Dragonborn

I have been thinking a lot about Dragonborn, especially since my Dragonborn Cleric hit 6th level Monday night. A while back I also produced a lot of work relating to the Dragonborn. I currently can only share one piece, the Dragonborn Paladin of Bahamut miniature turnaround I did for the Demonweb expansion.

Even though we do have a Dragonborn Paladin in our group I use this mini for my character since, you know, I designed it. Speaking of my character still, below is a painting of my character I completed recently. My website does not currently offer a lot of space for horizontal pieces, so I thought today was a good opportunity to highlight it.

SMACK!

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

Sketchbook 4/25/2009

Here are some excerpts of my sketchbook from over the weekend. With as busy as I was I am amazed that I had time for the sketchbook. I finished up one project over the weekend and got started on two new projects.

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

Artorder Sketch - 'Shock and Awe' weapon

If you missed it, last weeks sketches are up over at Artorder as well as this weeks assignment. Here is my sketch for this week...


What every "8 foot tall, 300 pound juggernaut of destruction" needs, a +5 Club of Dwarfing. You get one really good use out of it and then in needs to be "recharged". It helps if the club is drunk or rabid... or both (you get an additional +1 if it is). With the handy twist crank in the back the weapon can be "recharged" quickly and easily and fits most "ammunition".

After this week the ArtOrder sketch assignments will be on a two week cycle.

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

BUGS BUGS BUGS! - Dreamblade

Funny how things work out. I am straddling a couple of deadlines so for the post today I planned to show off more pieces from my work on Dreamblade. All of these pieces being insect creatures from the expansion 'Chrysotic Plague'. By random fates one of the paintings I did for the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual 2 has been previewed in a Creature Competition and it just happens to be a giant insect, the Ankheg. (Thanks to everyone who voted for it!)

This is by no means all the insects I have designed for Dreamblade, this is not even all the insects I designed for this set. Some of these are still my personal favorites (though I have many). With out further yammering on my part:

'Beetleback Mass'
I am really impressed with how well the sculpture caught all the detail of my drawing. For this set in particular there was a strong urging from my Art Director for 'more detail', it really paid off.

'Tattooed Squashbug'

'Spine Bug'
Make sure he has his naughty bits covered...

'Queen Chrysota'
I didn't know I was designing the sets name sake at the time I was doing these drawings. Not sure if it would have made it easier or harder to design something cool. The drawing on the left was the first pass of the Queen as per the art assignment. I think it even got approved. My Art Director came back to me and told me that there needed to be a redesign on her and they wanted something more feminine and powerful, my first pass on these new ideas is the drawing on the right. ...check out the legs on her!

'Queen Chrysota'
Final Queen after one more round of revisions.

'Chrysota's Chapel'
Every Queen needs a place to rule from. The drawing on the left was a first pass as I was trying to get my head around what they wanted. The mighty cry of 'more detail' was head through out the land. Another cry of 'more detail' was again heard after submitting the drawing on the right.

'Chrysota's Chapel'
The final Chapel after I loaded the detail in.

Here are the final minis for the above designs.

If you made it through all that and are still reading this, here is a link to the WoTC website where they are showing off another of my new pieces from the MM2 (scroll down a little to see it)

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

ANKHEG needs your votes!

This May will see the release of the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual 2. Wizards of the Coast is featuring a monster vs monster Creature Competition each week and wouldn't you know it, one of my monsters from the MM2 is featured in the first tier, the ANKHEG!

I need you to please head over and give the Ankheg the votes it needs to take down the Hive Queen Ant. Just follow this LINK to cast your votes and while you are there, check out my painting for the Ankheg.

I thank you in advance.. the Ankheg thanks you in advance.

* UPDATE * Ankheg wins with 80.5% of the votes! Thanks everyone!

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

Usagi Yojimbo Final

Two weeks ago I posted a sketch I was planning on submitting for this years San Diego Comic Con Souvenir Brochure. Today is the postmark deadline for submissions and my piece went in the mail this morning. I am not a big fan of sending pieces in the mail but the file exceeded their email size limit. I have my fingers crossed, but I will try not to get my hopes up. I am happy with how the piece turned out, so that in itself is good for me.

I submitted two versions, one as you see here and one with a congratulatory message to Stan Sakai. If it makes it in, I will let the powers that be select their preferred version.

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

Artorder Sketch - D&D of the far future

If you missed it, last weeks sketches are up over at Artorder as well as this weeks assignment. Here is my sketch for this week...

