Wednesday, November 30, 2022

More Recent Artist Proof Drawings

Today I have more recent artist proofs that I added drawings to their backs. If you are interested in getting any of these for yourself, just follow the links to my store. This time, I added an angry Bribe Taker on the back of a Bribe taker and a conky Lathnu Sailback on the back of a Lathnu Sailback

And don't forget, the holiday sale continues! EVERYTHING on my store is 20% off when you use code Ethra! You heard me right, get 20% off art, artist proofs, books, and everything else when you use the code Ethra! You have until midnight Friday, December 2nd, to take advantage of this discount.

The Bribe Taker gnashes its teeth at the prospect of taking some bribes.

Conky Lathnu Sailback doing important conky Lathnu Sailback things.

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, November 28, 2022

20% OFF SALE Continues with CYBER MONDAY and BEYOND!

The sale continues! EVERYTHING on my store is 20% off when you use code Ethra! You heard me right, get 20% off art, artist proofs, books, and everything else when you use the code Ethra! You have until midnight Friday, December 2nd, to take advantage of this discount. Do not miss this chance to get a discount off gifts for friends, family, and yourself at 20% off. 

Remember to use code Ethra to get that in on that discount action.  

AND, starting over, the next TEN orders will receive an Ethra Crest or Construct Guide enamel pin for FREE!

Head to my store and use code Ethra to save 20% storewide!

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, November 25, 2022

20% OFF BLACK FRIDAY SALE!

EVERYTHING on my store is 20% off when you use code Ethra! You heard me right, get 20% off art, artist proofs, books, and everything else when you use the code Ethra! You have until midnight Friday, December 2nd, to take advantage of this discount. Do not miss this chance to get a discount off gifts for friends, family, and yourself at 20% off. Remember to use code Ethra to get that in on that discount action. AND, the first TEN orders will receive either an Ethra Crest or Construct Guide enamel pin for FREE!


Head to my store and use code Ethra to save 20% storewide!

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

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Blufferfish in the Wild

During IX, I sold both drawings related to the Blufferfish from the Unfinity set of Magic the Gathering. The toned paper value study found its forever home with Matthew Vercant and now can be seen at Just Games Rochester. Matthew was kind enough to send some images to me of the framed piece on the walls at the shop. I think it looks great, and it is wonderful to know it will be surrounded by people enjoying games.

Images courtesy of Matthew Vercant

Finally, here is a photo I took of Matthew with the Blufferfish at IX. If I can remember, I try to get photos of people and the art they purchase. I like to have the images for my records and to share. Good to know that the Blufferfush is going to a good home and will be seen by many.

Thank you, Matthew!

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, November 21, 2022

Monstrous Fauna - Before The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

For those of you who have read The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia, you may have seen mention of Woodbane’s Journal of Beings. This journal is actually a series of tomes that explore and research the various forms of life that exist in the world of the Grand Bazaar. I first created the character of Woodbane back in late middle school to early high school. I drew this avian-inspired character in comics, illustrations, etchings, and just about everywhere and on everything. He was my first original character. Focusing on this character when I did, unfortunately, led me to building many bad habits when it came to drawing that would take years to undo. Also, I thought Woodbane would be the ticket to my success as an artist. 

You may have figured out that Woodbane is not a household name, and I am not beginning the screenplay of the sixth woodbane movie. I have, however, placed him in my first illustrated novel as the author of a series of scholarly books about creatures both big and small. You might ask yourself why I chose to make a character that had been bouncing around in my head this long, nothing more than a footnote. Well, to answer the question, that is where he has been since 1998 (give or take).

Monstrous Fauna
19.5x13.5
Mixed media hand-made book featuring drawings, etchings, and handwritten text.

First things first, this post is all a preview of the book. I will be scanning everything and making a better archive of it, and I will share it in its entirety later. 

Monstrous Fauna was the very first book I ever created back in college. Monstrous Fauna would eventually morph into Woodbane’s Journal of Beings, but at the beginning, it was a piece I made for an outdoor art class. I created the book, which collects drawings and etching, and wrote a series of journal entries that told the story of a group of scientists researching the monsters that live in the wilderness of northern Flordia. The end-of-semester show for this class was in a state park. I erected a campsite, had props, built a giant insect monster that I placed elsewhere in the park, dressed in a Woodbane costume (complete with a latex mask of my creation), and did a performance interacting with people that came to the show. Not much different than my day-to-day life now. 

Names you may see again.

Looking back, I find it interesting how my methods of making a book have not changed much in twenty-plus years. First, I have an idea of what I want to do. I then make a lot of art. I then put all the art in the order that makes the most sense. Finally, I write the book and pull all the pieces into a finished product. It is always fun to look back on an extended period to see what methods and themes have been consistent and what has fallen away.

