From the Archives: Black Death Demon - Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 7

Today, I have a monster I designed and worked on for season seven of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, episode seven, Conversations with Dead People. This particular monster reused a lot of existing parts and pieces but required a new head and back detailing - which is where I come in.

Before I go any further, I must remind everyone that this work is a collaboration of many skilled artists and technicians. I was one of many who brought these monsters to life, but this time around, there were only a couple of us working on this one. I was present at all stages, but my focus was on the design work, paint and finish, and set crew. After twenty-plus years, I cannot properly give credit to everyone else involved. Sorry, but people's names were the first to go after I left LA.

For this one, we used an existing body suit, feet, and hands that we had previously made for other monsters. By combining different pieces from different monsters, adding additional details and elements, and a unique paint job, these preexisting parts become something wholly new. For my part, I designed a new head and a back element to make this piece its own monster. Here is the only photo of the Black Death Demon that I know of that I took in the makeup trailer on the set of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

RAWR! The Black Death Demon.

I have no idea if this monster ended up with a different name, but Black Death Demon was what it was referred to by production, and that's what stuck. I am unsure if this monster was even real on the show or if it was an illusion or dream sequence. But no matter, it was real enough to me. This monster marked the first time I designed a piece, and the shop's art director did the sculpting and perfomed in the suit as the monster. I was the set tech that day and got him into the suit and mask. As it was a mask and not a makeup, I could do all the work, and a makeup artist was not brought in. 

From what I could remember, there was not a lot of direction at first for this one. It was all very vague. I remember the mention of a black specter of death, lots of black, and no budget (hence reusing so much). The ambiguous nature of all this likely was why I was assigned it and allowed to do whatever I wanted. Here is a look at my design for the Black Death Demon.

Initially, the monster had wings as they wanted an interesting back element for this one. For filming, the monster runs into a room with its back to the camera and leaps upon a couch. Upon the couch is the lifeless body of Buffy's mother. The monster lingers over the body, ignoring Buffy as she looks on in horror. I am not sure the face of the monster is ever shown on the show. I wanted it to have piercing white pupilless eyes and a distorted extended face. These designs are sold and no longer available.

 

The wings were shot down immediately with no explanation. The eyes were also an issue. After brainstorming with the shop AD, we settled on tiny hands that would grasp the shoulders, and strangely, everybody liked them. The eyes got updated to whatever these are, and those, too, were approved... for some unknown reason, as they are horrible. With approved designs, it was time to make a monster.

I have nearly no photos of this monster's creation. I do not recall why this is, but the images in this post are all of the pictures I have. This is likely due to the extremely quick turnaround that we likely had to make this, and I was probably busy on other projects as well. Here are photos of the head sculpted for the Black Death Demon.

I am sure you are saying to yourself, "Man, the design that this sculpture does not look very similar to your designs," and you would be correct. The AD who sculpted this just kinda did what he wanted, as he usually did. I don't have a problem with how it turned out; it just bothered me that I designed something, it was approved, and then he did something different. That said, he went with the original eye design, which is far superior to the orange swirl mess that was approved. We lost the weird chin, which is fine, I guess, but it would have been interesting to see it in the design. At the end of the day, you never see the face (I believe), so what we did never really mattered - which is sad, really.

The tiny arms on the back were fabricated with armature wire, hot glue, foam, latex, and artificial nails. If I recall correctly, the AD started one, and I followed suit on the other. Also, since the eyes on the final mask were the white forms used as placeholders on the sculpture, the AD couldn't see anything when wearing the mask. For filming, we popped the eyes out so he could see as he ran into the room and leaped upon the couch with the actress on it. I have very solid memories of being on set that day and watching the shot filmed repeatedly. Craft service also brought sushi in for afternoon snack, which was really cool.

