ImagineFX issue #74 & 75

I have apparently popped up in the last two issues of ImagineFX, more or less. Issue 74 had the big write up about this year's Illustration Master Class where they featured some of their favorite pieces created at the class. Additionally, there was a little section on page two about the 'Best of the Rest' that had thumbnails and links for other artists... I kind of was included in this...

So very close... It is the thought that counts and it is nice to be included!

Mistakes happen and any press is good press, right? Anyway... long story short, that is not my work shown above my name and that weird shortened url under my name goes to my blog, not my website or the blog post about my IMC painting. The link to that blog post you ask? Well just click this handle dandy LINK and you can read all about my IMC painting. Added bonus, here is that painting again for the curious...

Haggling
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

If you check out the CD that comes with issue 75 you might see a familiar face looking back at you from the FXPose section...

RAWR! FIRST!

That wacky trio of bug monsters were featured as the image of the day on the ImagineFX site awhile back at that got them a round trip ticket to the CD to be featured along with two other pieces.

Non interactive version for your viewing pleasure.

If you have a chance, check out these issues, there are loads more in them then just me! ...or so I am told...

That is all for today! I will be back hopefully on Wednesday with Illuxcon coverage starting up on Thursday! Until then...

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

Terrors of the Silt Sea

Today on the blog I am pleased to finally bring you a new piece for Dungeons and Dragons! Not only is it for Dungeons and Dragons, but it is for their Dark Sun campaign setting! I was tasked with designing and illustrating a brand new Dark Sun monster and it was right up my alley. The article appeared yesterday in Dungeon Magazine issue 195. On with the monster...

Terrors of the Silt Sea: Oasis Beast
© 2011 Wizards of the Coast

This was a real treat for me. I am always most happy when I get to have some fun and create something brand new for a project I really enjoy. This was the first time working on anything for Dark Sun so that was an added bonus. When I read the art order and it described the creature as a horrific combination of an angler fish and a lizard I new the Art Gods were smiling upon me. Again I seem to have depicted a hapless hero just moments before his death... just the way I like my heroes. I will bring you my thumbnails, concepts, and drawings from this project after I return from Illuxcon.

As a side note, this was my first, and thankfully has not been my last opportunity to work with Kate Irwin over a WoTC. Thanks to Kate for getting me involved with this assignment, I had a ton of fun!

Thanks is all for another exciting week on the blog! I will be back next week as usual... plus I will have complete coverage of Illuxcon 4! Until then...

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

My life as a crappy artist - Keeper of the Name

You of course remember the Keeper of the Name from episode 21, Peace Out, from season 4 of Angel, right? Any good Angel fan would, right? I barely recall the dang thing and I designed it. So that everyone is on the same page, this is Keeper of the Name...

RAWR! I am the Keeper of the Name! My MOUF is full of sharp TEEF and it is sewed up so I don't tell SECRETS!

I was able to find some time to take a fresh pass at another monster that I designed while working on Joss Whedon's Angel series. This time around the Keeper of the Name was the lucky winner. Here are some of my better original designs for the Keeper of the Name from 2003...

I have done some bad drawings in my day... but seriously, this one takes the cake.
OUCH! This one hurts to look at, can't believe I am showing this off.
© 2003 Almost Human

I must of had my eyes closed when drawing the above design. Apparently, getting a head form that was even remotely symmetrical was beyond me eight years ago. After completing this design I was openly mocked, ridiculed, and otherwise belittled by my supervisors so I attempted a second pass at the design...

RAWR! I am a little better and a little more interesting!
© 2003 Almost Human

The whole idea behind the Keeper of the Name was that it knew and held the name of the Woman (I will talk about her another day). The Woman's true name was her only weakness and would expose the horror that she truly was. To insure that the name was safe it was only known by one creature... you guessed it, the Keeper of the Name. Keeper was a big strong fighting monster that had its mouth sewed, bolted and otherwise locked shut to help with keeping the name secret (how did it eat?). If that was not enough, this guy was in another deminsion and you had to get past an army of Centaur Bugs (I will talk about them another day) and a High Priest (I will talk about him another day). Once defeated the Keeper's head and Angel returned to do the whole Clash of the Titans reveal and let the Woman's true name be heard by all. All that aside, here is something... newer, for the design of the Keeper of the Name...

