Friday, April 29, 2016

Looking back at "Why do we do this?"

I have been thinking about why I make art lately. Not in a reevaluating my life choices sort of way or a pondering the events that led me to it, but more of just thinking about the things that made me an artist and inspire me to continue to do it. Thinking and reflecting kind of stuff is what has been going on.

This all got me thinking about a series of blog posts I did a while back called, "Why do we do this?". It was a three part series where I asked a bunch of artists three questions about making art. Turns out these posts are five years old now. Looking back I am amazed at everyone who took part in this, it is also interesting to think if anyone's responses would be different now.

Looking back at "Why do we do this?" from 2011

I wanted to share these posts again in case you missed them the first time or if you took part you could reflect on something you said five years ago about making art. The three questions I asked everyone where:

1) What was the first thing in your life that made you think, "I want to be an artist"?

2) What do you like LEAST about being an artist?

3) What do you like MOST about being an artist?

Here are the links to the original posts:

Why do we do this? (Part 1) , Why do we do this? (Part 2), Why do we do this? (Part 3)

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

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

RAWR! Celebration Sale! RAWR! Shirts and ALL Line Drawings Marked Down!

In celebration of my RAWR! logo getting trademarked I am running a sale for the next two weeks!

From now until May 11th all of my RAWR! shirts have been marked down to $15 and when you use discount code RAWR! you will get 25% off all of my black on white pencil drawings! That's right, I am offering up 25% off over 50 drawings currently available on my store when you use discount code RAWR! (make sure you include the exclamation point and that it is in all caps!).

http://christopher-burdett.myshopify.com/collections/line-art?page=3
Head on over to my Line Art gallery to see all the drawings that are eligible for 25% off when you use the discount code RAWR!
 
You will find a ton of drawings completed for Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, Warhammer, personal pieces, and more! If you have been wanted to get some of my drawings, NOW is the time. Don't forget to use discount code RAWR! (make sure you include the exclamation point and that it is in all caps!).

All of my remaining RAWR! Shirts that I have are also marked down to $15, no code required. It is time for a new color and I am clearing out the remaining black shirts that I have in stock. They are selling out fast, so if you want to get one of the original RAWR! shirts, NOW is the time.

http://christopher-burdett.myshopify.com/collections/clothing/products/rawr-shirt-unisex-sizes-s-xl
Head on over to my RAWR! shirt gallery to get you very own RAWR! shirt!
All shirts are now only $15, no code required... but you will still need a code for the drawings!

Be the envy of your friends and enemies when you proudly wear your very on RAWR! shirt!

Join the growing RAWR! army with your very own RAWR! shirt!
Photo gallery courtesy Achsa Nute

As a reminder, now until May 11th use discount code RAWR! to get 25% off all my black on white drawings and all of my remaining RAWR! shirts are marked down to $15! Now is the time to get your RAWR! on!

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

Monday, April 25, 2016

RAWR! - TRADEMARKED!

Finally, at long last, I can announce that I completed a big step to secure my branding that I use everywhere when talking about my monsters... RAWR! I started the paperwork back in October of last year and after months of waiting, additional correspondence, and corrections my trademark was published last week. So when it comes to RAWR!, this is MY RAWR!...

TRADEMARKED! RAWR!

Big thanks to Dear Wife for pusing me to do this and to Chris Seaman for giving me that extra push to get it done as well as answering questions at the very beginning.

It ended up being a whole lot easier and a whole lot harder then I expected, but I used legalzoom.com to get me through the process. If you are planning on acquiring a trademark of your own you will need to expect to pay several hundred dollars and wait months for the process to be completed - with no guarantee that the trademark will be granted. For the record so you know what to expect, my trademark cost me around $450, but it is mine now and I can protect my RAWR!. This is probably not for everybody, but with as much as I use RAWR! and the fact I use this logo everywhere, including on shirts, it was in my best interests to move forward with getting it trademarked. As a side not, it is actually better off for you if you are already using the brand that you want to trademark before you start trademarking procedures. You will also want to be able to document when you first used your brand. Thankfully since I have everything time stamped by the blog I was able to easily pull up all that information.