Now for a little story! The AD and I arrived at the crack of dawn for filming that day - as you always had to, no matter what time of the day they planned to film you. As the saying goes, "Hurry up and wait!" Well, that day, there was a lot, and I mean a lot of waiting. It took no time to get him into the suit, so we were ready to film about 30 minutes after we got there... only production wasn't. So, we waited and waited, and the day ticked by. The suit was never meant to be worn by the AD, so he soon found himself in a bit of discomfort, and as he could be called to set at any moment, he couldn't take the suit off for a break. One of the reasons the AD was in the suit as he was already a member of the Screen Actors Guild. I would soon be a part of SAG, but at the time, only he was. Sometime in the afternoon, as we continued to wait and the AD continued to be in discomfort, a SAG rep made a surprise visit. We explained the situation, the discomfort, the waiting, and the rep got really serious, a bit angry, and disappeared. Within moments, production was at the trailer, getting us for the shot the monster was needed for. The shot went extremely quickly, and we were wrapped for the day, and the AD could get out of the suit. Gotta love those Union reps; they got stuff done!

That is all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here after IX in a week and a half! Until then...

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

Campaign Roundup - Panakal and Hare

Today on the blog, I wanted to point out several current artist campaigns that I think you all might be interested in. They feature fantastic art by incredible artists, and if you have not already checked them out, you should do so NOW!

Allen Panakal's Ancient Ones. Book Two. Codex of Orion.

First up is Allen Panakal's Ancient Ones. Book Two. Codex of Orion. Allen shares:

Codex of Orion contains full-color illustrations paired with new stories from my Ancient Ones setting. Twelve chapters and five new artifacts clock in at 100 pages in this beautiful hardcover edition.

This is the second book from his world, and I couldn't be more excited. It has been an honor to watch Allen create his world with his unique vision and artistic voice. His work is unlike anything I have seen before, and I can not stress how great his work is. If you missed his first book, you can get both in his new campaign!

Emily Hare's WANTED - Cosmic Outlaws, Space Pirates & Intergalactic Scallywags!

Next up is Emily Hare's WANTED - Cosmic Outlaws, Space Pirates & Intergalactic Scallywags. Emily shares:

The universe is under great threat from gangs of unscrupulous and ruthless alien outlaws. It is up to you to track down these felons, both naughty and notable and bring them to justice!

What is Admiral Pimpleneurker wanted for? Does Gorson Dust really smuggle flunch manure and wot weed? Why does Sandra at your local council office look so suspicious?

What is a Zloppcumber and why is it illegal?You will find out the important answers to these questions and more, in this comprehensive publication.

This book is a collaboration between my husband Matt Dixon and I.

The book was originally going to be a collection of mugshots of various criminal extra terrestrials, inspired by the wonderful mugshots of criminals and vagrants from the late 1800s to early 1920s. I wanted to create my own alien criminals and describe their crimes and what they'd been caught for. Matt expanded on this idea by suggesting that rather than having been caught, these were characters who were yet to be captured and the title changed from Mugshots to WANTED - Cosmic Outlaws, Space Pirates & Intergalactic Scallywags! 

This new offering from Emily looks like so much fun! I love monsters (and aliens), so this is right up my alley. I love Emily's watercolor work, and it is exciting to see her turn her attention to being from a mysterious cosmos. Her designs are fun, whimsical, and unexpected. I can not wait to get my copy! 

That's all for another exciting Thursday 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

IX is Next Week!

IX is finally here!  The IX Art Show marks my final show of the year, so I am gearing up to end the convention season with a bang. I will be returning to the Main Show at the GoogleWorks building in Reading, PA, with the Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia and the rest of my monsters. I will be debuting new art from the Grand Bazaar, and if things unfold as hoped, I will have new client work to debut as well. As with all my events this year, I will have Magic the Gathering artist proofs, original art, books, pins, and more.

See you at the Main Show of IX at the GoogleWorks in Reading, PA!

 

I am in booth 218 - head to the second floor of the Googleworks, you will find me in the back of the gallery.

In addition to being in the Main Show, I will be taking part in the first of two Magic SketchFests. At the SketchFest, groups of Magic the Gathering artists will gather in Studio 411 and work on Magic Artists Proofs while fans and attendees talk, ask questions, and purchase the artist proof. I took part in the first one a couple of years back, and I am thrilled to be back and taking part again. It was a lot of fun, and I hope to see new and familiar faces there.

