17 - Pencil on paper
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

 

Typically, I share the final art and the line drawing that will eventually become the line art in a coloring book. As with all of my work, I start with reference images and a digital sketch to work out the idea in my head for these pieces. You should be able to draw a straight line from the digital sketch to the finished art. More detail is added, and elements are fleshed out along the way, but the overall piece is locked in during the sketch. Here is the sketch for the Fortune Teller.

 

Fortune Teller - Sketch 

13 x 17 - Digital
© 2019 Christopher Burdett

Some Kiplorb still possess a dwindling spark of the power their ancestors use to freely wield. Some are aware of the spark and use it to its fullest, and some cause significant troubles as they blindly flex power no longer reigned in my knowledge and experience. When you find yourself in the control of a vastly old and dangerously powerful being, you will so come to the realization that you are now in a cage of your own making, for if the being was to ever escape, your remaining days of life would be spent in great pain.

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.  

Fortune Teller - Process

© 2021 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

Infected By Art Volume 9 Selected Work

I am happy to announce that I have had a piece selected for inclusion in Infected By Art Volume 9. I really love IBA, and it is a real honor to be included with so many other great artist and their work. You can see a full list of the art included in IBA 8 over on their website. As I said, lots of great work! As far as my work, Vexed Beanmonger, from the upcoming The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black, was selected.

 

Vexed Beanmonger

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
11 x 14 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2020 Christopher Burdett

You can never know what will or will not make it into a juried event, and it is always interesting to see what does make it through the selection process. While I like this piece a lot, I was a little surprised that it beat out pieces such as the Articulate Polyplot or my Magic the Gathering work. I then remembered that this was the first piece that I could complete after the COVID19 pandemic began. I think it is only fitting that this particulate piece was selected. It is the work that got me back to the drawing table and able to make art again.

If you are curious, here is everything that I submitted for consideration in IBA 9. Congrats to everyone that made it in, and a huge thanks to the jury and to Bill Cox for all his work in making IBA a reality. I can't wait to see the completed book first hand!

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

Articulate Polyglot - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

With the launch of IX Online last week, I am happy to share the second of two new pieces from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia, making their debut at this virtual event. This piece has actually already sold at IX Online, and while I am happy to see it go to a forever home, I have barely lived with it. I have been waiting over three years to finally create this piece, and it was the first image I queued up to create after completing the first book. I had wanted this one to appear in the first book, but there wasn't a place for it, and with some of the limitations I set out for myself for the first book, I would not have done this one justice. It will find a home in the third book, In the Black, as the first entry. I present to you the Articulate Polyglot.

Articulate Polyglot

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - SOLD

All currently available originals
© 2020 Christopher Burdett

 

Articulate Polyglot - Drawing

13 x 17 - Pencil on paper
© 2020 Christopher Burdett

 

Articulate Polyglot - Sletch

13 x 17 - Digital
© 2020 Christopher Burdett

If you are wondering, on the left is a Petrary Blue Hand speaking to Proctor Grib Strongcall, who is on the right. Grib is following up on some research collected by a young Acolyte by the name of Reginald Blatherskite. There will be more about all of these individuals, and more, in the fullness of time.

 

IX Online will be running through the end of March 2021, and all of my available works from the Grand Bazaar are up on my gallery and my store.

 

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

 

Articulate Polyglot - Process

© 2020 Christopher Burdett

That is all for another exciting Tuesday 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

Vexed Beanmonger - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

With the launch of IX Online today, I am happy to share one of two new pieces from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia, making their debut at this virtual event. It has been a challenging year for most people, and I know many artists have been struggling to create, myself included. This piece marks the first time this year, since the beginning of the pandemic, that I made art for myself. It took months to sit down and work on it, but thankfully it got a little easier over time. I present to you the Vexed Beanmonger.

Vexed Beanmonger

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
11 x 14 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2020 Christopher Burdett

 

Vexed Beanmonger - Drawing
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper
© 2020 Christopher Burdett

The Vexed Beanmonger is the first piece completed for The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia since the conclusion of the Kickstarter, and this will be appearing in book three, In the Black. The direction that I am taking my work moving forward with my books can be seen here. My character art will now include full environments and give more context and will further world-build the Grand Bazaar. No more isolated figures! 

I designed this piece while the Kickstarter for the book was running. It was meant as a transition piece between the size and complexity of my previous work and the new level of commitment that I was aiming for in the next books. I never imagined that it would be a transition piece from being unable to work during a pandemic and working again. There is a lot of emotion and struggle put into this piece, and I can't imagine another piece more deserving of it. 

I will be sharing the second of the two new Grand Bazaar pieces here on the blog next week, but it can be seen now over at IX Online!

 

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

 

Vexed Beanmonger - Process

© 2020 Christopher Burdett

That is all for another exciting Tuesday 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