The DOODLES, DESIGNS, and aRT of CHRISTOPHER BURDETT: Battle on the Airship

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Battle on the Airship - 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 and is the next chapter plate in the book, the Battle on the Airship. The heroes find themselves pursued aloft by a determined regiment of Gallionic Gallowglass that hopes to bring the heroes' airship down. Or possibly not, as the new translation points to other events entirely. What is important is how courageous and stalwart the farmhand is and how he is ready for a pitched battle with highly trained and equipped warriors. I present to you the Battle on the Airship.

Battle on the Airship
The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper

Original - Contact me if interested
© 2025 Christopher Burdett

Battle on the Airship - Drawing

13 x 17 - Pencil on paper
© 2025 Christopher Burdett

This illustration was meant to be smaller to save time and speed up production on the next book, but as all of the heroes are included, two airships, a regiment of dark warriors, and the skyline of the Grand Bazaar below, it needed to be larger in the end. I could have easily done this at 16x20, but in the end, I went with 13x17. Here is a look at the sketch and tonal study for the Battle on the Airship to show where it began.

Battle on the Airship- Sketch

Digital

Battle on the Airship- Tonal study

Digital

I try to share my reference as much as possible, but usually, the photos I use are not for public viewing. While I have no photo reference of me acting out all of the character, I do have a rare thumbnail that I created to explain the piece to my wife so that we could get the images I needed for this piece. As you can see, there is a straight line from this thumbnail to the final illustration.