Be sure to check by on Wednesday when I will announce a celebratory RAWR! event... that is as yet to be determined... RAWR!

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, April 22, 2016

Flootternootter - Scribblings on Paper

Today I have for you something I managed to scribble on throughout the week. A little here and a little there will get the monster drawn. I present you with the Flootternootter...

Flootternootter
9 x 12 - Pencil on paper
© 2016 Christopher Burdett

It has been rather difficult as of late to find or to make the time to work on any of my own stuff. To combat this I have been sneaking in little monsters where I can. Some of them are a little... silly. I imagine this one to have been drawn at 100% life size. So it fits in a 9 x 12 space. Perfect for your purse or on your shoulder. Did I mention it makes little chirping noises? Soon, everyone will be wanting their own Flootternootter. That is until the Flootternootter Plague breaks out...

That is all for another exciting Friday 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, April 20, 2016

I didn't work on that... why is my art being used?

I really don't know where to even begin with this, but I will stumble through it all the same. I am not sure if I will come to any conclusions or deliver any answers, but maybe I can get a(nother) conversation going. This is something that has been around forever(?) and will likely be with us indefinitely. It goes by many names: borrowing, incorporating, appropriating, stealing...

This is not an easy subject and everyone has an opinion and draws their own lines on what is allowed and what it too far. There are also SO many different ways these acts are committed. Sometimes art is used and is unchanged, sometimes art is used unchanged with a new persons name attributed to it, sometimes the art is modified to some degree, sometimes the art is recreated so that the heart and soul of the original is still there but the details are changes, and sometimes the ideas or creations of two or more things are just shoved together to make a 'new' thing. To me, these are all interchangeable.

An article popped up on my Facebook feed and I was a little curious. The article centered around a fan made set of Star Wars themed Magic the Gathering cards. I figured all of the art had to be swiped since the lead in graphic was obviously from another Star Wars project. I poked around the article and the cards a little and quickly found not only my art being used but many other pieces that I recognized as friend's work or work used on projects I had worked on or knew of.

Article in question. Not going to link to it, but I am sure you can find it.

Okay, let's get some things out of the way... "They are not making any money from it, how are they hurting anyone?" "This is the highest compliment!" "They are just fans making something for themselves and fans." "They are making something NEW and are not at fault." Nope, nope, nope, and nope. At worst they are thieves and at the least they are severally taking advantage of MANY people and the COUNTLESS hours of time and effort that went into creating the original artwork. And not just the hours of time of the artist, but all those involved in the production of the original. The art directors, writers, game designers, etc are all tied into these types of actions.

Looking at this through the lens of just me and my two pieces that are involved with this, let's break this all down. First, something that is RARELY, if at all, done was that I and the rest of the artists were credited. This in and of itself is an miracle, and I wonder if the original MtG cards had not always included the artist names if the names would have ever been included. So, one good thing, I guess. Now for the rest...

My Salacious B. Crumb painting that I originally created for the Fantasy Flight Games release of the Star Wars Card Game now is being used on a custom made and distributed Star Wars themed Magic the Gathering Card. I am 100% sure that no one that owns that art was contacted about this usage.

My art seen here was created for the Fantasy Flight Games release of the Star Wars Card Game. FFG / LFL / Disney own the art and all usage rights. I am allowed to use it for promotional purposes and that is the beginning and end of it. DONE. This person has taken card art I did for a company and used it unchanged, save for cropping off my watermarks, copyright info, and most of my signature and is now using it as a card illustration. There is no evolution here, there is no transformation, the art is being used in the way it was originally intended.

As far as the 'not making any money' argument, when someone illegally downloads music to listen to, they are not making any money from it. They are enjoying it for what it is and doing so without the creator or owner being rightfully compensated. Once that person has that illegally obtained music they can pass it around, for free, harming the creator even more. No money is being made, but there is still a victim. We are fooling ourselves if we want to draw distinctions between a song and a piece of art. If it is taken and used without the creator / owner being compensated for their time and effort then it is equally wrong.

