Wednesday, December 22, 2021

2021 Holiday Card - May your holidays be something to behold!

Unexpected additional blog post! I had forgotten I hadn't posted this yet, so here we are...

Another year and another holiday card. While I had thought about continuing in the Florida animal theme that I established last year, I ended up going in a different direction. After some discussion with Dear Wife, we settled on something near and dear to me, which would be fun for the holidays. Because nothing says happy holidays like a multi-eyed aberration from an extra-dimensional plane of reality. I present you with May your holidays be something to behold! 

May your holidays be something to behold! - 2021 Holiday Card
9x12 - Pencil and acrylic paint on paper
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

Lastly, here are the card exterior and interior so you can get a feel for what it looks like...

2021 Holiday Card exterior
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

 
2021 Holiday Card interior
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

That is all for another exciting year on the blog. See you back here in 2022! Until then...

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

Friday, December 17, 2021

Recent Sketchbook Drawings

Not sure if this is my last post for the year, but it very well may be the last one for 2021. That said, I wanted to bring you a selection of recent drawings that I added to my Sketchbooks. I am still offering a discounted price and FREE drawings in my remaining sketchbooks. There are not many left, so now is the time to get one before they are gone forever. Enjoy!

A bird, a dragon, and a monster walk into a bar...

That's all for another exciting year on the blog. See you back here in 2022! Until then...

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

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Prolific Whittler - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

*UPDATE* - This piece was originally planned and created for book three, but a better place for it has been found in book two.

Not one, but TWO new pieces from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia this week. As mentioned yesterday, I have another new illustration for you today. This illustration is for Book Three: In the Black. This piece focuses on a quieter moment in the Grand Bazaar. No demons, no monsters, no conflict, but rather a simple moment of a simple life working with your hands to create something new. I present to you the Prolific Whittler.

Prolific Whittler
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
11 x 14 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2021 Christopher Burdett
 
Prolific Whittler - Drawing 
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper
© 2021 Christopher Burdett
 
This piece is the final image from the work I set out for myself at the beginning of 2020. It is also the last image for Book Three that I will be working on until the completion of Book Two. Moving forward, all of my time and attention will now be on Book Two. This piece went through some changes leading up to its eventual creation. Here is a look at the sketch for Prolific Whittler to show where it began.
 
Prolific Whittler - Sketch 
Digital
© 2020 Christopher Burdett

I had initially planned for something a little different on this one. I left a portion of the image blank to overlay text related to it. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but as I readied to work on it, I had my doubts. None of the other images I created for the books were like this. As it would likely be a few years before I would be revisiting it for the third book, it was impossible to know if there would be text for it or if I would have to go back and complete the image - which would not be ideal. But this piece has grown and evolved more than simply the extension on the background.

Bird sculpture by Richard Fleming
The early 1980s

Often, my images appear in my head completely fleshed out. I will see the image and know the story, but sometimes the story will come to me first, and in time, the image will present itself, or the story will take shape as I work on the visuals. Then there are pieces such as this one, where the images were always there, and I thought I knew the start of the story, but as I worked on it, the narrative changed, and the real story and influences became apparent. For me, this piece became very personal the longer I worked on it. In the beginning, it was going to be about an old being who lived outside the Grand Bazaar and how, over time, the Bazaar expanded and grew around him. While it may still have some of that as part of the story, for me, the story is now about my Grandfather, who, when he was not a fantastic chef, whittled and carved birds from wood. I still cherish the one that came to me after my Grandmother's death. The journey these pieces take me is sometimes the most critical aspect of making them. I go on adventures with them that I never would have imagined.

Here is the tonal study for the Prolific Whittler. It would be a much simpler piece to complete until I expanded the background. After that, the lighting and value arrangement of the image needed to change.

Prolific Whittler - Tonal Study
Digital
© 2021 Christopher Burdett 

As a bonus, I have some images of the rendering process of this piece so that you can get a better idea of it taking shape.   


Prolific Whittler - Process
© 2021 Christopher Burdett 
 
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, December 14, 2021

Ill-Prepared Summoner - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

I am thrilled to share another new piece from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia (with another new piece tomorrow!). This illustration is for Book Three: In the Black. Summoning beings not meant for this level of reality is difficult at best and suicidal at worst. This piece focuses on the aftermath of a failed attempt to summon and capture a being of power that exists in a place very different than ours. Unfortunately, did the ritual not work, but the being only known as Sister now is loose in the Grand Bazaar. I present to you the Ill-Prepared Summoner.

