Beastly Archer

My studies continue and this time it is a bird with a bow! You might remember my recent posts about the Beastly Caster and Beastly Fighter, I am trying to make the most of my personal drawing time by incorporating more reference to hopefully improve my overall drawing skills. So today on the blog I have for you the third of my studies...

 Beastly Archer
© 2012 Christopher Burdett

This time around I leaned the most on the figure and costume reference with the animal elements coming mostly from my memory. While I am working from the reference I always prefer to switch up, add do, and embellish what is there to make it feel more intertwined into the world view I have in my head. Hopefully my creatures and characters are beginning to feel like they are all coming from a similar place or the same world...

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

A Kangachicken or Roosteroo - Learning to Draw

Today I have for you another of my attempts to learn to draw better monsters. You may remember my post last month about my discovery of 'How to Draw MONSTERS!" by Robert Pierce. I have had some more time to pour through the pages of this most excellent book and I have worked up another of the monsters found within. As a reminder, here is the book I am referring to...

 'How to Draw MONSTERS!" by Robert Pierce
© 1984 Field Publications

On the urging of my wife I picked the Kangachicken or Roosteroo for my next monster to learn from. It is just too fun and is a nice combination of two different animals. Again, my hats off to you, Mr. Pierce, you would have made the six year old me extremely excited about drawing monsters with this book. Lets see how it is done...

 

 How to draw a Kangachicken or Roosteroo by Robert Pierce - in six easy steps!

© 1984 Field Publications

Seemed pretty straight forward! I got to work on a Kangachicken or Roosteroo and this is what I came up with...

 A Kangachicken or Roosteroo - Step Seven - RAWR!
© 2012 Christopher Burdett

As before, I have nothing but complete admiration for the works of Robert Pierce and mean for this to be a celebration of his work and the joy of drawing. As with most drawing for me, this was a ton of fun to do. I sometimes feel that the drawings that have no purpose other then to be drawings are the most fun. I expect that you will see more tributes to Mr. Pierce's work here on the blog.

That is all for another exciting Wednesday, see you 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 Jericho Reach

Last year I was approached by the good folks at Fantasy Flight Games to help out on the newest supplement for the Deathwatch RPG, The Jericho Reach. They had a straggler monster that needed to be done for a fast approaching deadline. I stepped in and made quick work of it. The book arrived in the mail on Friday so I can now share it with you! Here is my contribution to The Jericho Reach, the Harridan...

Harridan
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

Nothing like working on crazy Warhammer 40K monsters. This quarter pager came together rather quickly and reproduced well in the book. Not much more to add, it was a really quick turnaround from start to finish and it was a really straight forward process. Here are the thumbnails and the drawing that went into this piece...

Harridan - thumbnails
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

Harridan drawing
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

That is all for another exciting monster filled Monday, 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

Arkham Horror Monsters - Wave 2 (Part 2)

On Wednesday I brought you the first part of the miniatures that I designed for Wave 2 of the Arkham Horror Monsters. Today I have for you the final two monsters from the set, the Yithian and Proto-Shoggoth. I saved the two largest miniatures for last, because when it comes to miniatures, bigger is better (sometimes, IMHO)! Here are the miniature turnarounds...

Yithian
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

Proto-Shoggoth
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

I took some pictures of the miniatures so you can compare how the finals turned out compared to my designs. It is always interesting to see what has changed and how my designs were interpreted by the sculpture. I think overall of these two (and overall of the five) I am most pleased with the Proto-Shoggoth, I would have liked to have seen more of the skin texture carry through, but it is just such a weird thing I am happy to see it in plastic. See for yourself...

Yithian Miniature

Proto-Shoggoth Miniature

Here is a group shot of my five miniatures so that you can get a feel for the size of each one. Not a bad looking lineup if I do say so myself!

Arkham Horror Monsters - Wave 2
(Just mine, this is not all of them)

This officially marks the half way point. Nine of my designs have been turned into little plastic monsters and I have nine still waiting to show their madness inducing faces (if they have faces). Hopefully the nine that have not been released yet are still on the way! I have my fingers crossed and am staying hopeful. You can be sure that once they are available you will hear about it here on the blog!

That is all for another madness filled week on the blog! I should be back here with something else new for you on Monday as long as the delivery date I was given is accurate! Until then...

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

Arkham Horror Monsters - Wave 2 (Part 1)

Wave 2 of the Arkham Horror Monsters - Premium Figures are now available over on the Fantasy Flight Website. I mention this fact because I designed five of the miniatures in this new set! Today I have for you three of the five monsters, the Skinless One, Gnoph-Keh, and Wailing Writher. Here are the miniature turnarounds...

