Monday, March 18, 2024

Zi-Zien-Klaam Portrait - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

I am thrilled to share another new piece from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia. This illustration is for Book Two: The Completed Circle. This will be a character portrait accompanying one of the short blurbs at the beginning of a chapter. I shared more about these with the first post focused on these portraits. With most of these, I have an idea regarding their voice and placement in the book, but the fun part is that it is not set in stone and may turn into something very different from what I first plannedI present you with a Zi-Zien-Klaam (name to come later) that is a little overwhelmed by all that is happening in the Grand Bazzar. I will add that this is the last of these little portraits that I have to share, for now.

Zi-Zien-Klaam
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
5 x 5 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - SOLD
© 2023 Christopher Burdett

Zi-Zien-Klaam - Drawing 
5 x 5 - Pencil on paper
© 2023 Christopher Burdett 

These are the smallest pieces created for the books. There is something charming about a 5 x 5 image, and I have already framed them up. Here is a look at the sketch for the Zi-Zien-Klaam to show where it started.

Zi-Zien-Klaam - Sketch
 Digital 
© 2023 Christopher Burdett 
 
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, March 15, 2024

NEW Aarakocra Miniature

I have another recently released miniature that is based on my designs and illustrations that has also already been turned into mulitple miniatures. Last week it was the Spectator, but today is the return of the Aarakocra. Again, I am speaking losly with the word 'new,' when this mini came out this past October. And yes, this is ANOTHER totally new and different Aarakocra mini. They can't seem to stop making them and I have zero issue with this. Here is how the final illustration for the Aarakocra turned out.

Aarakocra
 Dungeons & Dragons - 5th Edition Monster Manual
8x11 - Digital
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

I have said it here before, I have a few D&D monsters that mean a great deal to me, each for their own reasons. The Aarakocra is one of those monsters. Anytime I see new minis, the reuse of my art, or other artists take on the monster it is a good day for me. And even though there are a lot of Aarakocra minis and I love them all, this is by far my favorite and really holds true to my original designs and painting. Here are some images of the new mini.

The NEW Aarakocra miniature for all your new Aarakocra miniature needs.
 
Lastly, here is an image of the original Aarakocra mini so you can see how it has evlved for the past ten years. I will add that this is the last of my miniatures posts for a while. There are more minis coming, but there are some months away and I have no more save to post. So I will have to come up with something new to post of Fridays for a while.

The original Aarakocra miniature made for the Icons of the Realms line of minis from 2014.
 
 That's 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, March 13, 2024

Recent Magic the Gathering Artist Proof Art

Today, I have recent Magic the Gathering artist proofs that I added art to their backs. All available artist proofs and art options can be found on my store. I present a selection of art on the back of Magic the Gathering cards.

Another fun tokin. This time around a pilot was required and Nien Numb reported for duty!

And the ever popular Ancient Carp. This time it is in black and white.

That's 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

Monday, March 11, 2024

Yaurnish Portrait - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

I am thrilled to share another new piece from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia. This illustration is for Book Two: The Completed Circle. This will be a character portrait accompanying one of the short blurbs at the beginning of a chapter. I shared more about these with the first post focused on these portraits. With most of these, I have an idea regarding their voice and placement in the book, but the fun part is that it is not set in stone and may turn into something very different from what I first plannedI present you with a Yaurnish (name to come later) on their way to something important and they can not be waylaid to answer silly questions about fairytales and stories.

Yaurnish
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
5 x 5 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - AVAILABLE!
© 2023 Christopher Burdett
 
Yaurnish - Drawing 
5 x 5 - Pencil on paper
© 2023 Christopher Burdett 

These are the smallest pieces created for the books. There is something charming about a 5 x 5 image, and I have already framed them up. Here is a look at the sketch for the Yaurnish to show where it started.
 
Yaurnish - Sketch
 Digital 
© 2023 Christopher Burdett 
 
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, March 8, 2024

NEW Spectator Miniature

I have another recently released miniature that is based on my designs that has also already been turned into multiple miniatures. Last week, it was the Hydroloth, but today is the return of the Spectator. Again, I am speaking loosely with the word 'new,' when this mini came out this past October. If you are curious about the first Spectator miniature or even the most recent 2D mini, I have you covered. Here is how the final concept design for the Spectator turned out.

