Friday, July 30, 2021

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Gorgon

Today, I have for you another Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures release of a D&D monster that I updated for 5th Edition. I would not say I reinvented the wheel when I reworked it for 5E, but I did give it some updates and my own twist. I am not sure how closely this new miniature holds to my design, but there are plenty of similarities at a quick glance. To start things off, here is the final design for the Gorgon.

Gorgon - Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual - Redesign
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Whether this was or wasn't entirely inspired by m design, it sure is an excellent miniature. At some point, you have to let things go and know that they will change and evolve without you. And as I have seen, things will get redesigned without you all the time. I have been on both sides of that. I have had to update designs presented to me, and I had seen plenty of times where the final product is a bit different than when it left my hands. That is the way of things and the way of this industry. Here is Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures version of the Gorgon.



Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Gorgon

 That's all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here next week. Until then...  

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

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Selected Recent Artist Proof Drawings

Today I have for you a pair of recent artist proofs that I added drawings to. If you are interested in getting any of these for yourself, just follow the links to my store. I have actually seen a spike in artist proofs sales on my store. In fact, I sold out of the Portent last week. I have many more artist proofs drawings to bring you in the coming weeks. For now, here are two recent, but not too recent, monster drawings.

 
I was asked to do a new design and different pose for the Breaching Hippocamp.

A mighty lizard for a fan.

That's 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, July 26, 2021

Discounted Unclaimed Magic the Gathering Artist Proofs AVAILABLE!

Early in my convention days, with my first Magic the Gathering artist proofs, I would have a person interested in a card with a drawing pay when they returned to pick up their finished card. From time to time, the person never returned, and I was left with an AP with a drawing on the back and no home to go to. Eventually, I started requesting payment upfront, and cards were no longer left unclaimed at the end of a convention. It has been a while since I did an in-person convention, and as I begin to prep for events to start happening again, I have started digging through and sorting my convention materials. I came across these unclaimed cards, and I am now offering them 50% off to find a forever home. I even went back and did a little more work on the drawings to be more consistent with the quality I offer currently. If you have been wanted an AP with a drawing, this is the perfect opportunity to get one at a discount!

 
SOLD OUT

 
SOLD OUT
 
 
SOLD OUT

That's 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

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Soul Stripper and Remembering Julie Strain

At the beginning of my career, I worked in the film industry designing and making makeup effects for various projects. Some of those projects were big and flashy and some, well, let's say they were lower budget. While some of these productions had considerably smaller budgets, they were never the less fun projects to be a part of and have left me with fond memories. In those early days, I did a lot of work with Troma Entertainment. You may be familiar with Troma from their cult classic, The Toxic Avenger, which I worked on and appear in the franchise's fourth installment. But Troma has done so much more, like the nearly forgotten anthology Tales from the Crapper. Tales from the Crapper (2004) was not always a single movie by that name. In fact, it was initially meant to be several standalone movies with titles like Soul Stripper and Free Ride. I worked on both of these other movies in 2000, with Soul Stipper being the one I focused most on because I got to design, sculpt, mold, cast, and paint the monsters for the movie. I am speaking, of course, of the might Tromantis.

Tromantis Mask and arms
Soul Stripper (AKA Tales from the Crapper)
Latex and foam mask
© 2000 Christopher Burdett

Tromantis Mask
Soul Stripper (AKA Tales from the Crapper)
Latex and foam mask
 © 2000 Christopher Burdett

One of the best things about working on lower budget productions, and in general Troma productions, is the people you get to meet and work with. And with Troma, I was able to work events as the Toxic Avenger that allowed me even more opportunities to meet a wide range of people. One of those people that I got to meet and work with was Julie Strain. I crossed paths with Julie many times in those early Los Angeles days. I first met her working on the Toxic Avenger 4, but then ended up at many conventions and events where she worked as herself, and I was Toxie. Finally, we worked directly together on Soul Stripper and Ticket to Ride (AKA Tales from the Crapper). I had been at shoots at her and her husband at the time Kevin Eastman's house. And yes, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Kevin Eastman. On a couple occasions, we ran around in silly outfits at conventions and events. And so finally, when we were working on Tales from the Crapper, we were on a first-name basis, and we would chat between takes.

Tromantis Mask Sculpture
Soul Stripper (AKA Tales from the Crapper)
© 2000 Christopher Burdett
 
Tromantis Mask Sculpture
Soul Stripper (AKA Tales from the Crapper)
© 2000 Christopher Burdett

Of the many actors and celebrities that I met in LA, Julie was the nicest and most friendly. We would joke that I wanted back some of that Ninja Turtle money, but she had already spent it all on shoes. This was on set between shots, I was working the monsters and sitting on the side of a bed on set, and she was there sitting next to me, completely naked. Julie performed a lot of the time completely naked. It seemed really natural for her, and her confidence was incredible. If you were wondering, I was around her plenty of times when she was dressed.

