2022 - Okay, Now What?

I found my voice on this blog when I did the first year in review post in January of 2010 when I reflected on the events of 2009 - and everything that led up to that critical year—after that, doing a yearly review of my main takeaways and lessons learned became the norm. I have been very late in posting them a time or two, but throughout all the ups and downs, they have been an overview of my career. It is that time again; frankly, I do not know where to begin.

A World of Stories

This is one of the large pieces I completed in 2022 and is part of book two of the Grand Bazaar series.

The Ghosts of the Past Still Linger

I have spoken and written at length regarding everything that has transpired from early 2020 through 2022. It has been an unprecedented upheaval in life, art, career, safety, peace of mind, and on and on, and some of us have weathered these turbulent seas better than others. I believe I physically managed this time well, but mentally, emotionally, and artistically I have not. It has taken a lot of work to return to a shadow of my productivity at the end of 2019. Granted, I was finishing up my first book of the Grand Bazaar series, and I had completely cleared my schedule and was focused on getting it finished with 110% of my time and energy. I am a couple of years away from being in that position again. So it is premature to expect that I maintain that level of commitment, especially with all the changes in my life over the past three years. Things are very, very different now, for me, than they were in 2019. I am reasonably confident many of you out there feel the same. But that does not change the fact that no matter how much I work to the contrary, I feel like I am two years behind and slipping ever more behind.

The first thing I should point out is that I am 100% working on my schedule for my work. I make the deadlines, and I move them as needed. I set my workload and determine what has priority. I am in charge, and I am the client and the artist. This alone is one of the main reasons I have weathered as best as I have. If I were wholly reliant on client work these days, I would have had multiple major burnout crises over the past two to three years. Thankfully I have a day career that supports me and my art life, and in these past three years, I have absolutely looked to it to get me through uncertain artistic times.

My studio/office is in all its glory!

The Studio

With all that has been going on, I continue to make art. In 2022 I completed a pair of large pieces, several smaller pieces, and many tiny pieces for the second book of the Grand Bazaar. But more importantly, I now have a dedicated studio to make art. I knew that moving work spaces would affect my ability to make art, but I was not prepared for how much impact it would have. For years I have followed the adventures of other artists who moved their studios and had always been shocked by how long it seemed to take. Surely, there were other factors, other reasons, and things unknown to the outside world that caused these moves to take so long and be disruptive. Nope. A studio move takes forever and dramatically impacts your ability to make art. It was around a six-month process from the contractors starting the work until I moved in and started making art.

In the end, though, it is like magic when it is all done and set up again. Since starting to work in the studio, I have been able to create more, faster than I have in a while. I have completed one of my favorite pieces and can't wait to share it with you in the coming weeks. I have also begun finding new ways to get work done when I am not in the studio (there are many reasons I have done this and not simply to be constantly working), and those efforts are paying off. Simply put, I am more focused and productive than I have been in a couple of years, which is nice - to say the least. I am still figuring out a way to balance my time, make the most of my work time, and learn how to be happy with the amount of work I can complete, no matter how much or little. It is the start of something new, something big, and I can not wait to see what I can create in my studio.

 Lizardman to Lizardfolk

The results of twenty years of time and practice.

The Elephant in the Room

I have not publicly spoken about the rise in image-generating AIs that are unethically built on the illegal wholesale theft of millions of pieces of art and artists' entire careers. Add to that copyright violations, IP theft, and on and on. It has already harmed artists and the art world. But what troubles me more than the theft of our art and work is the anger, hatred, and weaponized ignorance toward the artists. We are being portrayed as money-grabbing elites hell-bent on gatekeeping the knowledge of making art a secret because we, and we alone, have all the arcane power to make art. Well, I am here to share that arcane power. I am breaking the artist code, and I will now tell you all what it takes to be an artist...

DRAW MORE.

That is it. That is what I was told and what I did. And I got better. Nothing anyone does that is worth anything has come from zero work or effort. Do you want to play the guitar? Time and practice. Do you want to be a doctor? Time and practice. Do you want to be a plumber? Time and practice. Do you want to be an artist? Guess what? Being an artist is no different, and it takes time and practice. I am sorry, that is it. That is the big secret. We all can be artists. We only need to put in the time and work to get better, just like EVERY OTHER thing in the world. And before you think that artists are rolling in money, you should really look into how badly we are paid and how the rates haven't changed in about a hundred and fifty years. The kicker is, of course, the army of angry men that haven't drawn anything since kindergarten who want to tell the artist community how artists think, learn, and where our inspiration comes from. Dunning-Kruger would be so proud to see their theories playing out in horrific real-time.

