The DOODLES, DESIGNS, and aRT of CHRISTOPHER BURDETT: bear

Showing posts with label bear. Show all posts

Friday, October 9, 2015

Fresh from the drawing table... Bear (Cave)!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is a Bear (Cave). The mundane monster of the letter "B" continue with another bear! There are three bears in the original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual and today I have the last one, the Cave Bear. I present to you my version of a Bear (Cave)…

Bear (Cave)

9 x 12

Pencil on paper

Original - Currently not available

The Cave Bear is the most monstrous of the bears in the Monster Manual, especially compared to its Brown Bear and Black Bear cousins. It helps to be a giant prehistoric holdover that is perfectly designed to eat the thief and the wizard of the adventuring party while the fighter is stuck in a Gelatinous Cube. Not that I would ever do such a thing to my players. No, they ended up with two Cave Bears and some crazed bats. Anyway, the Cave Bear is better at filling the role of a monster, but it still is a rather mundane beast. Take pity on this monster the next time you encounter it in its lair, it might simply be protecting its home and its mate and will not offer up any XP or treasure. Of course, if they attack first, the blood lust oath of all player characters demands a sacrifice...

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 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

Friday, September 18, 2015

Fresh from the drawing table... Bear (Brown)!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is a Bear (Brown). The mundane monster of the letter "B" continue with another bear! There are three bears in the original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual and today I have the second one, the Brown Bear. I present to you my version of a Bear (Brown)…

Bear (Brown)

9 x 12

Pencil on paper

Original - Currently not available

Derpy bear is derpy. So far this Brown Bear is fairing better then its Black Bear cousin. Unfortunately, roaming the country side living its life now makes this Brown Bear a candidate to be a random encounter. Some wandering band of player characters in search of treasure and XP will undoubtedly cross paths with this Brown Bear and a pitched battle will ensue leaving this woefully unprepared bear to end up dead and the players gaining a small amount of XP ...and some bear claws and hide. Live life to its fullest, Brown Bear, for your doom resides on a roll of the dice.

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 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

Friday, August 28, 2015

Fresh from the drawing table... Bear (Black)!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is a Bear (Black). The mundane monster of the letter "B" continue with BEARS! There are three bears in the original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual and today I have the first one, the Black Bear. I present to you my version of a Bear (Black)…

Bear (Black)

9 x 12

Pencil on paper

Original - Currently not available

Sad bear is sad. The life of a mundane monster can be hard, sometimes harder then that of a regular monster. This sad black bear waits in chains for some unknown fate. If it is lucky it will not find itself the victim of strange and cruel wizard experimentation. The last thing we need is a 100 foot tall sad black bear... and we know that tentacled bears are the work of druids. Hopefully this bear will find itself eating wizards and not the target of sport or being a unmotivated guard animal. Sad sad sad bear.

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 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

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

The Star-Touched Grove - Process

Way back in November of last year I brought you a piece I did for Dungeon Magazine illustrating a tentacled bear and his pet porcupine grub. Two great things that go better together! RAWR! Today, at long last, I have the process and steps that went into this piece. So that we are all on the same page, here is how the final piece turned out...

The Star-Touched Grove - Dungeon Magazine Issue 219

Stop me if you have heard this before... I started this piece off with some THUMBNAILS. Imagine that! Anyway, the assignment was to depict a druid that had been corrupted by the taint of the far realms and in his bear form (wait for it) HE HAS TENTACLES! The druid also has a couple of little porcupine grub pals and at least one needed to be in there too. I got some of my favorite bear and insect reference together and got to work on some thumbnails...

The Star-Touched Grove - Thumbnails

"B" was the instant favorite and was selected for this assignment. It was time for some drawing... and that was what I did. Here is how the final drawing for this piece turned out as I built up the details and fleshed out the piece...

The Star-Touched Grove - Drawing

The drawing was approved without issue (if I remember correctly) and I was good to go on getting started with the painting. In just 10 easy steps you too can have a tentacle bear... or not. Here is a progression of the image as I painted it...

The Star-Touched Grove - Process steps

This piece was really straight forward. The biggest over all issue was to make sure everything read well since there were two creatures, lots of tentacles, and a tree leaking star juice in the background. I like to crop in really close to my subjects... and this can both help and hinder me, but in the long run I have made it work. As an added bonus, here is an animated version of the painting coming together...

The Star-Touched Grove - Animated progression

The painting was turned in and accepted without revision. Well, there was one note, and that was from Kate, my AD on this piece... she really wanted to see the nose of the bear to be blue to match the tentacles. Unfortunately, she was overruled by other folks at WotC and the nose remained as I had painted it. She sent me a mocked up image with the nose blue and I agreed with her, it would have been fun to see a blue nosed tentacle bear...

If only... the blue nosed tentacle bear...

As always, this piece turned out as well as it did because of the ever present and helpful art directors at WotC, thanks Kate! Again, here is how the final piece turned out...

The Star-Touched Grove - Dungeon Magazine Issue 219

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

Thursday, November 14, 2013

The Star-Touched Grove - Dungeon Magazine Issue 219

I missed my regularly scheduled post yesterday... sorry about that... To make up for it here is a brand new piece I did for Dungeons & Dragons... it is a BEAR with TENTACLES!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Star-Touched Grove - Dungeon Magazine Issue 219

I was asked to design and illustrate a druid, in bear form, that has been corrupted by the Far Realms and his little porcupine grub buddy. Well, let me say that they needed a bear with tentacles and the rest of the details and requirements were unnecessary! This piece appeared last month in the October issue of Dungeon Magazine - issue 219. I look forward to sharing with you the process and steps that went into making this piece. Be sure to look for that on the blog in the coming months!

As always, I would like to extend a huge thanks to Kate Irwin for involving me on this project and for her art direction on this piece!

That is all for another exciting THURSDAY(?!) 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, December 12, 2012

Recent reference images...

It is one of those days... weeks... AND months. I have some great questions from readers I need to answer... well, I need to make the time to answer them and get together the content associated with them. I have new work coming out soon... but I am still waiting. I have been super busy drawing and painting lately... on work I won't be able to share for a while.

What I am getting at with all this rambling? As the year comes to a close it can get a little hard to stay on top of everything, especially this ole blog that gets updated thrice weekly. The backlog of already written and created content is running on empty and there can be a bit of a scramble to keep up with things here. Looking at the blog this morning I just didn't know what I wanted to do with it so I decided to share some recent monster... er, I mean animal reference I gathered over the weekend at the local natural history and historical museum. I hope you find them as helpful as I do! Enjoy...