Star Wars: Balance of the Force

For the last couple years I have been doing my best to make every assignment "mine" and today I have for you the first of my Star Wars pieces really that fits the bill. I have been looking forward to sharing this since last March and it should be a representation of things to come. The most recent expansion to the Star Wars card game, Balance of the Force, is now out and I have one new card, the Arcona Rumor Monger, in this expansion...

Arcona Rumor Monger

© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

I mentioned on Monday in my look back at 2013 about how I have been working to carve out a section of the Star Wars and D&D universe and tell that part in my voice... well, this is one of those Star Wars pieces.  The assignment was to depict a seedy bar where an Aronan rumor monger leans forward to tell the viewer some juice gossip. That is a fairly open assignment and this piece could have gone in any direction. I could have easily put the Arcona up against a wall or other generic backdrop... but that was not the piece I wanted to create. I wanted to start building my Star Wars world. Since an Arcona appears in the cantina in Star Wars: A New Hope, I wanted to include a bunch of other cantina aliens in this piece. Before I get too far ahead of myself, let's have a look at the final production card so you can better see what and why I did what I did...

Arcona Rumor Monger in handy card form and a lot less background

Yup... the chrome of the card template covers up EVERYTHING that I put in there that was mine. I knew this going into the assignment and it in a way made me more determined to do it. I put all that back there for my needs as an artist and as a fan of Star Wars... not for the client or the people that play the game. I know it is back there, that part in mine. It might seem a little weird to do this, or perhaps a waste of my time and energy... but I know I made the right decision and it has lead to me doing more of this. I have been pushing pieces further then expected and doing more with them. It has gotten me reinvigorated about creating more complex visual worlds and pieces.

If you were wondering what was written in Aurebesh in the background and on the datapad, it is the name of bar, "Ric's". Worked with the folks over at FFG to get a suitable name for this bar that would be approved and add some flavor. Also, if you think this Arcona looks a little familiar... well, his face did sneak into another recently Star Wars piece that I shared back in October.

I did specify above that I have one NEW card in this expansion, but it turns out that there are two card in the expansion with my art on it. Apparently a pair of wily Trandoshans that I first painted for the SW RPG core book have surfaced again, they do get around...

Oh hai, Trandoshans... glad to see you guys made it...

If you had forgotten or missed it before, here is how the original piece of those two Trandoshans turned out...

AT-PT ...and apparently Trandoshan Security Team

© 2013/2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

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