The evolution of Ethra VanDalia.

Also, the results of nearly twenty years of time and practice.

I plan to share some thoughts and insight on how I think about making art and where my inspiration comes from in the coming weeks (hopefully). In the meantime, since artists are now gatekeepers as well,  you can peruse hundreds of posts about my career, making art, process breakdowns, and much much more here on the blog that I have freely taken the time to share with anyone out there. The one thing I have been trying to teach here on the blog since 2009 is that we all can do this. We all have a voice to share; it only takes time and practice. I am not the artist I was in 2009 when I started this blog. Look! Look at my posts from the start of the blog till now. I have worked my ass off over the last fifteen years to be where I am now—effort plus time. There is no magic. Like all the other artists out there, I was too stubborn to give up and kept pushing.

Not to beat a dead horse, but here are MORE examples of what time and practice lead to. No magic, no quick and easy tricks. It is all about having a stylus in hand and working to be better. It is not always fun, it is work, and you must do it if you want to be an artist. Draw more. Draw daily.

Looking Ahead

I feel like this post was shorter than others in the past. Maybe it is, maybe not. I said what I needed to, and I could write another blog post if I missed anything. I think the core of my takeaway this year was that I am still living in two times, the past of 2020/21 and the present. I need to let go of the past and live and work in the present, at least a bit more than I already do. As horrible as 2020 was, some of my artistic life's most important, most significant moments took place that year. I need to focus on that, remember that, and take that energy into tomorrow. Book two of the Grand Bazaar is wholly planned. I know what I need to do, what to make, and what to write, and I only need to be at the table working to make it a reality. So moving forward, I need to be in my chair working. I have a dedicated space for it now, which feels like magic. 

That's all for another exciting Monday on the blog. I will be taking a little break here on the blog, but I will be back very soon! Until then...

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

2021 - The Search For Normalcy

This post is more or less a continuation of the post I made one year ago. The events and trials that we found ourselves in for the past two years are very much still with us, but at least there are now vaccines that will help defend us from the current strains of COVID-19. As I write this, the impacts of Omicron are felt around the world, and I am once again working from home as my day job thought it better we are safe rather than sitting in a particular chair as we do our work. And throughout all of this, here I sit, like so many others, trying to make art and find our way.

Cryptic Knight

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

All currently available originals

© 2021 Christopher Burdett

While I am not counting words or comparing lengths, my recap of 2021 feels shorter than in past years. I think this results from living during an ongoing pandemic and that there is less going on in many ways. In the fullness of time, I am sure we will look back and lump a chunk of time together and refer to it as the COVID years.

Two Years Behind

Prolific Whittler

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
11 x 14 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

At the end of 2019, I had a stack of prepped illustrations, and I couldn't wait to get started. These pieces were a mix of ideas that couldn't fit in book one of The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia, destined for book three, and new ideas for book two. As I have mentioned before, I was on fire at the end of 2019. I had finished my first book. It was about to launch on Kickstarter in early 2020, and all I could see were the following books that I could not start on soon enough. Not to beat a dead horse, but things did not go as any of us planned, and I was incapable of making art of a large part of 2020. I did everything to rectify the state of things, and eventually, I was making art. Though I was making art, I was nowhere near where I envisioned myself, nor where my old self would have gotten me.

At the end of 2021, I had finally completed all of the work I prepared myself at the end of 2019. Nothing on the surface was wrong with this, except the workload I had before me should have taken about six months. While it is not exactly two years, I am a solid year and a half behind schedule. 

Ill-Prepared Summoner

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

YES, there is an active global pandemic affecting everyone in negative ways. I know that it is unrealistic to hold myself up to pre-COVID expectations. The fact that I have finished anything should be a reason for celebration. I understand all these things and much, much more. But at the end of the day, while I know I need to give myself a break and focus on what is before me, I can't help but feel the massive weight of time lost. I can stay as positive as I can, I can look ahead to all that I want to do - all that I know I can do, and I can take care of myself mentally and physically in these trying times, but still, the lost time looms in my mind.