The mighty Geakkoon.

Oh, the memories of when I was a baby creature maker. The Geakkoon was the first monster I created for this world, and they will likely be around for the duration. I have revisited this creature a time or two over the years, and I have yet to create anything I am happy with. In the fullness of time, I will redesign it again, and hopefully, it will be the final version. When it is finally completed, I will share better images of its evolution and designs over the years.

Geakkoon Heard on the Move - Etching

I am only sharing with you a small piece of this book. Once it is properly archived, I will make it all available. The above image features but one of several etchings that I created for this book. I miss working on zinc, and if things play out as I would like, I will one day work on it again. I will need to sit down with this again and read through it and see if there is anything usable for future endeavors. It is likely a pre-rough draft at best, but you have to start somewhere.

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, November 18, 2022

The Death of Szass Tam - The Return of the Star Spawn Seer

From time to time, I like to check in on BoardGamesGeek and RPGGeek to see if my work has popped up in anything I am not aware of. Over the years, I have discovered many gaming items that feature my work that I was completely unaware of. This is the nature of the industry and working freelance. Once you have done work for a company, they can and will use it again. I recently stumbled upon some recent and not-so-recent PDF gaming supplements that feature my work. Today I am sharing a more recent release of the supplement The Death of Szass Tam and the return of the Star Spawn Seer. First off, here is the final art for the Star Spawn Seer.

Star Spawn Seer
Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse (and now The Death of Szass Tam)
11 x 14 - Digital
Art Director - Emi Tanji
© 2022 Wizards of the Coast LLC

This was a fun one to design and paint, and it is a nearly unchanged self-portrait. I, unfortunately, do not know much about the folks behind The Death of Szass Tam, but it is a good-looking supplement, and they have good taste in monster art. Always fun to see my work popping up in unexpected places. I only wish that it had been a printed book and not a PDF so that I could add to my shelves of items featuring my work. Here are some images of The Death of Szass Tam cover and the Star Spawn Seer in it.

The Death of Szass Tam
 
The return of the Star Spawn Seer! RAWR!

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

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

From the Archives: Lackey Demons - Angel Season 5

It has been some time since I shared anything from my days working in the makeup effect industry in Los Angeles in the early 2000s. To be honest, I am shocked I still have things to share. After nearly twenty years, you would think I would have shared it all, but you would be wrong. From the archives, I present to you from season 5 of Angel, episode 20, the Lackey Demons.

Before I get too far into this, I must remind everyone that this work is a collaboration of many talented artists and technicians. I was but one of many that brought these things to life. This time around, I dealt with the seaming and painting of the makeup for the male butler Lackey Demon. After twenty years, I have a vague memory of who designed, sculpted, molded, cast, and made the hair for this demon, but I am likely to get names wrong, so forgive the lack of credit to the rest of the work. 

These two were a rush job if I remember correctly. There was not a lot going on for us in this episode, and these were a late addition. This is not gospel, just my memories. As badly as I had wanted to be part of the design phase of these two, I was not allowed to. Things were already souring for me at the shop, and the rising friction that led to me leaving LA was already manifesting. Here are the Lackey Demons on set in the makeup trailer. 

Lackey Demons from season 5 of Angel, episode 20 - The Girl in Question
(Look at all those secrets and Easter Eggs on the wall behind these two)

I do not have the designs for these in my archives. Which is a pity since they were fun designs. If I recall, there were not that many designs, and I don't think there were any revisions or changes, Production saw them, approved them, and we started working on them. We had to have done a life cast of the actors, but I don't have any photos from the process (which was one of my jobs - oops). Once there was a form to sculpt on, the sculptor got to work.

The face sculpt of the male Lackey Demon near completion.
One of the reasons I still have so many images of all the steps in the process of these makeups and effects was that it was my responsibility to document EVERYTHING that happened in the shop. Which is fun and all, but you would think I had murdered someone if one image was missing.

Once the sculpting was completed and approved, the different pieces were molded and cast in foam latex. The female Lackey Demon was cast in silicone, because reasons. Now that there was an object for me to work on, I got to work seaming the cowl, cleaning up the cowl and face, and painting.

Not the most inspiring of my work, but it got the job done.
If I recall, as usual, I had about three seconds to paint this, which is always fun, not stressful and allowed me to do my best work.

Do not forget about the cowl.
For every makeup, there are two: the face piece and the cowl - no more, no less (not really).
This cowl got an even faster paint job than usual.

Once you put the two pieces together, you can see the monster coming together. It was always challenging to paint two objects that were meant to eventually be one. Especially when you needed to ensure the face piece kept a clean thin edge for blending and attaching. This was more of a challenge when the monster had a complex pattern or design. This one was a lot more fleshy and straightforward.