Taking the Keeper of the Name back!
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

RAWR! I am a more believable form! Anyway... With this new pass I thought it would be interesting if to try to keep the mouth closed that some of its larger horns had been driven through the the front of the skull and out through below the chin. Also, who would use cords and leather straps? USE METAL to keep the mouth shut! If it is so important make sure you really gotta work to get that thing open. I liked the two big rings on either side of the jaw so I kept those. Not sure how much better of design it is, but it is sure as heck a better drawing compared to my first attempt. On to the next art albatross that I carry around my neck...

But that is not all for the Keeper of the Name! I have some production photos I can share with you and a little more story of the misadventures of the Keeper of the Name...

Here we see the Keeper of the Name in his MC Hammer pants along with the High Priest (I will talk about him another day) on set next to a statue of a Centaur Bugs (I will talk about them another day) with the head of the Woman (I will talk about her another day). This was a really fun set to be on and there was lots of stuff you could accidentally break if you were not careful.

This is the severed Keeper of the Name head I had to make. It was really fun and I still really liked how it came out. It is sitting in a bucket in the makeup trailer on the studio lot. I had to do some last minute paint work on it before it was shot because the paint job on the monster was changing before it was shot as well. I had to take care of the suit repaint work too. ...much to long and uninteresting of a story to get into.

RAWR! I am now a sad turtle! Sad turtles are not scary...

After all the deign work, sculpting, molding, casting, fabrication, paint work, AND that it was film and done... the powers that be decided they didn't like the mouth and that they wanted something easier to cut open so weeks later we had to redo everything with a new monster face. So a new make up and new severed head was made and all close up and reveal shots were all reshot... with a sad turtle...

That is all for an exciting day 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

A day or two to catch my breath...

I hit post 450 last week here on the blog, it kind of just snuck up on me. I have been doing my best to post three times a week here on the blog through the worst of deadlines, while I was on vacation, and even through when I have been sick (most of the time). Of course then there are those times when I am at a convention or event and for some reason I feel the need to post everyday of said event... Well, I think it caught up to me finally.

You may have noticed I missed posting this past Friday. I think I just need a day or two to let the blog part of my brain cool down a bit before I jump back into it all. With Illuxcon 4 right around the corner which means blogging nonstop for the entire event I am going to need the blog brain in full tip top shape. I have plenty to share with you and I have lots of exciting stuff hopefully coming out of NDA very soon, so fear naught for the future of the blog. I just need another day or two to recoup.

In the interim I suggest a recent article over on The ArtOrder all about blogs.

Fear naught! I will be back later in the week with new content! Until then...

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

Fresh from the drawing table... Fungi(Violet)!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is some Fungi (Violet)! 'F' did not have a lot to offer in the first place and after Frog (Giant) the two remaining choices are the Flightless Birds and the more interesting (for the moment) Fungi (Violet). I will eventually have to get back to those Flightless Birds but for the time being I have an alternative. I present to you my version of Fungi (Violet)...

Fungi (Violet)
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

For the record it was years after the fact that I released I had been reading this entry incorrectly. For years it was the VIOLENT Fungi... because it was a monster and that made a whole lot more sense. There will always be a part of me that is a little underwhelmed to see the VIOLET Fungi... just not the same. Since the Fungi (Violet) likes to grow on dead organic material I found it the perfect excuse to draw a dessicated corpse of an slain adventurer. Unfortunately, the 'monster' of this drawing is secondary to that. Oh well... that is what you get when you are a purple fungus.

