Friday, May 29, 2026

Revisiting the Star Vampire

In 2009, I was hired to design a series of miniatures for Fantasy Flight Games. They were gearing up to make plastic minis of all of their Arkham Horror/Call of Cthulhu monsters, and I was at the right place at the right time to get the bulk of them. It was a fun project with a lot of freedom for a grotesquely small amount of pay. And then nothing. It wouldn't be until 2011/12 for the monsters to finally be released as unpainted figures in board game sets and as fully painted premium minis. By and large, they all turned out great, and I still look back at them favorably. As it has been 17 years since I made the art and 15 years since they were eventually released, I thought it would be nice to revisit some of them. Next up in alphabetical order, we have the Star Vampire. Here is my design and the final miniature.

Star Vampire 
12 x 9 - Pencil on paper - 3 separate drawings
Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 
© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

The Star Vampire  miniature

And, as an added bonus, something I have never shared before, here are the thumbnails that I created for this piece. Over the past 17 years, I had forgotten how loose and sketchy these were.

Star Vampire  - Thumbnails
Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 
© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

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 27, 2026

Revisiting the Monsters - Zombie

In 2010, sixteen years ago now, I began a personal project to redesign most, if not all, of the monsters in the original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. That original MM had a profound effect on me and led me to eventually work on the game. While I was already working on the game when I began this project, it did prove useful as I have redesigned many D&D monsters in my career on the game. In the end, I completed over 100 drawings for the project and even had a gallery show featuring the work. 

I thought it would be nice to look back at some of my favorites. Today brings us to the Zombie. Enjoy!

Zombie redesign (2010)
© 2010/2026 Christopher Burdett 

That's 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 4, 2026

May Blog Break

Starting on Wednesday of this week and continuing for the following 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, I will return. 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 over ten years.
How time flies.
 
That is all for another exciting week 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

Friday, May 1, 2026

Revisiting the Star Spawn

In 2009, I was hired to design a series of miniatures for Fantasy Flight Games. They were gearing up to make plastic minis of all of their Arkham Horror/Call of Cthulhu monsters, and I was at the right place at the right time to get the bulk of them. It was a fun project with a lot of freedom for a grotesquely small amount of pay. And then nothing. It wouldn't be until 2011/12 for the monsters to finally be released as unpainted figures in board game sets and as fully painted premium minis. By and large, they all turned out great, and I still look back at them favorably. As it has been 17 years since I made the art and 15 years since they were eventually released, I thought it would be nice to revisit some of them. Next up in alphabetical order, we have the Star Spawn. Here is my design and the final miniature.

Star Spawn
12 x 9 - Pencil on paper - 3 separate drawings
Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 
© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

The Star Spawn miniature

And, as an added bonus, something I have never shared before, here are the thumbnails that I created for this piece. Over the past 17 years, I had forgotten how loose and sketchy these were.

Star Spawn - Thumbnails
Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 
© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

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