My Arcona Rumor Monger, also created for the FFG Star Wars Card Game. Again seen here unchanged except for the removal of watermarks, copyright, and signature.

Obviously time and effort went into writing and working out the cards and their mechanics. That goes to whomever put this all together, they made that. They did not make the art and I am 100% confident that the time they devoted to making the stats for the cards is a drop in the bucket compared to the time and energy of the artists. Not to mention that the card template, icons, etc are all trademarked or copyrighted by Wizards of the Coast. Just because someone worked really hard to make something new and then used the property of someone else, in no way justifies it.

'This is made by a fan for fans' ... and your point is? Why do we make excuses for something that is wrong? If the art is so important to the finished product then you REALLY need to be an adult / professional / thoughtful person and either do what has to be done to make / buy / license the artwork or you go without. Or in the least, NO NOT POST IT ONLINE FOR ALL TO SEE.

I know we live in a time where Google offers up images without limits and that we share things online. BUT the rules have never changed, it is just so much easier to take without penalty and share without consequences. I am sure these people would feel a lot differently if they were the victim, but maybe they wouldn't. Maybe they don't value their time and effort, maybe they think they have done right by everyone, maybe they would never imagine that they have done anything wrong. I have dealt with plenty in the past that feel justified to take whatever they want and attack any that question them. I really feel sorry for them, but it does not grant them immunity or justification.

These are my two cents, for what they are worth.

*EDIT* I have had some additional thoughts after this post originally went up:

These pieces were work for hire, the client hired me to make the work, payment for services rendered. They own it and have the copyright. It is their fight if this would ever escalate to a legal matter. They would have to send the cease and desist, they would have get their lawyers involved, it is their dog in the race. For better or for worse, this did not involve a piece of my own art. I can not act on this unapproved usage of my these painting.

That said, I have still been harmed. They stole my time and a part of my life. I spent a part of my life to make these paintings. While I was compensated for the work, the payment in no way actually comes close to compensating me for the time and effort that I spent on these paintings. I do some of these pieces because I want to, because they mean something to me, as a way to better my skill set at the same time I get a little money and a published piece, etc. By these pieces getting used without compensation to me they are taking advantage of that time I invested in making them. I could have used that time to do any number of things and I chose to make a painting for a client and this person(s) has come along and taken that from me. A part of my life that I will never get back. I think this get to the heart of what angers me so much about these types of behavior. These people leech off my time and effort, and the effort, time, and money of the client, without any consideration or compensation.

Say you are waiting in a restaurant for your meal. You are very hungry. As the waiter brings you your food some other person comes by and eats it all before it get to you. You of course will not have to pay for that meal and another will be made for you, but you have been wronged all the same. This might not be the best analogy, but I think it gets the point across. The major victim is the restaurant, but you needed that food and now you lost the time that had already passed to make it. NO ONE would be okay with being the hungry person in the scenario. Yet music, art, games, and more is constantly being stolen without thought or concern.

Okay... I think I am done now.

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog, see you have 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, April 18, 2016

Come see me at Free Comic Book Day!

I am happy to announce that I will be appearing at Fallout Comics once again as part of their Free Comic Book celebrations on May 7th! You might remember that I took part in their FCBD festivities last year. I had a ton of fun so I am really looking forward to returning. If you are in the Tallahassee area I really hope to see you there! Here are all the details for Fallout Comics...

Fallout Comics • 1484 Apalachee Parkway • Tallahassee, Fl. 32301

In anticipation of FCBD I picked up a blank cover copy of C-3PO over the weekend. I hope to have an original drawing on it by the time May 7th arrives. No promises, but that is the plan! More on this as it happens...

If goes to plan this will have a drawing on it by the time Free Comic Book Day rolls around on May 7th!

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, April 15, 2016

Captial City Pedicabs Interview

I was recently interviewed by the entertainment wing of Capital City Pedicabs about my art and being an artist. You can head over to their site and check out the interview at your convenience!

https://ccpblognews.wordpress.com/2016/04/07/entertainment-spotlight-artist-christopher-burdett/
Everything you may and may not already know about me over on the CCP News site!