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 today, 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

The Project That Never Was (Part 3)

Continuing my coverage on the blog today of a big project that I worked on back in 2008. The project died before it ever saw completion and the work I produced for it has remained sealed away every since. ...until NOW. Please keep in mind while I can now share my work I can not divulge any other details regarding the project. If you missed any of this series of posts, you can see them here: PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5, PART 6, and PART 7.

In this third installment of turnarounds I have for you more variations on the 'Devil Dude' theme. The 'Devil Dude' Continues to grow and evolve as he get more battle damage, bigger muscles and a bad attitude. Before I say to much, bring on the monsters...

'Broken Horn Devil Dude - with AXE POWER' Turnaround
© 2008 Wizards of the Coast

'Super Beefy Devil Dude' Turnaround
© 2008 Wizards of the Coast

I will bring you some more 'Devil Dudes' soon. There are other monsters in store for you as well, though I did a lot of 'Devil Dudes' I did a lot more other bigger, fun monsters. Those will be along in the fullness of time...

That is all for another 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

Meeting Notes on the run...

I am post from my super secret birthday location today. Making this quick and dirty since there is much to do and little time to do it. To make this happen some more meeting notes showed up to help out on the blog again. RAWR!

As always, before you pass judgment, this is how I take notes in meetings and you should not think I am not paying attention. Active hands means active brain... or something... anyway, on with the monsters...

If there is one thing my doodle monsters know how to do it would be exhaling little puffs of cartoon smoke from their snoots.
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Looks like I stopped on this one just in time... disaster averted.
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

I wonder how this one would get food to its mouth... I think it is wondering the same thing. Luckily or it the tusks are seasonal and he bulked up ahead of time and will not need to eat during tusking season.
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

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

Fresh from the drawing table... Earth Elemental!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is an Elemental, and to add some alliteration, an Earth Elemental! 'E' still offers some interesting monsters and I knew once I got to it a second time it needed to be an Elemental. Not only does the Earth Elemental nicely drive home the use of 'E' but it also offers up the chance to do something big and hulking! I present to you my version of an Earth Elemental...

Earth Elemental
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Since Elementals are summoned I imagined that if you used a summoning circle or other magic marked upon the ground that it would become part of the summoned Elemental. The circle would just rise up, tearing from the ground as rock, soul and the very living earth would form up around it making a massive earthen juggernaut that would fight until destroyed completely or dispelled my the creator. No matter what, it will hit you with its rock fists and you will cry.

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.        

I will hopefully see you back here on Friday, a lot going on, but I will do my best to get something up on the blog! Until then...

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

Monsters of Gen Con have their day

For a number of reasons this is going to be a busy week for me so I think it will be a week of drawings here on the blog. There are some exciting things on the horizon, but for this week the blog is going to be black and white.

Gen Con has come and gone months ago but I still have a couple of monsters sitting around that I drew while at the convention. One of them you may have seen as a photo of my sketchbook, but the other has yet to make it's debut. They both seem to have one eye, pointing legs, and tentacles...

Sometimes the tentacles are on top.
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Sometimes the tentacles are on the bottom.
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

That is all or a busy Monday, see you back here for a busy Wednesday and some more drawings! Until then...

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

Yes, Virginia, there are meeting notes

Just a quick post today since there is far to much wackiness to deal with. From the back pocket I have some more meeting notes. When in doubt grab those little monsters on little sheets of yellow paper.

As always, before you pass judgment, this is how I take notes in meetings and you should not think I am not paying attention. Active hands means active brain... or something... anyway, on with the monsters...

Sad monster snorts sadly to itself while thinking sad thoughts.
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Unimpressed bird is unimpressed.
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

That is all for another exciting week on the blog, see you back here on Monday for more blogtastic fun! Until then...

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

Dungeons of Golarion: marks on paper

Back in July I shared with you the work I contributed to the Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Dungeons of Golarion gaming supplement. I mentioned I would be sharing some of the work that went into the assignment and it just so happens that today is that very day. Since most of the time, effort, and focus goes into the opening illustration I will mostly be talking about it.

