Infected By Art 3 - Selected Pieces

The internet was a buzz yesterday as people shared their work that was selected for inclusion in Infected By Art 3. I am happy to include myself as one of the artist to be included in IBA3! I am sharing the pages of IBA3 with many of my peers, friends, and all around excellent artists. It is a real honor to be able to have three pieces in the book and it is not lost on me that these are most likely some of my strongest pieces from the past year. ...I am also pleased that one of the pieces is a personal work and not just client work was accepted.

Infected By Art volume 3 accepted pieces... RAWR!

 
Here are nice big versions of all my work that will be appearing in Infected By Art volume 3 so that you can get a good look at it. I am already eagerly looking forward to seeing the finished book that will be filled with so much excellent art.

Yoda

Star Wars: The Card Game National Championship Prize

12.4 x 8.9 - Digital

© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

Gray Wanderer

9 x 12

Pencil on paper
© 2014 Christopher Burdett

Original - SOLD

"Ravenous Leucrocota" - Magic the Gathering - Journey Into Nyx

Digital
PRINTS available at OMA!

© 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

Ravenous Leucrocota - Magic the Gathering Process

Today on the blog I have for you the process and steps that went into my contribution to the Journey Into Nyx expansion of Magic the Gathering, the very hungry Ravenous Leucrocota. This may be a little overdue, but there is so much to share on the blog these days that is a little wait in the queue to be posted. Here is how the final Ravenous Leucrocota turned out...

"Ravenous Leucrocota" - Magic the Gathering - Journey Into Nyx
PRINTS available at OMA!

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

The Leucrocota was not part of the Theros style guide which meant I got to design and illustrate another new monster. Since the Leucrocota is an existing mythological creature I needed to give it a unique Theros spin with a generous helping of my own monster tendencies. The art order listed the physical characteristic they wanted to see - head of a badger, haunches and tail of a lion, hooves, mouth open to the ears, bone ridges instead of teeth... and it all had to feel like a cohesive animal and not a chimera. With that in mind I got to work on some concepts...

"Ravenous Leucrocota" - Concepts

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

While these may seem similar, to me they are very different. Both designs were approved by production so in the end I did a mix of the two designs and played up elements I really liked. I also worked up several color concepts to give a range of options. All of the animals of Theros have patterning on them, which allows for lots of fun when designing. Here are how my color concepts turned out...

"Ravenous Leucrocota" - Color concepts

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Again, all options were approved and I could pick my favorite. I liked them all, but I really wanted to do the red headed option "B". In the final I pushed the neutral body grays more green, since this is a green creature. I have the creature's concept, colors, and patterning... all that is left are the thumbnails for the card itself...

"Ravenous Leucrocota" - Thumbnails

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

At the time I wanted to give them a lot of action and movement and I was just in love with "C" ... of course looking at it now... it feels a bit silly. Of well. I think I was feeling good about option "D" as well. Which is good, since option "D" was the winner! With all the pieces ready to go, it was time for some drawing and then some painting. First, was the drawing...

"Ravenous Leucrocota" - Drawing

12 x 9

colored pencil on paper

  © 2014 Wizards of the Coast

 

RAWR! It is a Ravenous Leucrocota! ...or at least the drawing of one. Worked out all the issues and worked up form and detail. All those folds and wrinkles gotta come from somewhere and a lot of them begin life in the drawing. All this drawing ultimately leads to even more drawing...

"Ravenous Leucrocota" - Toned drawing

12 x 9

colored pencil on toned paper

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

 

The art directors never sees the toned drawing, but the line drawing was approved and I was all set to get started on the painting. This one was straight forward, but they are not always. The 'not always' will be discussed next year. Here is the Ravenous Leucrocota coming together in 14 steps...
 

"Ravenous Leucrocota" - Process steps

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Here is an animated gif of the steps for the Ravenous Leucrocota so you can see what changes a little more easily. They biggest real edit made during painting was adjusting the perspective on the mouth. Maybe it was just fine originally, but it just felt off and that means it needs to be addressed and worked on. Nothing worse then ignoring something that is bothering you and then have it brought up later by an AD or by another artist when it is too late to go anything about it.

"Ravenous Leucrocota" - Animated process

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Again, here is how the final Ravenous Leucrocota turned out as well as how the card appears in its intended home, as a card...