See you at the first of two Magic SketchFest!

Thursday, October 24th, from 3:00-5:00pm in Studio 411 in the GoggleWorks Building.

There are many amazing looking panels, demos, and discussions planned this year, and there is part of me that wishes I was not showing so that I could attend all of the events. And don't forget that on Friday and Saturday nights, the IX Showcase will be taking place in the convention hotel. The Showcase is ALWAYS a blast, and there should be tons of amazing art. I hope to see you in Reading next week!

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

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

Iggturant (Male) 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 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 present you with an Iggturant (Male) (name to come later). Last week, I shared the female Iggturant, and as promised, here is one of her males. The Iggturant have a parasitic social structure, and the males spend most of the sexually mature years of their lives nestled into the tentacles of their wife, content as they watch the world go by. 

Iggturant (Male)
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
5 x 5 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Contact me regarding availability
© 2024 Christopher Burdett

Iggturant (Male) - Drawing 

5 x 5 - Pencil on paper
© 2024 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 up. Here is a look at the sketch for the Iggturant (Male) to show where it started.

 

Iggturant (Male) - Sketch

Digital 

© 2024 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

From the Archives: Werewolf - Angel Season 5 (PART 2)

Welcome back! Today is part two of my look back at the werewolf I helped bring to life for the fifth season of Angel, episode 3, Unbound. If you missed it, you can catch up on PART ONE, which features my design work, a lot of photos from the completed werewolf on set, and some storyboards I did for the episode that may or may not have ever been looked at by anyone outside the shop. 

Once again, before I go any further, I must remind everyone that this work is a collaboration of many skilled artists and technicians. Designing and making the werewolf was a massive undertaking for the shop, and everyone was working on it. I was one of many who brought this thing to life. I was present at all stages, but primarily, I was on the design team, paint and finish, and set crew. After twenty-plus years, I cannot properly give credit to everyone else involved. Sorry, but people's names were the first to go after I left LA.

In part two, I am sharing a look at the werewolf taking shape in the makeup effects shop I worked at. It was all hands on deck for this one. We needed a full body cast of the stunt actor, a fiberglass form of the actor to sculpt upon, separate forms for the head, face, arms, and ears, molds of everything, casts of everything, arm extension forms with wire-controlled fingers, a set of teeth with a tongue and palate, seaming on everything, paintwork on everything, hair work, and finish & detail. And it all had to be done in a week or two. It was a crazy, fun time, to say the least. Looking back, I try remembering the good times and hope they outweigh the other times. First, here is the completed werewolf on set about to leap from a second-story window.

I have some very blurry images of the werewolf going out the window, but sadly, they are too recognizable to share.

The stunt actor getting his full-body life cast. We work extremely hard and fast so that the actors are not in the mold any longer than necessary.

And like magic, there is a completed sculpture of a werewolf ready to be molded. Things were moving so quickly that it was hard to document everything at times. While I have a LOT of photos, I need to be careful what I share, be respectful of the dead, and pick images that share a distinct moment in the process.

I may have hated working with fiberglass the most. I only had to deal with it a couple of times, but it is nasty, dangerous stuff. When dealing with a sculpture of this size, there is no other option than fiberglass. There is a lot of planning that goes into a project like this. It goes all the way down to making sure the mold is properly reinforced and cut down correctly.

One of the two arms with the mold walls set up. Plaster would be used for these molds. Once this side was completed, the entire thing would be flipped over, the clay mold walls removed, and then the second half of the mold would be built by hand.

 

The body mold is shown here in the midst of getting filled with foam latex. I never learned what method was used to determine how much foam latex was needed to fill the various molds.

The opening of a foam latex mold is a unique experience. For me, the worst was the fiberglass molds. Plaster molds tended to absorb more of the funk than the fiberglass, or it at least seemed that way. When you cracked open a big mold like this, you would be hit with a sulfur egg blast, and the latex would be wet, slick, and nasty. It was so cool!

The sculpture for the face of the werewolf. The ears will be cut off and molded separately so that they can be cast in a slightly translucent material. Molds of the gums and empty palate are also made so that the teeth, tongue, and mouth interior can be sculpted and cast with appropriate materials.