Skinless One
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

Gnoph-Keh
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

Wailing Writher
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

I took some pictures of the miniatures so you can compare how the finals turned out compared to my designs. It is always interesting to see what has changed and how my designs were interpreted by the sculpture. I think overall of these three I am most pleased with the Wailing Writher, it was miniature I was really looking forward to and I really like the monster as well. See for yourself...

Skinless One Miniature

Gnoph-Keh Miniature

Wailing Writher Miniature

I worked on all these way back in 2009 and I have had to be very patient every since. It is just a real treat that they are finally being released and I don't have to share the designs as a project that 'could have been'. I really love to work on miniature projects and to hold the resulting miniature in my hands and it is that much more of a let down when the project does not see the light of day. Needless to say the wait has been worth it for these, it is really exciting to be able to finally enjoy the final product and to share the work that I put into them.

That is all for a madness filled Wednesday, see you back here on Friday for the rest of the miniatures that I designed for this set! 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... Nixie!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is a Nixie! 'N' is running thin but I think there are still a couple of gems still to be found. For my second pass through the alphabet I decided to go with something a little atypical for myself and see how it goes. Thankfully, it went much better then I had anticipated! I present to you my version of a Nixie...

Nixie
© 2012 Christopher Burdett

The Nixie are suppose to be 'comely' aquatic humanoids that enjoy to lure humans to their watery deaths. As I approached this design I knew there was one thing for sure that would improve this monster... TENTACLES. No, this is not my solution for everything, just most things are in fact better with tentacles. I also made sure to give him hands and feet better suited for swimming. The Nixie definitely gives me hope for some of the monsters ahead of me that may not necessarily be my cup of tea.

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's all for today, see you back here on Wednesday for some new work! Until then...

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

Ooktolok - Dreamblade

You may be aware that I worked on a little miniatures game called Dreamblade some time back. This blog is littered with turnarounds and work that I generated starting nearly seven years ago. Though it seems hard to believe at this point I still have more to share with you from that time in my career!

Today I have for you a rather strange monster, the Ooktolok. The Ooktolok was a creature of Madness and had a ranged attach ability. The Ooktolok was described as having its face in the middle of the torso and additional arms where the head and one leg should be as well as having some rather strange unique textured skin. This is what the turnaround for the Ooktolok looked like...

Ooktolok
© 2005 Wizards of the Coast LLC

As I am want to do, I did have some extra time recently and I thought it would be fun to take a fresh crack at the Ooktolok to see how I would go about it today. There was some overall proportions I never felt happy with the original Ooktolok that I thought I would now address. The funny thing was, as I worked more and more on the new version I came to realize that I may not in fact be improving on the original design. It was fun to redraw, but this time around the original may be superior to the newer incarnation. Don't get me wrong, there are things I like much more in the new one, but over all, I think the original hit all the points successfully. All that aside, here is the 2012 version of the Ooktolok...

Ooktolok Redux
© 2012 Christopher Burdett

I think I will name the new one, Mr. Beefy. Not sure how the new one ended up so much thicker, but I think that has been a gradual natural progression in my work. My forms have bulked up a bit when I have my druthers in a design. The new design is definitely... newer.

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

Beastly Fighter

My studies continue and this time it is an alligator wielding a sword! You might remember my recent post about the Beastly Caster, I am trying to make the most of my personal drawing time by incorporating more reference to hopefully improve my overall drawing skills. This time around the study had figure and animal reference. So today on the blog I have for you the second of my studies...

Beastly Fighter
© 2012 Christopher Burdett

It is not uncommon to come across alligator heads for sale at Florida tourist traps. I had always wanted one but for one reason or another I have never owned one. My wife corrected this last year and I was very overdue in drawing it. This critter obviously gave me the opportunity.

I will say again, you NEED to be using reference, especially if you are starting out or you are wanting to move your work to the next level. The reference does not draw your drawing for you and you can use the reference incorrectly. This does not change the fact that you are doing yourself a great disservice by not making the most of the world around you to influence your work. People go about using reference in many ways and you need to find the way that works best for you and stick with it! The only person you are hurting by not using all the resources available to you... is you.

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

Fresh from the drawing table... Minotaur!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is a Minotaur! 'M' still offers a lot of tasty monsters to choose from. Some are classics like the Mind Flayer and Mummy and some are rather silly like the Morkoth (which I am kind of really looking forward to working on them). For my second pass through the alphabet I went with classic and it is hard to get more classic then the a giant bull man that wonders the maze! I present to you my version of a Minotaur...