Ill-Prepared Summoner
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2021 Christopher Burdett
 
Ill-Prepared Summoner - Drawing 
13 x 17 - Pencil on paper
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

This piece means a great deal to me. I first envisioned it over ten years ago after attending my first Illustration Master Class. While attending IMC, I had completed the first full-color concept image associated with the Grand Bazaar, Haggling. The world was already in my mind, and I began to imagine more and more possibilities for it. When I arrived home, I did a series of photoshoots with my wife playing the demon and me, the summoner. I worked out the composition and got the sketch ready for production. Here is the sketch of the Summoner from 2011.

Summoner - Sketch 
Digital
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

I had the idea, I had the sketch, but after that, nothing happened. I didn't know how I wanted to finish this piece. While I was working digitally, I was already thinking about transitioning to traditional media. My schedule was very full as well, and in time this piece was shelved as I had more pressing assignments to focus on. Even though it was shelved, it never left my thoughts. I wanted very much to see this finished. Jump ahead nearly a decade, and that time had finally come. As I was finishing the first book of The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia, I looked around at the ideas that didn't make it into the first book. I had a handful of pieces slated for production and knew it was time to dust off this one and queue it up. My concept for the Grand Bazaar had evolved over the past decade, which meant that I needed to update the sketch for the Summoner. There are no humans, so the summoner needed to change. I am not a fan of human gender queues being used on monsters and non-human beings, so Sister needed a little updating as well. Lastly, my esthetic and design for the Grand Bazaar has progressed, which meant that the level of detail and visual information needed to increase. With all that addressed, I had a new sketch from which to work.

Ill-Prepared Summoner - Sketch 
13 x 17 - Digital
© 2019 Christopher Burdett

With a newly updated sketch in hand, one more fitting the Grand Bazaar, it was time to get to work. I finished the linework and then completed a tonal study. A piece of this complexity needs to be worked out ahead of time, or I would likely get lost along the way. If that happened while rendering, it would be next to impossible to correct things. Here is the tonal study for the Ill-Prepared Summoner.

Ill-Prepared Summoner - Tonal Study
13 x 17 - Digital
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

As a bonus, I have some images of the rendering process of this piece so that you can get a better idea of it taking shape.  

Ill-Prepared Summoner - Process
© 2021 Christopher Burdett 
 
That is all for another exciting 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

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Art Vs. Artist 2021

I see that folks are posting their 2021 Art vs. Artist images and thought that I would add mine to the pile. I have not created nearly the amount of art I wanted to or even thought I would make this year. But, I have been doing my best, and that is all that we can hope for. Here is my 2021 Art vs. Artist.

Art vs. Artist 2021

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

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Pensacon 2022 Guest Announcement

I am THRILLED to announce that I will be returning as a guest to Pensacon this coming February 18-20! The plan is to return to a regular convention schedule in 2022, and Pensacon will be the year's first stop.

This will be my fifth appearance as a guest at Pensacon, and I could not be happier to return. We LOVE Pensacon, and we always have a fantastic time there. Not enough good things can be said about Pensacon, and I hope to see you there!

I will see you at Pensacon from February 18-20, 2022!

In addition to myself, there will be a TON of amazing artists, guests, and vendors at Pensacon 2022. It will be SO much fun, and there will be a ton of amazing things to see and do. I hope you can make it.

The panel list has yet to be announced, but I expect to be a part of a few panels. I will update the schedule here on the blog once it is posted. Again, if you are in the gulf coast area and want to have a super fun con experience, then I highly recommend Pensacon!

That is all for another exciting Tuesday on the blog. See you back here later in the 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, December 3, 2021

Holiday SALE Ends TONIGHT!

Tonight, Friday, December 3rd, at midnight my holiday sale will end. Until that time you can get 10% off all orders on my store by using code: ETHRA. In addition, all orders over $50 will receive a FREE of Grand Bazaar enamel pins! 

Stock up on your favorite items and get that special being in your life a wonderful and unique gift. We all can use more monsters in our lives!

 
Head to my store to get 10% off all orders using code: ETHRA

That's 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