IX Showcase - Then and Now

With IX a couple of weeks behind us now, I happened to stumble upon photos of the first IX Showcase and, with that, my very first Showcase table setup. In 2010, the third year of IX, they began setting up tables at the hotel on the evenings of Friday and Saturday of the event. This was new to the show and was a more organized version of what happened the previous year. People had set up tables in a common area at the hotel where they shared their collections and had art for sale. Now that there was an official Showcase, a ballroom was set aside, which allowed artists to set up and leave their items for the next night. It was an exciting time as the (often) younger artists could now show their work at the event, and many of our heroes were also exhibiting. Many cut their teeth at the IX Showcase as they figured out how to booth and share their art effectively. There was a lot of excitement built into the Showcase, as those exhibiting in the Main Show could now walk around and take in art. Thirteen years ago, I started doing conventions, and it all started at the IX Showcase. That said, here is my Showcase table from 2010 and my Showcase setup from 2023.

Illuxcon 3 Showcase November 2010

I had a little D&D work under my belt, a couple of binders of drawings, a few prints, some canvas prints, and my first self-printed sketchbook. I sold a lot of sketchbooks with criminally underpriced drawings in them. I spent most of the night drawing in sketchbooks.

IX Showcase October 2023

I have a LOT of client work under my belt, boxes of drawings, prints, enamel pins, many framed and bagged painted and mixed media originals, MtG artist proofs, and my first illustrated novel, stats guide, and coloring book from my Grand Bazaar series. I would hazard to guess that any single transaction that I had this year was greater than the entire sum of my sales in 2010.

I think it is essential to be objective and realistic about yourself and your work. To that end, you must know that it takes time and effort to do the things in this world that are worthwhile. Nothing worth doing is quickly done. I could never have reached 2023 without starting in 2010, and we all have our own 2010 that we start at. You can not start at 2023 - sure, you can try, but it will end up more like 2010 than you want it to. I have shared my journey in all of this here on the blog since 2009, and I hope it has shown that if you work toward a goal, you will find yourself moving in that direction. It takes time, and it takes a lot of work. I am not sure I would have ever believed the 2023 booth was an option for me. Even if I had shown a photo to myself of what my current booth looks like, I would not have believed it. Even now, I find it important to see these images side by side. I need to remember where I started and where I am now because there is always room to grow and new directions to explore. This is our art, and this is our life, and it is ours to enjoy and explore.

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

IX This Week! *Update*

 See you at the weekend Showcase Friday & Saturday nights 8-12!

IX is this week, and I am thrilled to be returning, but some things have changed. I will be arriving later to the event than we originally planned. My day career has an event happening this week as well, and we are debuting a project we have been working on for about two years. Obviously, I need to be there for the team and to represent the center in the work that we do. The long and the short of it is that instead of leaving for IX today, we are leaving on Wednesday. This has us arriving on Thursday instead of Tuesday. We will be missing out on a bit of the show, but I need to be in Orlando for the team. 

This does not change the fact that you can find me and The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia at the weekend Showcase. From 8 p.m. till midnight on Friday and Saturday nights, you will find me and a ton of other amazing artists at the Doubletree in Reading, PA. The Showcase is a blast, and it will be fun to return. I aim to be in the Showcase until the next book is completed, maybe, likely... I don't know. Depends on how fast I can work. 

Those attending, please do not have all the fun before we get there!  

That is all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back here after IX! Until then...

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

 

2023 Convention Annoucments (Part 1)

Gen Con 2022 mega display as a featured artist.

I am a little behind on a lot of things. One of the things I would like to catch up on is announcing some of the conventions I will be appearing at this year. While I can not share them all yet, I can share with you that I will be returning to Gen Con in Indianapolis this August 3-6 and to IX this coming October 18-22. You will find me in the art show at Gen Con and the Showcase at IX. With production in full swing on book two, I have decided to be part of the Showcase for the coming few years until the book is completed and I can share the bulk of the new work. I will have new art and a few surprises at both events, so do not worry that I will not have lots to share! These are only the first two events for this year I will be participating in, so there will be more announcements soon.

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

Limited Edtion Shaper Advertising Prints NOW AVAILABLE!

The newest limited edition prints from the Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia are now available on my STORE. Each of the three prints is available individually as well as a set of all three for a discounted price. Simply select the desired option! As with last year's print, this is a collaboration between myself and Dear Wife to make a unique item from the Grand Bazaar. Each edition is limited to 25 prints that have been distressed, marked, stamped, and assembled by hand to make each individual print its own unique piece. These prints will appear in the Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia book!

Each edition is limited to 25 prints that are distressed, marked, stamped, and assembled by hand as a collaboration between myself and Achsa Nute.

The Shaper Cleaner is often called a Gullet.

 The Shaper Sentry is sometimes referred to as a Footman.

 The Shaper Assistant has the nickname of Smokestack.

Limited to 25, once they are gone, they are gone. 

Each print comes signed and numbered by both Achsa Nute and myself.

All images © 2019 Christopher Burdett

That's 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

Illuxcon 2019 Recap

There are back again! Another Illuxcon is in the books, and I am simultaneously missing it and looking forward to next year. What can I say? Illuxcon is one of our favorite events of the year. This year was particularly wonderful, I was back in the Main Show, I debuted my work from the Grand Bazaar, and I held my first workshop at IX. It was great to see so many familiar faces and to meet so many new ones. There is never enough time, but that leaves everyone wanting to see each other again as soon as possible.

This year we drove for the first time to IX. Since 2009 we have flown, which has limited our ability to bring a lot of art. That was not the case this year as Dear Wife set about ensuring my set up brought the feel of the Grand Bazaar to IX. Driving did greatly increase our travel time, but it also allowed us to enjoy the drive up and take in the sights. It was nice to have the flexibility and space to bring as much as we wanted to in regards to art and booth dressing. Since 2010, IX has been a staging and practice event for all my ideas for booth and convention set up.