As a side note this should have all happened sooner. The fine folks over at CCP actually reached out to me before my last convention appearance at AltCon. Unfortunately, Facebook decided to filter their message that they sent to me and I never saw it until last week. I had a whole folder of filtered messages that FB thought I didn't need to know about. Including a request from the local paper to interview me about my art and Star Wars last December before the release of The Force Awakens. Thanks Facebook, thanks a LOT!

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

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Revisiting the Basilisk - Talisman: Frostmarch

On Monday I shared with you some memories of working with Zoe Robinson at Fantasy Flight Games. In that post I mentioned that the first piece I ever did for her was a Basilisk for the Talisman expansion, Frostmarch. That piece is seven years old and very very flawed to my eyes. After reflecting on Zoe's time at FFG and all that we worked on I decided to revisit that critter and give it another pass in pencil to see what it would look like now. Of all the pieces I did with Zoe, the Basilisk is the only one that really makes me cringe. Here is my fresh pass at the Basilisk...

Basilisk - Revisited
12 x 9 - Pencil on paper
© 2016 Christopher Burdett

I am sure you are thinking to yourself, why on earth am I showing you the redesign before I showed you the original... BECAUSE I don't want seven year old work as the thumbnail for this post. Okay, now that you have seen the rework, lets travel back in time to 2009 and look at the original drawings that I submitted for the Basilisk... 

Original Basilisk drawings for Frostmarch
  Original on two sheets of 9 x 12 paper - Pencil on paper
© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

These were all that I submitted for the Basilisk. These were the thumbnails and the final drawings all in one. Because I had not developed my now ubiquitous process for making art that use for everything today. I got a couple sheets of paper and just scribbled on them. The bounding box I drew on the paper to do these in was not even the right dimension for the final piece... I had to add some more drawing digitally after I scanned the scribbles into the computer. Now THAT is professionalism! AND somehow I continued to get work in the gaming industry.

By the way, I have never shared these three Basilisk scribbles before. These drawings most likely have only been seen by three or four people before now. Not that you all were missing anything. As you can clearly see, option 'A' was the winner. Isn't option 'C' just the cutest widdle Basilisk EVAR! Let us have a look at 2009 and 2016 side by side to see what has changed...

Basilisk comparison 2009 / 2016
Everything wrong is right again?

I continue to mention all the flaws with this piece. Here is a real quick run down of everything I did wrong with the fundamentals of the drawing and we will forgo this issues with the painting. In no particular order: anatomy of the head is all kinds of wrong, the  eyes, teeth, mouth, tongue, horns all do not line up in perspective or have any cohesive or realistic symmetrical order, that head is super wrong, one more time - HEAD = WRONG, arms are uniform and boring, arms don't seem to connect to the body and appear to be just slapped on the sides, and finally... THAT HEAD. The painting did not remedy any of the major issues and seemed to add some more, but that is for another day. Here is how the final painting turned out for the Basilisk...

Basilisk
  5 x 4.5 -Digital
© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

Pay $100 for an illustration, get a $100 illustration. I won't even go into how much blood, sweat, and tears I pumped into this to get a finished painting. I worked SOOOO much on this, because at the time I was learning and ever piece was a fight to finish. I did learn a lot, and in a way that is what is important. Fun fact, for a brief time this piece was in my portfolio that I showed to clients. THE HORROR! THE HORROR! Thankfully the Talisman cards are SUPER TINY and once this piece was shrunk down it masked many of the flaws. Maybe. Here is the final card...

Basilisk in handy dandy card form!
Print it SMALL and make all the mistakes got away.

Seven years, at times it feels like so much more and so much less all at the same time. Just glad to see that my skill set has improved over the years! The last thing we needs is more cards being made like this original Basilisk.