Tromantis Arm Sculpture
Soul Stripper (AKA Tales from the Crapper)
© 2000 Christopher Burdett

It may sound weird, but I was always amazed by how nice she was to me. If you worked or lived in LA, and I am sure in other similar places in the world, you will know that some people are friendly to you only if they need something from you or can gain something through you. I saw it plenty of times out there, and I was on both sides of it. People being friendly to me to gain access to the industry, and people being horrible to me because I offered them nothing. Julie was a nice person and gracious to those around her. I would not say I knew her completely, but I knew her well enough. We worked together, we hung out after work events, I went to her house, and we crossed paths enough for me to get a good read on her. She was a gracious friendly person with a smile always on her face, or a snarl for the cameras. Julie passed away in Janurary of this year. I had heard she had not been well for a while, and there was even a false report of her death last year. I had not seen her in years, and she likely had no memory of me, but I have many fun memories of her, and she is very much missed. She was part of my LA adventures and will always be charished.

Tromantis (Julie Strain) Makeup Sculpture
Soul Stripper (AKA Tales from the Crapper)
© 2000 Christopher Burdett
 
Tromantis (Julie Strain) Makeup Sculpture
Soul Stripper (AKA Tales from the Crapper)
© 2000 Christopher Burdett

While another actress wore the full Tromantis maks and arms, Julie wore a gelatine makeup that I designed and sculpted. It was way bigger and bulkier than it should have ever been, and once it was cast in gelatine, it was a cumbersome appliance. Her eyesight was limited, and the makeup was constantly slowly sliding down her face from the weight and the heat on set. She was not happy with the makeup or us that night, but she was a professional and made it work and did her part. I felt so bad for her on set, but it was far too late to do anything about the makeup by then. There were no hard feelings in the end, and the movie was eventually released. The Tromanits even made the cover of the DVD.

 
Tales from the Crapper DVD cover featuring the Tromantis

That's 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, July 19, 2021

Only THREE Remaining MtG Porent Artist Proofs!

UPDATE: SOLD OUT - But I have plenty of other MtG APs available!

I have had a recent increase in my Magic the Gathering Artist Proofs sales, and after double checking my inventory, I am now down to only THREE remaining Portent artist proofs. These final three artist proofs are only available with a drawing on the back. While I can not guarantee which number you will receive when you order, the last three are numbers 38, 41, and 49 or the 50 artist proofs sent to me. I have no idea if this card will ever be reprinted, so once these are gone, they are gone.

 
There were once fifty, now there are only three

The Portent has been my best seller in regards to the artist proofs and prints. Get yours before they are gone! Here is the full art for the Portent, as well as a link for those interested in prints.

Portent
Magic the Gathering - Commander 2018
12 x 8.7- Digital 
Art Director - Dawn Murin 

That's 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, July 16, 2021

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Fire Bat

Recently finding the Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures release of the Eidolon and Aarakocra alerted me to many miniatures based on my designs and illustrations that I was completely unaware of. Next up, I have for you a miniature based on my design for the Fire Bat that I updated for 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. This is not the first time this design has been turned into a mini, but this version is superior. To start things off, here is the final design for the Fire Bat.

Fire Bat - Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual - Redesign
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures release of the Fire Bar is part of a three-pack of familiars. The other minis in the set are an imp and a small dragon. From what I can tell, this is a very detailed miniature. With it being translucent, it is a little hard to get a good look at it while still in the package, but I have faith it is at least as good as the other miniatures in the line. Being made of fire and bones, it makes sense to produce a translucent mini to highlight the fire body. Once painted, I bet this is a superb figure. Here is the unpainted Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures release of the Fire Bat.

 
Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Fire Bat

As I have stated above, the Fire Bat has already been made into a miniature. It was a prepainted mini that was part of the Icons of the Realms line of miniatures. Even in this first iteration, the mini is translucent to add a more fiery feel. The bones are a negative shape on the underside of the mini and then painted black. Here is the original Fire Bat miniature.

 
Fire Bat
Icons of the Realms miniatures - Elemental Evil
2015

 That's all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here next week. Until then...  

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

Friday, July 9, 2021

Kickstarter Roundup - Walker

Today on the blog, I wanted to point out a Kickstarter project that launched this week that I think you all might be interested in. I am thrilled to share this Kickstarter with you because not only have I been fortunate enough to know the artist and to have followed his artistic journey over the years, but he is a great guy, and he makes really cool monsters. If you have not already checked it out, you should do so NOW!

 

Jacob Walker is no stranger to this blog, and I am always thrilled to share his new projects. Jacob loves the monsters of the Lovecraft mythos, and it is always exciting to see what he has been working on. This time around, he offers up a new coloring book featuring 25 new monsters for your madness-inducing coloring fun. Here is some information from the Kickstarter.

"Cthulhufhtagn!

Eldritch horror comes alive in this intricately illustrated coloring book of cosmic horror by artist Jacob Walker. Fans will find all the classics here, Cthulhu, Dagon, Nyarlathotep, The King in Yellow, and more as you visit R’lyeh, the Dreamlands, the Mountains of Madness and beyond. The elder gods, fiends and fanatics are depicted in 25 ghoulish images for your dread and delight. The book features single sided perforated pages printed on quality paper, good for pencils, inks, and marker."