Another aspect of the past two years that has affected me is that I was not generating anything new. Yes, I was finishing work, but it was planned out for 2019. I was not making new images; I was only completing them. This meant that the second to last image I completed in 2021 had its final sketch created in 2019, but the original idea came from 2011. I was working on a ten-year-old idea that very much needed to be made, and it was bad timing, to be sure. I was in an artistic malaise for much of 2021 as I slogged through work that has sat around for years. It's not ideal when you are trying to get your motivation and mojo back. Yes, I made a fair amount of new freelance work over the past two years to help generate artistic momentum. I have made many new pieces for Magic the Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons since 2019, and it was crucial for me to get back on my feet. And while freelance work is excellent and does scratch some artistic itch, it is NOT like completing personal work and work like I am putting into the Grand Bazaar.

 2022 and Beyond

The Completed Circle Seal

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
9 x 12 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Currently NFS
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

The future is still a nebulous void of uncertainty as it pertains to COVID and the opportunities we will have. But after two years of this, it seems that most of us are pushing ahead in any way we can to find some normalcy or at least something better. This past October saw the return of in-person events like Illuxcon, which I attended and felt perfectly safe doing so. February will find us back at Pensacon, which we are excited about. They had a safe post-COVID show last year that we were not ready to attend for personal reasons. In June, I should be at a local event, Infinity Con. August, we see our return to Gen Con and finally the realization of bringing the Grand Bazaar to the event as a Featured Artist. Finally, in October, there will be another Illuxcon. These conventions are something to celebrate and be excited about, but they bring risks that were not a reality two years ago. I am trying to stay focused on these events being a reality for us, but I know in these uncertain times that plans may change. 

Fortune Teller

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2021 Christopher Burdett

I continue to scribble on paper as much as I can. The first piece of art that I planned for myself in 2022 ended up being the unexpected final piece of 2021. This was the first personal piece that I completed created since 2019. Again, something to celebrate. As I find my new normal, I spent a significant amount of time over the holidays looking at my notes for books two and three. I needed to get my head back in my world and get a fresh look at what I had previously set out for myself. I moved things around, added, deleted, and fleshed a lot out. One of the main things I did was to begin making a list of the smaller pieces of art that I will need for the next book. After talking with Dear Wife at length about all of this, we decided that focusing on smaller works for the short term will be a good start to things. These pieces should be quicker to complete, which will give me a more immediate feeling of accomplishment and will result in finished art at a lower price point for Gen Con and Illuxcon. We are working on ways to focus long-term and still be productive.

One of the unexpected aspects of the world I find myself in is making art is hard again. It has never been easy, but it has gotten harder than it used to be. After over twenty years of doing this, I could let myself work on autopilot and let the muscle memory and learned skills get the chunky, time-consuming work done. I would focus on the sketch and linework, and then the final comes together. Now, getting the sketch worked on is a significant event. As I gear up on new smaller pieces, I find the thumbnail/sketch phase taking two to three times as long. It is likely due to being out of practice, though some self-doubt is likely mixed in. Given time and the opportunity to dust the cobwebs off, I am sure this will improve.

Final Thoughts

Ambitious Farmhand

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - The Completed Circle
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available
© 2020 Christopher Burdett

Stay safe, get vaccinated, and wear a mask. If we all do these things, maybe, just maybe, we can start to feel and be safe again. I have seen too much death and pain over the past two years to tolerate anything less from the human population. I will keep scribbling, and eventually, I hope to share with you another book.

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

2020 - A Year of Holding My Breath

At one time on this blog, I was extremely diligent about posting my 'year in review' commentaries. In some ways, that is how my blog cemented itself in my life and I attracted readers. I shared many thoughts and history regarding my life as an artist as I looked back at 2009 in January of 2010, and I realized I would be writing on this blog for the foreseeable future. Over the years, I have done my best to do these yearly recaps, and I have had varying success. As I have focused on my first book and moved away from client work in the past few years, I have had difficulty writing the recaps. Each year, I felt like I was in the middle of things. It was not yet the right time to share. There were much more important events about to happen. Or I ran out of time, and it was March before I made the time to write, and by then, it was a moot point. Then we come to 2020. 2020 was the big year to look back on. 2020 was the year when it all came together, and I would finally be able to share all of the ups and downs of the past few years of writing and illustrating my first book and how it all paid off at conventions, and I reap the fruits of all my labors. But, in the end, we all know that 2020 had different plans.