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

Monday, April 11, 2016

Making monsters with Zoe Robinson

It is an end of an era. After nearly a decade, Zoe Robinson will be leaving Fantasy Flight Games for bigger and better fun at Blizzard. For the past seven years I have had the opportunity to work with Zoe to make a lot of fun monsters for some of my favorite licenses.

Sam Flegal, your truly, and Zoe Robinson at Illuxcon when it was still in Altoona, PA.
Photo by Jeannie Zaengle Wilshire

I have written about the ups and downs in my career here on the blog before. From 2005 - 2008 I worked exclusively with Wizards of the Coast, but that all came to an abrupt end around December of 2008. Zoe was one of the first art directors to give me work in 2009 when I decided to double down and stick with working in the gaming industry. In April of 2009 I received my first assignment from Zoe, and some how she saw something in it and gave me more and more over the years. I wanted to share with you some of the work I created with Zoe as my AD. Consider this a celebration of the opportunities she has given me, and I am sure many of you out there, to create art for some of our favorite games and franchises.

The very first one... in all its "glory".
The Basilisk from Taliman: Frost March was the first piece I created for Zoe in April 2009.
It is hard to look at now with all its flaws, but I was learning a lot and it was printed very small.

Jump ahead a year and a half, at the end of 2010 Zoe asked me to paint all three of the Game of Thrones dragons. I knew nothing about AGOT at the time, which was kind of for the best so that I did not over think the assignment and sabotage myself. Also, note the difference a year and a half can have on someone's art.

GIANT SPIDER MOUTH!
Zoe knows I love monsters so she had me make a TOTALLY NOT Shelob for one of the nightmare decks for the Lord of the Rings card game. Apparently when she got the art order she thought of me.

Zoe reached out to me to make, in the end, five different pieces of the dragon Smaug for the Hobbit card game. I had not thought I was up the challenge of doing five pieces, but I was convinced by my wife and Zoe tag teaming me into taking the assignment. This one continues to be my favorite.

FFG got the license to do the Star Wars games and Zoe was the lead on the games. She gave me my first assignment in Star Wars with the choice of a Wookiee or a Tuskin Raider. I picked the Wookiee... ALWAYS pick the Wookiee. While there were some ups and downs with this piece it marked the start of many years of Star Wars art.

Zoe knew what monsters I would like best and gave me the room to make the pieces I wanted to make. The art order for this Salacious Crumb piece called for a very different portrayal of Crumb but I knew the piece I wanted to make and Zoe supported me all the way. This is still one of my favorite pieces that I ever created with Zoe.

When something new needed to be designed and illustrated for the Star Wars RPG Zoe came to me and I got to design something for Star Wars!

When I decided to make the transition from digital to traditional Zoe supported me, as long as I could provide a comparable quality and I dealt with revisions. This was one of the first pieces I did for Zoe traditionally and continues to be a favorite of mine.

Last, but surely not least. This is my favorite piece that I ever did for Zoe and is among my favorite pieces that I have ever created. I threw myself into this piece and Zoe supported me through the process to do the piece I wanted to do of Yoda.

Thank you Zoe for all the monsters and fun over the years. Thank you for fighting the good fight to get the artists that worked for you higher rates at FFG. Thank you for the fun at conventions. And thank you for giving me that second assignment after I gave you that wonky Basilisk. While many of us will miss working with you at FFG I know you will be doing great things at Blizzard.

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, April 8, 2016

Fresh from the drawing table... Crayfish (Giant)!

I have for you another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is a Crayfish (Giant)! Continuing with the "C" monsters we arrive at another giant version of a mundane critter, a crayfish. Pretty much a giant insect, but this one lives in the water. I present to you my version of a Crayfish (Giant)… 

Crayfish (Giant)
9 x 12
Pencil on paper
Original - Currently not available
© 2016 Christopher Burdett

Continuing in my traditon of giant dead insect things floating in the water I present to you the Giant Crayfish. Not quite big enough to build a tower on, but big enough to tie your boat to for repairs... right before the giant parasites that killed the Giant Crayfish eat you. That is the circle of life in the Realms after all, you have to expect such things. Not going to blame an idiot with a spell for these Giant Crayfish. Most likely they are totally natural, or at least the product of an overzealous crayfish farmer that really wanted to win the local fair. Totally normal, totally not made with magic... nope, not this time... TOTALLY not the fault of magic. Yep, totally the fault of magic and now hundreds are dead. 