A much younger and heavier me painting the werewolf suit. This was late at night, and there were only a couple left in the shop, but the work needed to be done, and we had to stay till it was. There is always another step after the one you are working on, and that next person is waiting on you.

The werewolf suit takes shape with paintwork.

A look at the arm extensions with the wire-controlled puppet fingers... or paws.

And the finished werewolf arms. They still need hair, but this should show you how they look. The color is off because of the quality of digital cameras twenty-plus years ago. It was very difficult to get good, consistent photos where the colors and lighting remained the same.

The werewolf's face in the early stages of paint work. There are times I look at these early stages of the work we did and wonder how we ever got it completed in time and how it ended up looking as good as it did. It is a magical transformation to watch a pile of latex bits get put on an actor, and suddenly, it is a monster.

Here again is 2003, me painting some werewolf paws.

Yes, I was blonde-ish for a time in my LA days.

And finally, after a great deal of time, work, and frustration, we have a completed werewolf suit ready for set. Knowing how we rolled, this was likely completed the night before this needed to be on set at 5AM - actually, it filmed on a lot of night shoots, so it could have been it was needed at 5PM the next day. A ton of people put a lot of hours into this so it would be ready for the show.

One more photo of the completed suit. It feels like a million years ago and a week or two ago. I can smell this picture for all the good and bad. I can feel being back there. I spent a lot of time over a few years in this space and did a lot of amazing things and had some horrible things happen to me. It is a mixed bag, but it is nice to share the work that the team did after all these years.

That is all for another 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

The Gathering is the Magic Clip: "Christopher Burdett - Lathnu Sailback"

During Gen Con 2022, I had an excellent opportunity to speak with the folks behind the upcoming documentary about Magic the Gathering, The Gathering is the Magic. It was a lot of fun and always a good time to talk about art, monsters, and more. In July of this year, I did a follow-up interview where I spoke about my work on the game in greater detail, as well as other topics. Another clip from the recent interview has been shared, so I am now sharing it with you.

The Gathering is the Magic - A documentary about how Magic the Gathering brings people together, fosters friendship and inspires with art and storytelling.

In the interview, I was asked to discuss the cards I created for Magic the Gathering. It was fun to reminisce about the art and monsters I made, the fan response to them, and the behind-the-scenes stories regarding the cards. This clip is about the Lathnu Sailback. Enjoy the clip, and check out what else The Gathering is the Magic has been sharing! 

The story of the Lathnu Sailback and how it is not a dinosaur.

That's all for another exciting Thursday 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

Why Can't You See the Werewolf Post (The One After This One)

Hey, Google, let the kids see the werewolf!

Welp, for some grand reason, Google and Blogger flagged my part 1 post about the werewolf I worked on for the fifth season of Angel. It was flagged and hidden unless you click to see it and are signed into Google. All I am told is that it violates something. No specifics because that would be silly. Why tell me the specific problem when I can have zero idea and thus... not address the precieved issue (because there isn't any violation in my post). I deleted the one image that had FAKE blood on a FAKE werewolf, but that did nothing. I have put too much work into that post to just start deleting more. SO, if you would like to see and read about my work on this show, you will need to jump through Google's hoops while they harass me and ignore actual issues on the web. Fun times!

Here is the direct link to the post.

Let's hope they don't flag part 1 as well... we will find out on Friday.

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

From the Archives: Werewolf - Angel Season 5 (PART 1)

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Iggturant (Female) 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 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 present you with an Iggturant (Female) (name to come later). I will be sharing the portrait of one of her males very soon. The Iggturant females have a curtain of tentacles surrounding their bodies, and the males that she accept nestle into her tentacles and stay there the rest of her or his life, living as a parasitic mate.

Iggturant (Female)
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
5 x 5 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Contact me regarding availability
© 2024 Christopher Burdett

Iggturant (Female) - Drawing 

5 x 5 - Pencil on paper
© 2024 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 up. Here is a look at the sketch for the Iggturant (Female) to show where it started.

Iggturant (Female) - Sketch

Digital 

© 2024 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