"Ravenous Leucrocota" - Magic the Gathering - Journey Into Nyx

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

"Ravenous Leucrocota" in handy card form

At some point between the release of the Journey into Nyx and now there was an article on the Magic the Gathering website that featured the Ravenous Leucrocota. I feel that it was misquoted in its interview and I wanted to set the record straight about the Ravenous Leucrocota views on the mater...

Original quote and corrected quote :P

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

Journey Into Nyx Prerelease

As mentioned on Friday, I was invited to attend the Journey Into Nyx prerelease this past weekend at a local gaming store, Gamescape. This was my second prerelease event and it still is a crazy and interesting experience. A huge thanks to Ben Bloodworth, everyone at Gamescape, and to all the players for making the weekend's prerelease events super fun. Always great to connect with the local players and see their enthusiasm for the game. Many photos were taken, and here are some of the highlights...

Always peddling my wears... signing cards... sketching the sketches...

Look no further for all your print needs! I have monsters on paper for your every need!

Also, my monsters apparently like to look to their left a lot.

More in the market for something that is one of a kind and made with my hands? I have that for you too! Matted, framed, and ready to hang on your wall.

The players were ready for some Magic the Gathering at midnight and that is what they got!

Ben and crew explain the procedure and are about to get things started.

After some frantic shredding of card packs the night's games begin and I have a couple of Ravenous Leucrocota in my procession. RAWR!

Did a bunch of token sketches this time around. It all started with a germ squirrel.

The squirrel zombie was followed by a pair of Vizzerdrix with a hint of zombie.

Back to the squirrel theme with a squirrel elemental.

Lastly, there were some ghost monsters, kitty cats, and some water ponies. RAWR!

I was certainly kept busy sketching, thanks everybody!

Thanks again to Ben for involving me with the Journey Into Nyx events and to everyone that came out to play, it was a really fun time! 

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

Journey Into Nyx Prerelease - TONIGHT!

This very Magic filled week on the blog continues...

I am proud to be returning to Gamescape in Tallahassee to take part in the Prerelease events for Journey Into Nyx! This weekend of Magic begins tonight and continues all weekend. I will appearing at Gamescape tonight and again tomorrow (Saturday). You can get all the details about the Prerelease events and when I will be there over on their Journey Into Nyx Prerelease Facebook event page.

Memories of the Theros Prerelease.

If you are in the Tallahassee area this weekend I had to see you out at Gamescape. I will be signing Ravenous Leucrocota and I will have prints, artist proofs (of my Theros cards), and original art with me for all your Magic needs! If you can't make it I will be sure to bring you some photos from the weekend here on the blog next week.

That is all for a very Magic filled 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

Journey Into Nyx - Toned Paper Ravenous Leucrocota

On Monday I shared with you my contribution to Journey Into Nyx, the Ravenous Leucrocota. Today I have for you the toned paper drawing that goes along with this piece. Since my final paintings are digital my originals for my Magic work are the original line sketch and the final toned paper drawing. Here is how that final drawing turned out...

"Ravenous Leucrocota" - Magic the Gathering - Journey Into Nyx

12 x 9 - colored pencil on toned paper

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

I noticed that I never signed this drawing when writing this post... this will need to be corrected. Can't have a drawing going around all naked with a signature. I even looked at it before scanning to make sure it was all set and nothing needed to be tweaked at the last minute. Oh well...

You know this piece will look amazing on your wall! As of right now this piece is still available :)

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

Magic the Gathering - Journey Into Nyx

Journey Into Nyx, the newest expansion for Magic the Gathering, is almost upon us and I have one card in this set! It was actually spoiled two weeks ago, but since I have been taking a bit of a break from the blog I have not had a chance to post about it until now.

My contribution to Journey Into Nyx, the Ravenous Leucrocota, was another opportunity for me to not only illustrate the card but to design the monster featured on the card. As I have mentioned many times here on the blog, I really love designing and illustrating the monsters that I work on. Like the Breaching Hippocamp the Ravenous Leucrocota is based on a preexisting mythological creature. Enough talk, bring on the RAWR...

"Ravenous Leucrocota" - Magic the Gathering - Journey Into Nyx
PRINTS available at OMA!

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Ravenous Leucrocota

In the coming weeks I will bring you the process that went into designing and illustrating the Ravenous Leucrocota. As always, many thanks goes out to Jeremy Jarvis for including me on this set! It is a real honor to be sharing this set with so many amazing and talented artists.

That is all for another very 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