The DOODLES, DESIGNS, and aRT of CHRISTOPHER BURDETT

Monday, August 18, 2014

Gen Con 2014 - Day 2

Gen Con got ahead of me finally. Too much all happening at the same time and that meant that coverage needed to be suspended over the weekend. Now that the convention is over it can now begin again... hopefully. Day 2, Friday, was really intense! Loads of people, lots of card signing, products getting announced and spoiled... and then the Art Show awards. I am still in rather dumbstruck that my Yoda piece received 2nd place in the show. HUGE thanks again to the Art Show judges, Steve Prescott, Terese Nielsen, and Aaron B Miller, this means so much! Also, more thanks to Barbara Fisher for all she does to make the Art Show happen, Zoë Robinson for the assignment and art direction, and to my wife for making sure I didn't mess it up while I worked on it. Now, for some images from Day 1 of Gen Con 2014...

SOOOOO many Yodas! RAWR!

Really happy with how this bad boys printed!

Another Magic alter, this time the Catoblepas becomes Rocket...

... and a Hippocamp becomes a Nyan Cat... RAWR?

A quick glimpse up at the show around me... Hey look! It is Sean and Steve!

I even got to sign some Salacious Crumb cards too.

These printed VERY well too! RAWR!

HUGE for me was the spoiling of the entire 5th Edition Monster Manual!

All my work is now free to shared and I will be posting it all very soon.

Here is a very bad photo of the first monster in the book, which I did the concept work on AND illustrated! RAWR!

A VERY cropped new piece showing up in Imperial Assault fro Fantasy Flight Games.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Gen Con 2014 - Day 1

Day 1 of Gen Con 2014 came and went in the blink of an eye. A wonderful blink of an eye filled with signing cards, doing sketches, catching up with friends, seeing familiar faces from previous Gen Cons, and SO much more! This was the best first day at Gen Con that we ever had and we hope it is a sign of things to come. I can't believe one day of the con is already over! Luckily I took some pictures during the day so that I could remember it all later...

My booth is all set up and ready for Gen Con 2014!

Finished up everything just in time for the doors to open...

This was the very first thing I got to do before the doors even opened and as this is my first major convention as a Magic artist this was pretty rad!

I am surrounded by some good friends this year, the my right is Pete Mohrbacher and his giant banner (that was too big and had to be taken down)...

...and to my left is the amazing Ralph Horsley who we have shared space at Gen Cons past.

A glimpse down our side of the row.

I did a lot of sketches on Day one... and they had a spacey theme to them... RAWR!

Groot was the winner hands down! RAWR!

My Yoda card showed up to be signed as well.

It looks SO good in person... if I do say so myself :P

More Groot!

This time as a Magic card alter... RAWR!

That is all for Day 1 of Gen Con 2014, see you back here tomorrow for coverage of Day 2! Until then...

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

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Gen Con 2014 - Day 0

Gen Con is beginning! Getting there is a big part of it and we spread it over two days. I need to get to the hall to finish getting my booth set up, but I do have some images from our drive to Indianapolis. We journeyed north on a new using a new route and it was a lot less stressful and offered up new sites! Here is a visual record of the lead up to Gen Con...

The car is all packed with all the art I can manage... and then some more

That semi offered up more then meets the eye

Then we found a rocketship!

A dinosaur smiled on our journey

The booth before the art goes up.

The boxes are all moved in, but there is SO much more to do.

Here is what the booth looked like by the time we had to leave the hall at 8.

Still a bit to do, but that is why they let us in early the next morning!

A little closer look at on side of the booth...

...and a closer look at the other side.

The catching up and socializing begins!

Four more days of friends and art lay ahead!

RAWR!

That is all for Day 0 of Gen Con 2014! See you back here tomorrow for coverage of Day 1, Until then...

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

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Drogon - Toned Paper Drawing (and Gen Con!)

Through the magic of the Interwebs this post is going live while I am in route to Indianapolis to attend Gen Con. If you are heading to Gen Con as well for the best four days in gaming, be sure to stop by the artist alley and sample my artistic wears. Speaking of artistic wears...

Here is a drawing that somehow fell through the cracks that will be with me at Gen Con. Way back in January I shared my dragons from The Hidden Agenda expansion of the Game of Thrones card game. Among these dragons was of course, Drogon. Drogon just so happens to have himself a toned paper drawing...