If you remember my post about the process that went into Undead Revisited, then the only thing that will be new is the images. Over the last three years I have been slowly fine tuning and honing a production process that best works for me. This involves thumbnails, shooting reference, loose sketch, refined drawing, and finally the painting. So naturally the first step was to work up a very loose personal thumbnail to get an idea of the direction I am going...

RAWR! I am nothing but scribbles!

This opening piece depicts the iconic dwarf, Hursk, battling a group of nasty dwarf ghouls in a mine. Part of me always wants to make it as bad as I can for the hero, but since the hero has to live to see another adventure I will give him just a little advantage. ...but only enough to keep the flicker of hope alive. Once I have worked out a thumbnail that I think will work I shoot a WHOLE bunch of reference with lots of options, angles, lighting, etc because you never know what you will need and what happy accident you will discover once you review the photos. This time around I will not be sharing any reference photos... sorry. Once I have the thumbnail and reference photos I work up a loose sketch getting all the piece put together...

If a dwarf cuts the head off a ghoul in a mine and there is no one around, does it make a sound?

I usually work with all the main elements on different layers as I move them around to find the best placement and arrangement. Sometimes this is a really quick and easy stage and sometimes it is not. I solve most of my issues or problems that come up in this step. It is refined enough to see where things aren't working and loose enough that I can work on it quickly. Depending on the time constraints and client wishes I will produce up to three of these so that there are some options. Most of the time I will have a favorite and most of the time the client agrees. Once there is an agreement on the sketch it is time to get to drawing...

Zolurket Mines Opener Drawing
© 2011 Paizo Publishing, LLC

As mentioned many times before this is my favorite part and there is still a part of me that wishes I could just turn in a more finished drawing and call it done. But alas, color paintings are what my clients like to see so the drawing does not get the extra time and attention I would pour into it if it was a finished item. Once the drawing is done the next step is the painting, but that is another process and I have shared those step here on the blog several time before... HERE, HERE and HERE...

Zolurket Mines Opener
© 2011 Paizo Publishing, LLC

Here is the drawing that went into the nasty dwarf ghoul that also accompanied the section I illustrated. There are some fun photos of me posing for this drawing that I will not be sharing with you either... sorry. You will just have to use your imagination and enjoy the drawing.

Zolurket Mines Ghoul Drawing
© 2011 Paizo Publishing, LLC

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

Talisman: The Dragons (Part 4)

All good things must come to an end and so to does the life of a dragon. Today I bring you my final installment of work from the newly released expansion to Talisman, The Dragons. With this final installment I bring you one possibility for life after the death of a dragon.... becoming a feared and horrible, Dracolich! RAWR! I am made of BONES! Enough talk, bring on the dragon...

Dracolich
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

This was the very last dragon that I made for this expansion and I was really trying to have a lot of fun with it. That fun was mostly centered around trying to come up with an interesting pose that was different then the other dragons I had already done as well as find an interesting lighting scheme. As I am sure I have mentioned before I am a huge fan of sunset and the colors and light that that time of day produces. When given the opportunity I find myself setting my scenes at sunset and I thought the Dracolich lent itself to it as well. Looking back at it now I think I could have tweaked a few things, but over all I like how it came out. Big skeleton dragon, what more could you ask for?

More? Could you ask for more? Well, I guess you could... Since I only had one more dragon painting to share today I thought I might include the drawings to some of my favorite dragons from the set. You can see what has changed and what remained the same. I hope you enjoy them!

Storm Dragon Drawing
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

Zombie Dragon Drawing
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

Amber Dragon Drawing
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

Plague Dragon Drawing
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

Dracolich Drawing
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

That is all for Talisman: The Dragons, but that is not all of the dragons. Keep in mind that three of the dragons that I produced for the set flew away to a later expansion(s) and will return one day. So be patient, there will be more dragons!

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