Dungeon & Dragons Monster Manual - Shambling Mound - Redesign

Starting off another week of monsters from my time redesigning for 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons with something a little green. It is none other then the Shambling Mound! Everybody loves a giant plant monster that loves to squeeze you to death AND loves lightning. Here is how the final concept turned out...

Shambling Mound - Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual - Redesign

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

I am no stranger to the Shambling Mound, in fact back in 2011 I redesigned the Shambling Mound for myself. Going into this reworking for 5th Edition I knew I needed to steer clear from anything I had already done for myself while creating the intended product for the client. Insuring that there would be no cross over, production requested that the new Shambling Mound needed to not have any appearance of a mouth, eyes, or anything face like at all. Done and done! I got to work on some very crazy, scribbly, loose thumbnails...

Shambling Mound - Thumbnails

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Somehow something was determined to be of value from all these scribbles and option "B" was the winner. Only one thing to do... get to work on the drawing. Now I had to make since of all my scribbles and make it look like vines, leaves, and other plant bits. Here is how the final drawing turned out...

Shambling Mound - Drawing

9 x 12

Pencil on Paper

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Original Drawing for sale over on my web store!

The drawing was approved on the first pass and without note. All in all, this monster moved through production extremely quickly. With an approved drawing it was now time to add some color and wrap this plant behemoth up. Here is for the final color concept turned out...

Shambling Mound - Final Redsign

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

The final was approved without note and another monster was ticked off my list. In the end, when the MM came out the 4th Edition Shambling Mound was used. Not sure what happened, but the piece was by Lars Grant-West and is an awesome painting. Maybe my version will still be illustrated by someone out there...

A HUGE THANKS to Jon Schindehette for all the monsters and direction during the design phase of 5th Edition!

That is all for another exciting Monday on the blog, see you back here on Wednesday for another new monster! Until then...

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

Fresh from the drawing table... Shambling Mound!

I have for you today another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is a Shambling Mound! "S" had so many great monsters to pick from that I was a little over whelmed at first. There was in the end the Mound kept catching my eye simply because it is a monster that I had been wanting to draw for a while now. On more then one occasion recently I have had to turn down work pertaining to this walking mass of vegetation so I decided to create my own opportunity. I present to you my version of a Shambling Mound...

Shambling Mound
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Not sure I really forged into any new territory with this one, but it is a monster I really ...REALLY been wanting to draw for myself for some time now. There is a stump of a still living tree in a field that I pass everyday on my drive to the office. In the spring and summer it really sparks my imagination when it's living parts get all green again. To me it looks like a massive plant monster lumbering across the field. "S" finally allowed me to have a lot of fun with planety tentacles, mushroom eyes and dangly vegetation bits and that makes me happy.

My first 100 original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual redesigns (A - Z): Aerial Servant, Ankheg, Ant (Giant), Ape (Carnivorous), Ape (Gorilla), Axe Beak, Axe Beak (version 2), Baboon, Badger, Barracuda, Basilisk, Baluchitherium, Bear (Black), Bear (Brown), Bear (Cave), Beaver (Giant), Beetle (Giant) - Bombardier, Beetle (Giant) - Boring, Beetle (Giant) - Fire, Beetle (Giant) - Rhinoceros, Beetle (Giant) - Stag, Beetle (Giant) - Water, Beholder, Black Pudding, Blink Dog, Boar (Giant), Boar (Warthog), Boar (Wild), Brain Mole, Brownie, Bugbear, Buffalo, Bulette, Carrion Crawler, Catoblepas, Cerebral Parasite, Chimera, Cockatrice, Coutal, Crab (Giant), Demon Type III (Glabrezu), Demon (Juiblex), Demon (Manes), Devil (Ice), Dragon (Red), Elemental (Earth), Ettin, Eye of the Deep, Flightless Bird, Frog (Giant), Fungi (Violet), Giant (Hill), Goblin, Golem (Flesh), Hobgoblin, Homunculus, Hydra, Imp, Intellect Devourer, Ixitxachitl, Jackal, Jacklewere, Jaguar, Ki-Rin, Kobold, Lich, Lizard (Giant), Lizardman, Manticore, Mind Flayer, Minotaur, Naga, Neo-Otygugh, Nixie, Ochre Jelly, Ogre, Owlbear, Peryton, Pixie, Purple Worm, Quasit, Ram (Giant), Roper, Rust Monster, Sahuagin, Salamander, Shambling Mound, Treant, Troglodyte, Troll, Umber Hulk, Unicorn, Vampire, Wasp (Giant), Wight, Wyvern, Xorn, Yeti, and Zombie.      

That is all for today, 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