There is more information, art, and many tiers to support this project on the campaign page. I hope you can take a moment to check it out and hopefully lend your support for Jacob's book!

This is just a glimpse of what is in store for the coloring book.
Be sure to head to the campaign page to learn more about this fantastic project!

That's all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here next week! Until then... 

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

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Unspeakable Horror - Dungeons & Dragons - Process

Today, I am happy to share the process and steps that went into the second of my two illustrations in the recently released Dungeons & Dragons supplement, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. For this installment, I am sharing the Unspeakable Horror. The Unspeakable Horror was described as a, well, as an unspeakable horror, and that is something I can definitely handle. Here is the final painting for the Unspeakable Horror.

Unspeakable Horror
Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
11 x 14 - Digital
Art Director - Kate Irwin
© 2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC

As with the Carrion Stalker, I went into this piece with no planning or personal reference. Not how I usually do things, but these monsters are the kinds of things I can do with my eyes closed. I was provided with one piece of reference for this monster, and it was to be a springboard from which I would design something new and horrifying. The Unspeakable Horror was described as having skin akin to rotten wood, possibly a crown of parasitic larva, and a deformed grotesque body. There was also a note about lots of eyes, but that could have just been what I wanted to do. I know it needed to be a mess, a glorious, wonderful mess, and I was itching to get started on it. Here are the thumbnails I supplied for the Unspeakable Horror.

Unspeakable Horror - Thumbnails
© 2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC

While they liked these, especially option 'B' (note yet again my subtle queue to production about the one I liked), they wanted more; they wanted me to push it even further. Sometimes I am not sure how far I should take a monster, and it can be a pain to reel a design back in if I start too extreme. When I need to push it further, it can be a lot of fun. I got back to work and added more of everything, more deformity, more grotesque masses, and, of course, more eyes. Here is the revised updated thumbnail that I supplied for the Unspeakable Horror.

Unspeakable Horror - Revised thumbnail
© 2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC

This time it was a success. I was approved to move forward with the drawing of the Unspeakable Horror. As I mentioned on the process post for the Carrion Stalker, I typically complete the line art for the monster, scan it for use in the painting, and then finish rendering the drawing. With the Carrion Stalker I forgot to scan that first stage, and that led to some hiccups as I began panting. Luckily, I remembered to scan the Unspeakable Horror at each stage of the drawing. Here are the two stages of the Unspeakable Horror drawing, the mid-stage line art and the final rendered drawing.

Unspeakable Horror  - Line art
 Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper
© 2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC
 
Unspeakable Horror  - Drawing
 Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper
Art Director - Kate Irwin
© 2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC

The drawing was approved without comment, and I was ready to begin the painting. I knew I wanted to do something different with my approach to the image. Instead of going dark and wet with a rotten wood look, I thought approaching it light and dry for the rot look. Greens, greys, and warmer tones would make this monster stand out a little more rather than making it another dark, obscured form. Sometimes clearing seeing something is as worse than wondering what is lurking in the shadows. But that is just my take on this monster. Here is the painting for the Unspeakable Horror taking shape.

Unspeakable Horror- Process
© 2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC

In some of my paintings, I feel as if the underpainting completely vanishes with the process of painting. With the Unspeakable Horror, I feel like the underpainting is still peeking out, and I think it suits the monster and the image. I am not sure if anyone but me can see it, but I know it is there, and it pleases me. Much like the face on its left forearm, the paint handling was done for me, and I am not sure if they were noticed by anyone else. This was a quick paint, but I think it is an effective end product. Here again, is the final painting for the Unspeakable Horror.

Unspeakable Horror
Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
© 2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC
 
That's 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

Friday, July 2, 2021

Kickstarter Roundup - Barnum

Today on the blog, I wanted to point out a Kickstarter project that launched yesterday that I think you all might be interested in. The Kickstarter features a super cool idea brought to you by an artist with a distinctly unique style. If you have not already checked it out, you should do so NOW!

Funded in two hours, Joana's project brings mini prints of her gorgeous work as well as a story that builds over a two-week daily advancement leading to Halloween. Here is a more full description from the campaign page.

"Count down the two weeks leading to Halloween with a series of spooky collectible art treats illustrated by artist Joanna Barnum. Each day, open one of the envelopes for a new mini art print and the next installment in your journey through the grounds of a mysterious manor, where you'll encounter creatures of the night, strange apparitions, and a plethora of pumpkins. Arrange your prints to form one continuous detailed scene, revealing more of the haunted house as Halloween approaches."

There is more information, art, and details on the tiers to support this project on the campaign page. I hope you can take a moment to check it out and hopefully lend your support to Joanna's project!

 
Just a glimpse of what in instore, be sure to head to the campaign page to learn more about this project!

That's all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here next week! Until then...  

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