The assignment was to take one of the featured D&D races and cast it into the far future and "Ask yourself a million questions, and figure out where your race ended up. Now, pick one thing about the race and showcase it". Having missed that "one" part again I present some Haiku to explain what I came up with:

CYBERBORN
Were once flesh and bone
Best Tiefling cybernetics
Kingdom lost again

E.L.F.
Forests lost to war
Now only mind and magic
Bitter to the end

DWARF
Honor bound and proud
Old ways never forgotten
My, how you have grown

HUMAN
Lost the most you have
Feral and wild, tooth and nail
Now nothing but pet

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

Derby Helmet

I was approached by the The Refalyzer , a ref with the Tallahassee Roller Girls, to make his helmet unique. He handed me a white helmet that had a green demon skull face already applied by one of the Roller Girls, Obsidian Whiplash, and asked me to do something cool. With my trusty paint markers in hand I filled in the rest of the helmet. With the blessing of the involved parties I also worked back into the green demon face to make it consistent with what I was doing. The helmet made it's debut this past Saturday at a winning bout for Tallahassee's Capital Punishment over Jacksonville.

The helmet in action at the bout! Look at it go... vrooooom!

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

Sketchbook 4/11/2009

Here are some excerpts of my sketchbook from over the weekend. Another full weekend of Roller Derby, painting, drawing, cleaning the roof off, and hiding in my sketchbook during social
situations.

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

Artorder Sketch - Undead Demon Dinosaur

If you missed it, last weeks sketches are up over at Artorder as well as this weeks assignment. Here is my sketch for this week...


This week the assignment was to create an undead demon dinosaur, or Dinogloth. I really had to fight the urge to draw a zombie T-rex. Yes it would have been fun, but to quote Jon Schindehette, "it would have been grasping the low hanging fruit" (for me - not judging anyone else).

After a little more thought and time, I give you the Undead Demon Queen of the Dinosaurs, DINAMAT. I want to give a special shout out to Daniel Gelon for contributing to this week's theme, many thanks, it has been far too long since I drew a dinosaur. They are so fun to draw.

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

Black Woods Dryad

With the recent ArtOrder sketch theme being a plant humanoid, I got to thinking about the first Dungeons and Dragons creature I redesigned for 4th Edition, the Dryad. The redesign was for a miniature to be included with the Desert of Desolation set and eventually the Monster Manual. They wanted a new approach for the Dryad and gave me several elements or characteristics they wanted me to include. With that in mind, I got to work on many quick studies, some of which I went back into and fleshed out. 

From these small sketches, a general body type was selected, and I then designed several body/head variations. I love the 'hair' on option B. Looking at it now, there is no way it would have been selected, but it sure is fun.

More notes were given, and I moved closer toward a finished design. More variations on the 'hair' were still needed, but the overall body form got locked in. Here is a perfect example of why an Art Director is SO valuable. I was working with Stacy Longstreet throughout this entire process. At the time, I was completely attached to option A. I was too close to the drawings and lost perspective. The Art Director was able to be objective and make the better decision... so that we would not end up with the "Bride of the Dryad." It is undeniable now, the same with the 'hair' on option B above. 

Option D was the winner. Here is the final turnaround for the miniature.

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

Sketchbook 4/4/2009 & Usagi Sketch

Here is one creature that made it into my sketchbook over the weekend. Another full weekend of painting and drawing for projects. This little guy would mostly have had some friends if I hadn't kept forgetting to have my sketchbook in hand when I left the house.

I wonder if he has a problem with drooling...

Here is a drawing I did over the weekend for a painting I hope to be starting later this week. This will be a submission for the souvenir brochure for the San Diego Comic Con in July. Each year they have themes they accept art for and then publish selected works in a brochure. One of the themes for this year is the 25th anniversary of Usagi Yojimbo created by Stan Sakai. I am a huge fan of Stan Sakai's work so I felt inspired to do a piece and submit it. My wife's encouragement helped too, since she may be a bigger Stan Sakai fan then me. But time is ticking, the deadline is April 20th... so I need to move fast.


Speaking of Comic Con, I can't wait! Should be a great year! I am really looking forward to catching up with people I have not seen in awhile, meeting people I have never met in person, and getting introduced with new folks. If you will be attending, I hope to see you there!

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

Artorder Sketch - Bromide Humanoid Concepts

If you missed it, last weeks sketches are up over at Artorder as well as this weeks assignment. Here is my sketch(s) for this week...

This weeks assignment was to design a humanoid race called the Bromide (Bro • Mide / Brom • ide ?). They are a developed and civilized race that is plant like or derived from plants.

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

New work and Web Site updates

I posted a bunch of new work on Monday to my website. I also have reorganized my website as well. Check it out if you haven't been by lately! For your viewing pleasure, I now have several DeviantArt.com galleries up, including one that highlights my miniature turnarounds.

Here are two of the new pieces that I have posted to my website.

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