Spectator (originally Gauth during the concept push)
5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons Monster concept
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Who can't love a floating ball with a single eye, teeth-filled mouth, and tentacled eye stalks? While I have been a fan of all of the Spectator miniatures, this one is particularly nice. The paintwork and detailing is great and really make this monster look cool. Here are some images of the new mini.

The NEW Spectator miniature for all your new Spectator miniature needs.

Lastly, here are some images of the original Spectator mini so you can see how it has evolved over the past eight years. While the color on the original mini is closer to my concept, I do like the lighter green in the new version. 

The original Spectator miniature from 2015.

That's 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

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Convention Gudul Lurker with Color Art Available!

*UPDATE* - This piece has sold. Thank you!

As mentioned last month, I created color art on the back of several Magic the Gathering artist proofs for a convention. I can not make color pieces at cons, only black and white, so this was a test run to see how they are received. As I only have one remaining of these artist proofs after the con, I would say they were received very well, and I will bring these with me moving forward to all conventions. That said, I wanted to make the artist proof that didn't sell available on my store. For those interested, the Gudul Lurker with color art is now on my store!

Gudul Lurker color art on the back of a Gudul Lurker card.

There were others, but now there is only one... for now.

That's all for another exciting surprise 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, March 6, 2024

Cranium Rats in Disguise - Dungeons & Dragons - Process

Today, I am happy to share the process and steps for my favortie contribution to the Dungeons & Dragons supplement, Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse. As I mentioned before, I have never worked on anything Planescape related in the 19 years I have made monsters for Dungeons & Dragons, so it was a real treat to finally stick my tow into this realm. Last time I shared a pointy walking plant, today, I smell a rat. Here is the final painting for the Cranium Rats in Disguise.

Cranium Rats in Disguise
Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
11 x 14 - Digital
Art Director - Emi Tamji
© 2023 Wizards of the Coast LLC

I was asked to design and illustrate the Cranium Rats in Disguise. I knew instantly that this would be a fun one. It is just so silly and cool at the same time that I needed to make it special. The Cranium Rats in Disguise was described as:

A mysterious figure surrounded by cranium rats walks down an alley toward the viewer.
Figure: The figure is covered in a ragged cloak and wrappings and walks awkwardly. We can't see any of the figure's features. It's suggested that the figure is actually all cranium rats wearing clothes, but we can't be sure.
Alley: The alley is a creepy alley in Sigil's Hive Ward. It's filled with trash and razor vine.

After reading that I was ready to get to work on some thumbnails. As I have stated countless times here before, I start nearly all of my projects with a photoshoot as I act out the monster and get my head around the physicality of it. Once I feel like I have enough reference, I start scribbling. Here are the thumbnails that I submitted. 

Cranium Rats in Disguise - Thumbnails
 © 2023 Wizards of the Coast LLC
 
These were well recieved, but the hat one top of the cloak in option 'C' was, of course, the best one. I was asked to make the background doorway arch more similar to option 'B', but the figure was perfect as it was. I was happy to make the updates and got to work. Here is the updated thumbnail that I submitted.

Cranium Rats in Disguise - Revised thumbnail
 © 2023 Wizards of the Coast LLC
 
The revised thumbnail was approved without additional notes or revisions. It was now time for my favorite part, the drawing! I always create a final traditional drawing for every project to work out the details and to give myself a tangible product from the assignment. Here is the Cranium Rats in Disguise drawing.

Cranium Rats in Disguise
Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
11 x 14 -Colored pencil on paper
Original - SOLD
Art Director - Emi Tamji
© 2023 Wizards of the Coast LLC

The drawing was approved without comment, and it was time to start on the final painting. Here is the painting of the Cranium Rats in Disguise taking shape.

Cranium Rats in Disguise - Process
 © 2023 Wizards of the Coast LLC

As with mostof my D&D work these days the painting goes quickly. I am thankful that I have been doing these long enough that I can sit down and knock out the painting in one sitting. It was not always this way, but after 25 years I am glad to finally have this luxery of having done this work countless times. Practice does pay off. The biggest challenge for this piece was to get the contrast right for the figure and the limited background. It needed to be readable and fleshed out, but not to the point that it overwhelmed the figure. I believe I hit the right balance with it. This is likely one of my favorite recent works and it is getting a miniature! Here, again, is the final painting of the Cranium Rats in Disguise.

Cranium Rats in Disguise
Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
© 2023 Wizards of the Coast LLC

That's 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