Face piece and cowl together at last. RAWR!

You might have noticed from the first image that the final demon has a mustache, hair, and comb over. This was all created by our amazing hair person, and she always did a fantastic job. Here is the painted makeup with the hair elements placed so you can get a feel for how it would look. We often would send images like this with the makeup to set, just in case one of us was not around to guide the person applying the makeup. You would be amazed at what some of them would do if you were not watching.

Face piece, cowl, and hair! You nearly have a demon now.

I didn't go to set with these, and I have never seen this episode, so I have no idea how they turned out on the show. One day I really need to go back and watch all the shows and movies I worked on to see if we did a good job or not. Here again, is a nothing image of the Lackey Demons on set in the makeup trailer.

I feel so judged by the way they are looking at me.

Somehow, there are still more things I have tucked away in the archives that I can share. I will bring you them as soon as I can find the time.

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Freiday. Until then...

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

Monday, November 14, 2022

Discounted Color Drawing Artist Proof Drawing!

I mentioned in my recap of IX 2022 that I took part in a Magic the Gathering artist proof artist jam where we drew live on artist proofs, and they were available for purchase at the convention. I completed three at IX, but there was a fourth that I began but never completed. I took some time last week and finished up that drawing, which is now available at a discount! Now is your chance to get your hands on a full-color marker and ink drawing on the back of a Stinging Lionfish AP. Get it before it is gone.

SOLD

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

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Another Recent Artist Proof Drawing

Today I have another recent artist proof that I added drawings to the back. If you are interested in getting any of these for yourself, just follow the links to my store. This time, I added a little Lathnu Sailback on the back of a Lathnu Sailback. This one made the big trip to Japan when it was all done. Hopefully, one day, I, too, will make that trip to Japan. 

Lathnu Sailback doing important Lathnu Sailback things.

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Monday since Friday is a holiday here! Until then...    

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

Monday, November 7, 2022

Bribe Taker - Magic: the Gathering - Artist Proofs NOW AVAILABLE!

Before leaving for IX, the bordered artist proofs for the Bribe Taker, my contribution to the Magic the Gathering set, New Capenna Commander, arrived. They are now available on my store! Some may be aware there have been issues with the printing and distribution of artist proofs, but things are improving. I have yet to receive the borderless version of this card, but I now have the bordered APs available. To start things off, here is a look at the final art of the Bribe Taker.

Bribe Taker
Magic the Gathering - New Capenna Commander
14 x 11 - Digital 
Art Director - Dawn Murin
 © 2022 Wizards of the Coast
 
Bordered Bribe Taker in handy dandy card form.
© 2022 Wizards of the Coast

These new Bribe Taker artist proofs are now on my store for those interested. All artist proofs are available with and without an original drawing. All of the details and information are on my store.

All artist proofs are signed and numbered and can include an original drawing on the back. 

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, November 4, 2022

Kickstarter Roundup - Hooker

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 is this person a fantastic artist, but he is also a super cool guy and a good friend. If you have not already checked it out, you should do so NOW!

We have known Daniel for years, and he is a local artist that has made comics, mermaids, monsters, games, and more. On top of that, he is an all-around great guy, and I am always eager to support his projects, and I think you should too. Daniel's newest project is a coloring book focused on his recent Feeling Small series. Here is information about the project in Daniel's words. 

"Feeling Small is an exploration in scale through pin-up art. When I sat down to begin drawing this book, I wanted to take a look at the world from a different perspective. Each original character is created under the idea of living in a world that feels larger than life. I had a blast creating this diverse batch of characters, imagining them moving through a world that barely notices them.The book will be approx. 8.25in x 10.5in with a color cover and black and white interior pages."
The project is funded, but there are plenty of stretch goals to bring even more art to the project. There is more information, art, add-ons, stickers, games, prints, and more about this project on the campaign page. I hope you can take a moment to check it out and hopefully lend your support to Daniel's project!
 
 
This is just a glimpse of the art for the project, be sure to head to the campaign page to learn more!

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, November 2, 2022

The Grand bazaar of Ethra VanDalia Deluxe Edition - ONLY THREE LEFT!

I come before you one (likely) final time to let you all know that there are now only THREE remaining copies of the deluxe version of The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia. As a reminder, the deluxe edition comes with all three books (the illustrated novel, D&D stats guide, and coloring book), an exclusive clamshell case, and a signed, stamped, and numbered bookplate that features an original drawing. This is an edition of 100, and 97 are now gone. If you would like to add one of these to your library, now would be the time.


 

Do not miss out on this final opportunity to get one of these deluxe editions! Once these are gone, they are gone forever.

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