I have been praising IX and all that Patrick and Jeannie Wilshire do with Illuxcon and for the greater illustration community as a whole since 2009. If you have not gotten the hint that this is a truly special event that you need to attend, then I don't know what else I can say. There is not another event like it that I have attended, and I can not say enough good things about it. Even if you are not in the Main Show or Showcase, there are workshops, demos, lectures, and rooms full of amazing art to take it. Here are some of the images I took this year of our time going to and attending IX 2019.

 Everything piled into the trailer and ready for IX. Well, not everything, we managed to get some more in there before leaving.

Visited the Natural Bridge State Park outside Roanoke, VA. I was completely unaware of its existence and was awestruck by it.

I could have spent a few hours taking in the rock formations.

There were not bad angles.

If you frame it correctly, you can make it a cave.

There was a historical recreation of part of a Monacan village at the park as well that was very insightful and offered a lot of reference opportunities. 

We finally made it to Reading, and it was time for IX to start!

 Thanks to the help of Dear Wife and Jason and Tina Rak, my booth came together in record time. If not for the assistance and expertise of all involved, my booth would not be what it was this year. 

I could not be happier with how it turned out, and it definitely raised that bar for me and what I will not expect from my setup at future events. 

We arrived well before most, but eventually, others began to arrive.

I have the pleasure of spending IX next to David Wenzel and his amazing art. We first met at IX last year, where I was able to purchase one of his illustrations. I have been a fan of Davis's work since the 1990s. It is wonderful how large and yet small the art community is and how you can meet people you have admired for decades and become friends.

 A few images of IX taking shape.

My monster workshop was a lot of fun, and I hope that everyone that attended got something out of it. Here are a few of the people that attended the workshop as I rambled and ranted about monsters.

In the end, I sketched a jellyfish monkey monster thing. It was a suggestion from the crowd. Not my best monster, but I was able to use it as an example and talk about my process.

 Some images of the galleries.

IX would not be complete without some Magic artist proof sketches.

 Some more images of the galleries.

I acquired one of Owen Weber's AWESOME Inktober sketches in the Showcase.

Signed my first egg tokens.

Another look at the galleries.

Dear Wife got me one of Nate Flamm's Stranger Things pieces after security was called on me when someone(s) mistook my Hopper costume and performance too seriously.

Apparently, there was a large drunk man wondering around the Showcase making threats?

 Even MORE images of the galleries.

Alas, all things must end, even IX.

 My last glimpse of the Reading Pagoda from the roof of the hotel parking garage as we prepare to head home.

Long story short, I hope to see you at IX 2020 in Reading, PA on October 21-25!

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

The Grand Bazaar Comes to Illuxcon NEXT WEEK!

Illuxcon 2019 is next week (October 23-27) in Reading, PA. It is one of our favorite events of the year, and as I have mentioned several times here on the blog, this year will be even more special for me. The work that I have been creating for the Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia over the past five years will be on display and available for the first time. I will have a new selection of limited edition prints that are distressed, marked, stamped, and assembled by hand as a collaboration between myself and Achsa Nute. I will be hosting a monster making and drawing workshop. Here are more details on all of these things.

Some see me in Studio 411 bright and early at 10am till 1pm for a talk and demo of making monsters!

On the morning of Thursday, October 24th, from 10-1, I will be hosting a monster making workshop. I will talk about the methods and processes I use to create monsters that I have implemented for over twenty years when working on television, film, and games. I will discuss my approach to monster creation with examples of my work and then will do a live drawing demo as I design and render a monster, time permitting. More information about this can be found HERE.

Each edition is limited to 25 prints that are distressed, marked, stamped, and assembled by hand as a collaboration between myself and Achsa Nute.

I will once again be debuting a new series of limited edition hand altered prints at IX. As with last year, these are a collaboration between myself and Achsa Nute. Unlike last year when I only had one print, we created three for this year. All three appear in the book and relate to the character Shaper and their creations. They will be available individually or as a set at a discounted price. More information about this can be found HERE.

Ethra VanDalia 
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper
  Currently Available Grand Bazaar Originals
© 2017 Christopher Burdett

Last but certainly not least, I will exhibiting all but three illustrations that I created for The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia in the Main Show. All of the work that I have created for the book will be on display and available for purchase for the first time. These sales will be going toward the printing costs for the book that will be coming to crowdfunding early next year unless something unexpected happens.

If you cannot attend and had a particular piece from the book you were interested in, I will be opening up all art for sale to anyone interested on the morning of Friday, October 25. Please understand that people attending the event have first dibs and that with my workshop Thursday, it will not be possible to add one more thing to that day. For those interested, the best way to contact me will be through Facebook Messenger or the contact points on my website (please email or text; I will not be able to take calls). I have not shared all of the work that I have created, but you can see much of it here on the blog. Most posts have links to the main piece from the book. Once Illuxcon is over, all work will not be available again until the crowdfunding for the book begins. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them here, and I will answer them ASAP. Here is a sample of some of what will be at Illuxcon next week.

Hollow Alley
16 x 20 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Currently Available Grand Bazaar Originals
© 2018 Christopher Burdett

Keeper of the Clocks
16 x 20 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - SOLD

Currently Available Grand Bazaar Originals
© 2018 Christopher Burdett

The Seated Dead
16 x 20 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Currently Available Grand Bazaar Originals
© 2018 Christopher Burdett

That's all for another exciting week on the blog. I will not be back here till after Illuxcon has concluded, and I have returned home. Until then...

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