Current 100 original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual redesigns (C - ?): Camel (Wild), Cattle (Wild), Centaur, and Centipede (Giant).

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

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Lava Burst - Kaijudo - Process

Today I have for you the process and steps that went into one of my paintings that I created for the now cancelled game, Kaijudo. While I only worked on the game a short time it was a lot of fun and I was sad to see it go. The painting I will be talking about today depicts a giant robot exploding and throwing lava everywhere, including onto an enemy base, after it fell into said lava. Here is the final painting for Lava Burst...

"Lava Burst"
Kaijudo - Vortex
11.3 x 9 - Digital
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

This was a weird one. There needed to be a lot going on - robot falling into lava, exploding robot, lava spraying out the back of the robot, lava hitting and destroying enemy base... and it all had to be clear and small on a card. Really was a a tough one to get my head around. After some thinking and scribbling I got to work on some thumbnails. Here are how the thumbnails turned out...

Lava Burst - Thumbnails
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Looking at these now they are still all over the place. Explosions, lava, giant forms... what a mess. Not sure how the art director saw through all this to pick one. The winner was "C" and for me it was just a good as any of the others. I got to work on the final drawing...

Lava Burst
Kaijudo
12 x 9 - Pencil on paper
Original for sale over on my web store!
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

The drawing was approved and now I had to make this thing read in color. No worries. In just twelve easy steps the painting came together... or not. To be honest I was not necessarily thrilled about making this one work. I knew if was going to be a tough one. No good worrying about it, just need to dive in and get the painting done. Here is a look at the painting coming together...

Lava Burst - Process Progression
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

The real challenge with this piece was controlling the values and making sure the different planes of action were clear. That involved making sure the lava was distinct an separate and that the robot in the foreground was clear and stood out. The same went for the enemy base monster thing in the background. Those familiar with the game should recognize it for what it is even though average person may not. You will notice as the piece came to life that I did a lot with the lava, I got rid of some while making other areas of it more interesting and dynamic. I also pushed and pull the lava's value and color to make sure that there was depth in the spray. Was I successful? Time will tell. Here is an animated progression of the piece to better show the piece coming together...

Lava Burst - Animated Process
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Here again is the final painting for Lava Burst and the card form of the art. There was a bit of cropping on the final card, but that happens. I think it reads well enough and gets the point across. 
"Lava Burst"
Kaijudo - Vortex
11.3 x 9 - Digital
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Lava Burst in handy dandy card form (and don't forget the artist proofs!)

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

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Ephant Mon - Star Wars LCG: So Be It

My contributor copy of So Be It, the newest expansion to the Star Wars Card Game, arrived on Friday which means I now can share another new piece of Star Wars art. I say new, but I painted this way back in December of 2014 and it is just now being released. Good things come to those that wait? No matter, because the wait for Ephant Mon is now over...

Ephant Mon
Star Wars LCG - So Be It
14 x 11 - Acrylic and pencil on board
Art Director - Zoe Robinson
© 2016 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

Ephant Mon
Star Wars LCG - So Be It
17 x 14 - Pencil on paper
Art Director - Zoe Robinson
© 2016 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

I was assigned and worked on Wicket W. Warrick and Ephant Mon at the same time. A fun Return of the Jedi back to back assignment. I really love working on pieces set in Jabba's Palace and this Ephant Mon piece allowed me to throw some extra aliens in there that I also wanted to paint. Overall I am really happy with how the piece printed, though it is a little dark. I am just thrilled it is FINALLY released. been waiting a long time for it! I will have more to share with this piece in the near future when I share the process that went into it. For now, here is a look at the printed card...

Ephant Mon in handy dandy card form

That is all for another exciting Monday Tuesday 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