Drogon - A Hidden Agenda

14 x 11 - Colored pencil on paper

Original available over on my Web Store!
© 2014 Fantasy Flight Games

If you are attending Gen Con and have really wanted to own a toned paper drawing of a dragon that was drawn by me... then you are in luck! Stop by my booth in the artist alley and I will hook you up with some hot Drogon action.

RUN, don't walk!

That is all for another exciting Wendesday on the blog, see you back here tomorrow for the beginning of my 2014 Gen Con coverage! Until then...

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

Monday, August 11, 2014

Salacious B. Crumb - Toned Paper Drawing

Gen Con is THIS WEEK and I will be there in the artist alley again! If you are attending stop by and say hello... and buy lots of my stuff, cause it is cool... and you NEED it in you life! RAWR!

To that end, I have a piece I have not yet shared with you that will be at the convention with me. Back in February my Salacious B. Crumb piece was spoiled and today I have for you the toned paper drawing for that piece. Those attending Gen Con will have the first opportunity to take this Kowakian monkey-lizard home with them!

Salacious B. Crumb

14 x 11

Colored pencil on paper

I managed to remember to take a process image while working on this... once. SO... here is the one process shot of this while I was working on it. It is kinda in the post Crumb / pre Jabba period...

Scribble, scribble, scribble...

I think that is about all for this piece, it is all packed up and ready to head out to Indianapolis for the best four days in gaming at Gen Con. Hope to see you there!

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

Friday, August 8, 2014

Smirking Monster

Gen Con is next week and that means 110% of my attention is on getting last minute things taken care of and getting all my ducks in their rows. Even with all this happening the blog must go on. Today I have for you a drawing I did a little while back and it has finally risen to the top of the blog queue. I present you with the Smirking Monster...

Smirking Monster

9x 12

colored pencil on paper

This was started out as a doodle, but soon got out of hand and became a finished drawing. They all too often do that. Not sure what else to add about this one... it is a monster, and it appears to be smirking... or maybe not. He will be with me at Gen Con for those interested in taking it home with them.

Here are a couple images that I captured of the drawing coming together. Since it was a doodle that took on its own life I did not do a good job of documenting the entire process. Better then nothing and it is free...

Smirking Monster process

That is all for another exciting week on the blog! See you back here next week for most likely some Star Wars, maybe a dragon, and GEN CON! Until then...

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

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Enraged Ronto - Edge of the Empire: Suns of Fortune - Process

Keeping the Star Wars heavy content on the blog going... Back in February I shared with you my work from the Star Wars RPG supplement, Suns of Fortune. Today I have for you the process that went into on of my piece appearing in the book, the Enraged Ronto. So that we are all on the same page, here is how the final piece turned out...

Enraged Ronto

As with most of my Star Wars work I have a ton of reference to work from. Some the this reference is park of my collection of... reference... that I have been collecting since... 1978, while other reference is easily acquired. For the Ronto I was already good to go and just looked to my Ronto figure and the work of Terryl Whitlatch who was responsible for designing the Ronto. With reference in hand I got started on some thumbnails...

Enraged Ronto - Thumbnails

I unusually produce a minimum of three thumbnails, but I felt like my I covered all my bases with these two. After all, it is a Ronto rearing up, no need to reinvent the wheel. Option A was the winner this time around and it was time to get started on the final drawing...

Enraged Ronto - Drawing

I was unprepared with how much fun it is to draw Rontos. I had just so much fun on this one I kind of didn't want to stop working on it. This excitement for drawing Rontos made it easy to complete the next stage. Back in March I shared with you the toned paper drawing on this Ronto. Here it is again for all your toned paper Ronto drawing needs...

Bucking Ronto

9 x 12

colored pencil on toned paper

The drawing was approved without issue and it was time to get started on the painting. Since this is an isolated figure piece it was really straight forward and the focus is just making a cool looking figure rather then controlling an entire environment. I just nine easy steps the Ronto painting came together... not really, but here is a look at the process steps and a handy dandy animated progression too...

Enraged Ronto - Process steps

Enraged Ronto - Animated process thingy

After submitting there was one note to adjust the front leg that is farthest from the viewer. It was a quick fix and due to the way I go about making my painting this change is permanently incorporated into the piece and there is no longer a clear before and after state. The change was to shift the leg a little closer in towards the body of the Ronto. You might notice a little shift in the foot during the animated progression, that is the revision edit. Here again is the final Ronto painting for you viewing pleasure...

Enraged Ronto

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