Wednesday, May 31, 2023

"Recent" Magic the Gathering Artist Proof Drawings

Today I have "recent" Magic the Gathering artist proofs that I added a drawing to their backs. All available artist proofs and drawing options can be found on my store. I have been producing many of these lately, and I am properly behind in sharing what I have been working on. I present a selection of monster drawings on the back of Magic the Gathering cards.

We now find ourselves in the midst of all my color orders.
The Ancient Carp was one of the first to get the full-color treatment, and it will not be the last time.
 
The Coveted Peacock got some love when the color drawing version became available.

Again, the Coveted Peacock getting some color love.

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, May 29, 2023

Ehstilux Portrait - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

I am thrilled to share another new piece from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia. This illustration is for Book Two: The Completed Circle. This piece was completed in March of this year. This will be a character portrait accompanying one of the short blurbs at the beginning of a chapter. I shared more about these with the first post focused on these portraits. With most of these, I have an idea regarding their voice and placement in the book, but the fun part is that it is not set in stone and may turn into something very different from what I first planned. I have mentioned the Bazaar's constables and the Aberannt Stillters that support them. Still, there are also a few others that make up the managerial wing of law enforcement under the tenting. There will be more about them in book three, but for now, all you will need to remember is that they think very highly of themselves and always wear polished armor that has never seen a day of use. I present you with an Ehstilux (name to come later).
 
Ehstilux
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
5 x 5 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - SOLD
© 2022 Christopher Burdett
 
Ehstilux - Drawing 
5 x 5 - Pencil on paper
© 2022 Christopher Burdett
 
These are the smallest pieces created for the books. There is something charming about a 5 x 5 image, and I have already framed them all up. They look great in a frame and will make an excellent addition to my conventions later in the year. I have completed the first planned set of them, and I will likely begin making more of them soon. Here is a look at the sketch for the Ehstilux to show where it started. Once I have shared all of this first batch, you might notice some Easter eggs in the backgrounds.

Ehstilux - Sketch 
Digital
© 2022 Christopher Burdett
 
 
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, May 26, 2023

Kickstarter Roundup - Miller

Today on the blog, I wanted to point out a Kickstarter project that I think you all might be interested in. It features fantastic art by an incredible artist, and if you have not already checked it out, you should do so NOW!

Today I am sharing Aaron Miller's 5E Ready Reference Stat Cards. Aaron shares:

Hi, I’m Aaron Miller. I'm a fantasy artist and illustrator. I've had the pleasure to work on such projects as Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and many more. Since 2015 I've been making Collector Tokens for TCG players. In late 2021 I started playing D&D with a few regular groups.

While playing my druid, Skwirl, I needed something handy for my wild shaping ability. I couldn't find anything so, I put my talents to use and began designing and illustrating my own. In 2022 I released the Core set of Wild Shape cards via Kickstarter. And as promised I worked on the additional Ready Reference Cards and Tokens I'm presenting to you here.

I've also added a few more guest illustrators to the list. Along with Tom Babbey and Owen Weber, I've added the fantastic talents of Allie Irwin and Crystal Sully.

Aaron is a great human and artist. These are fun art pieces even if you do not play, and I look forward to adding them to my collection. This is another great project from Aaron, and I am excited to see it becoming a reality.

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, May 24, 2023

"Recent" Magic the Gathering Artist Proof Drawings

Today I have "recent" Magic the Gathering artist proofs that I added a drawing to their backs. All available artist proofs and drawing options can be found on my store. I have been producing many of these lately, and I am properly behind in sharing what I have been working on. I present a selection of monster drawings on the back of Magic the Gathering cards.

Zombie Liliana on the back of a Festering Mummy card.

Yoda (and Grogu) has been a favorite request for some time. It is always fun to draw them.

The Ancient Carp is likely the most requested of the cards I have created. I will be sharing one of my favorite carp drawings in the coming weeks - but to be honest, they are all my favorites.

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, May 22, 2023

Brondibock Portrait - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

I am thrilled to share another new piece from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia. This illustration is for Book Two: The Completed Circle. This is another piece I completed in the final days of 2022, and again, this will be a character portrait that accompanies one of the short blurbs at the beginning of a chapter. I shared more about these with the first post focused on these portraits. With most of these, I have an idea regarding their voice and placement in the book, but the fun part is that it is not set in stone and may turn into something very different from what I first planned. This particular individual comes from a long line of semi-aquatic beings. Their nose has evolved to inflate outwards to hold onto a pocket of air while submerging. The nostril can close, forming a waterproof seal. When on land the nose retracts into a void in the middle of their skulls. I present you with a Brondibock (name and career to come later).

Brondibock
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
5 x 5 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available on my store
© 2022 Christopher Burdett

Brondibock - Drawing 
5 x 5 - Pencil on paper
© 2022 Christopher Burdett
 
These are the smallest pieces created for the books. There is something charming about a 5 x 5 image, and I have already framed them all up. They look great in a frame and will make an excellent addition to my conventions later in the year. I have completed the first planned set of them, and I will likely begin making more of them soon. Here is a look at the sketch for the Brondibock to show where it started. Once I have shared all of this first batch, you might notice some Easter eggs in the backgrounds.

Brondibock - Sketch 
Digital
© 2022 Christopher Burdett
 
 
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, May 19, 2023

Aarakocra Returns as a Dungeon & Dragons Metal Print

I recently noticed a Facebook link for a company that produces metal prints. They have a licensing agreement with Wizards of the Coast and produce D&D metal prints. My curiosity was piqued, so I followed the link and saw what they had to offer. I would be lying if I had secretly hoped to see some of my work and then... there it was.

Aarakocra Metal Print

Having seen (and loved) the D&D movie and the awesome job they did with Jarnathan, I was not surprised to see that they had used my Aarakocra art for one of their print offerings. Not only did they use the painting I created for the Monster Manual, but they also used the supplemental drawings that I produced. Here is a look at the art I created for the game.

Aarakocra
 Dungeons & Dragons - 5th Edition Monster Manual
8x11 - Digital
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Aarakocra - Detail Sketches
 Dungeons & Dragons - 5th Edition Monster Manual
9x12 - Pencil on paper
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

I enjoy collecting books, cards, miniatures, and everything else my art appears on and in. So I had to pick up one of these metal prints. I think it looks great, and it looks even better on the wall in the studio.

Aarakocra metal print on the wall in the studio

The one odd thing was that there was the following message in my receipt email. While I know that as work for hire, WotC can do anything and everything with the work that I created. This is not an issue, it is the way of things. I assume that the company that produces these metal prints must work with some artist directly in some capacity, but the fact that this went out to the very person who made the art and will never see another dime from its use is somewhat ironic.


But the world is weird and there is not much to be done about it. I tried to reach out to the company about the working of the email but encountered a very dumb chat-bot (it said as much), and I gave up. Cool metal print all the same, and the art looks great on it. 

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

Monday, May 1, 2023

May Blog Break

For the next several weeks, I will be taking a break from the blog. One must step away occasionally to try other things and experience new and different places. Fear naught, for I will return with plenty of images and stories. Until then, I will leave you with this monster that I have shared so many times before.

NOM NOM NOM NOM!
And yes, I have used this image on the blog for ten years. 
How time flies.

That is all for another exciting Monday on the blog. I will see you back here in a few weeks. Until then...

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