Minotaur
© 2012 Christopher Burdett

The Minotaur is so icon and has been envisioned so many I almost felt I was doomed to repeat another artist's vision when I set about doing this. I have even done other versions of the Minotaur, so I was endanger of appropriating myself. I wanted to create a more civilized more bison like creature with a massive barrel chest, curved back, and low set head. The coloring on this critter will also help it be unique among so many other interpretations... which at the rate I am progressing will not be something I need worry about for some time...

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 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

My life as a crappy artist - Fell Brethren

You of course remember the Fell Brethren from episode 19, Time Bomb, from season 5 of Angel, right? Any good Angel fan would, right? I barely recall the dang thing and I on the design team for it. So that everyone is on the same page, this is Fell Brethren...

In the future... there will be no lip palm, and it will be a dry and cracked future...

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 Fell Brethren was the lucky winner. Here is my original design for the Fell Brethren from 2004...

My original concept for the Fell Brethren. Not the worse thing I did while working in LA, not the best either. Trying to remember if my idea was that the horns were melted back as if with from extremely high heat or if they were growing out and had skin and demon funk all over them...
© 2004 Almost Human

I really don't recall the motivation behind the Fell Brethren at this point. As season 5 of Angel came to a close it was a blur of activity in the shop and we were just trying to hit all our deadlines. I guess the back story on them is a moot point here, suffice to say they needed a group of demons called the Fell Brethren and they gave us very little time to come up with them. Our original designs were all over the place and in the end we were critiqued into doing a rather straight forward new face with notified existing cowls. Hence the large textures and detail ending just pass the face. The shops art director did a great job quickly sculpting the face and we tag teamed modifying the cowls and painting everything. In the end I kind of liked how they turned out, they were at least fun to work on. All things aside, here is something... newer, for the design of the Fell Brethren...

Taking the Fell Brethren back!
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Okay... to be honest I really didn't have a plan for redesigning this demon I just kind of started drawing. I just started drawing... and looking at it now, it really feels that way to me, I was just drawing. I did try to start with the bone face scale/teeth/horn bits that I had in my original design but past that I think I was just having some stream of conscience drawing. There is also the possibility that I forgot I was drawing the Fell Brethren and thought I was drawing the Hideous Demon.Who knows at this point... I had fun drawing and I have said many times before, that is the real goal of a lot of these exercises.

I had one shop pic to share from working on the Fell Brethren. Not the most exciting picture, but it allows a peak behind the curtain of the makeup FX business and my time on Angel...

Awaiting host bodies... Fell Brethren face pieces and cowls freshly painted and ready for set.

That is all for another 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

Uncanny Very Near Mint

Recently, I had the privilege once again to contribute to another of Justin Peterson's comic projects, Uncanny Very Near Mint. You may remember my contribution to his first graphic novel that came out last year. It was a real thrill to be able to one again have some of my work share the same pages as Justin's stellar work (as well as the very talented Lee Bretschneider and Tara Abbamondi!). This time around Justin gave me free reign and didn't want to see it until I was finished, so I went back to my roots and had some Godzilla fun...

Godzilla vs Mothra?
Art by Christopher Burdett
Characters © 2012 Justin Peterson

Once again, I can not recommend the comic stylings of Justin enough. His work is super awesome and in Uncanny he is joined by two other outstanding artists to make a great little anthology. Here is a pic of the cover of Uncanny VNM (just so you know you are buying the right comic!).

Uncanny Very Near Mint by Justin Peterson!

If blow past all the amazing comic art in Uncanny VNM and get to the back you will see my monster pin up in all its black and white glory. I am told volume 2 of Very Neat Mint will be done soon, so that means I need to get moving on another pin up!

Uncanny Very Near Mint Pin up!

One more time, just in case you missed it before, if you are interesting in more information or in purchasing a copy of any of Justin's books, head over to the Adventuring Company website!

That is all for another exciting Monday on the blog, see you all 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

Beastly Caster

I have been trying to make the most out of the time I have to draw for myself lately. Some of this involves seeking out new and interesting reference and doing studies from that reference. The goal is to get my head around and to come up with more interesting and dynamic poses for my humanoid monsters. They all can't just stand around looking awesome! To that end I have for you today the first of these studies...

Beastly Caster
© 2012 Christopher Burdett

Hopefully, while I am having fun doing these something is sinking in so that I can recall this some of this later. Of course when I look at this drawing all I see is him wiggling his fingers and imagine him screaming, "PEW PEW PEW!"

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