It Started With a BANG

 

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

 

For me, 2020 was firing on all cylinders a year ago. As 2019 came to an end, I was already working on outlines for my following two books. I had sketched out and prepped multiple new illustrations, some of which I have been waiting for years to see realized. My first book was not yet finished, and I had begun work on the following two books. I was energized and excited. At the close of 2019, I had the linework of the first of these new illustrations already completed. I was in a mindset that had me churning out work on my books indifferently, and nothing was standing in my way.

As January 2020 continued, we checked off all the boxes, crossed all the t's, and dotted all the i's as my book neared the Kickstarter launch at the end of February. My editor, Achsa Nute, my designer, Steve Leacock, and my publisher, Jon Schindehette, worked nonstop to get me and the book over the finish line. Looking back at it now, it feels like a dozen years ago, and at best, it is a blur. But it was happening; my book was becoming a reality, and nothing could stop us now!

Pensacon took place at the end of February 2020, and we timed the Kickstarter to launch while I was at the convention so that I could promote it there and make it an active event at the con. My books' proofs arrived at the convention, and I had them on display all weekend.  And it went perfectly. I could not have been happier with Pensacon, the Kickstarter launch, and the book's reception. The campaign quickly funded, and since many friends were attending the convention, we celebrated the achievement. I was looking ahead to seeing the book go into production, Gen Con, and eventually Illuxcon. I had a full year ahead of me, and it all centered around my book. But, even at Pensacon, at the very beginning of March, the threat of COVID-19 was already looming heavily.

It All Happened Extremely Quickly at a Snail's Pace 

 

Articulate Polyglot - Drawing

13 x 17 - Pencil on paper
© 2020 Christopher Burdett

 

After Pensacon, I took a small breather. We had done it; the book was funded, the book was going to happen, and I could finally relax a little. My wife, two close friends, and I took a weekend trip we had planned for a while at the beginning of March. The campaign was still running, but this trip was to celebrate and relax. Little did we know that this would be the last trip, excitement, and personal interaction we would have for the foreseeable future. After we returned home, it happened all at once. The university shifted us to work from home. Equipment was lugged home, and makeshift workstations were set up. In the middle of deadlines and Kickstarter campaigns, it all changed. The new normal was upon us. Almost immediately, we saw the effects of the global pandemic on the Kickstarter campaign. Not that this matters, but the results of the changes in the world's economies, spending habits, fears, and more were clearest in those early days as they affected unnecessary spending. I also have a wife who is an ER nurse, and overnight, she was thrust to the front lines of a global pandemic.

Then It Ended

 

Elemental Essence Shard

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

11 x 14 - Digital 

Art Director - Kate Irwin 

© 2020 Wizards of the Coast LLC

 
I am not sure how it happened or when it happened, but I now know why it happened. Sometime around the end of March, I stopped making art. I think many of us experienced it this year in our own ways. Artist or not, we shut down as we managed the events of the world. People all around were losing their jobs, their incomes, and their lives. I was focused on meeting the needs of the day job and hitting our summer deadlines, and at the end of the day, I had nothing left in me to then work on my books. I came to understand that I had enough energy to manage one job and that I needed to be the one that paid my bills, the one that I was thankful to have still and to be able to accomplish from my home.

As the weeks turned into months, I came to accept that Gen Con and, eventually Illuxcon would not happen at least in the traditional sense. The two events I had been working toward for years, my two biggest conventions of the year, and the events where I would be debuting my book were not happening. To add to it all, I was to be a featured artist at Gen Con, something that I had been chosen for in February. My book was the collimation of twenty-two years of work. It was finally completed. And the events planned out for me to stand before everyone and present the fruits of my efforts were gone. I was not handling this well. I mentally came to terms with it, but emotionally, I was not.

Yes, at some later date, maybe this year, 2021, or 2022, or... we will eventually be all together again at these events, and I will have my book then to show to everyone. But my moment in 2020, like so many other people's moments, is gone. And yes, people are dead, lives ruined, jobs lost, businesses destroyed, but I have worked for over two decades to have my art and my stories combined in my first book and share it with my friends and family. I did everything I was supposed to do. Those who helped me see the book completed did everything they were supposed to do and more. And it wasn't enough.

And this all could have been avoided, or at least significantly reduced. But we lacked the leadership, the adherence to science, and the willingness to sacrifice only a little by wearing a mask, and we may have been able to get this under control by now. Instead, the virus is still rampaging through this country. Hundreds of thousands are dead in this country alone. My wife is in danger every time she goes to work. I am in danger because she is in danger, and we have nothing to show for all these months of working from home, not leaving the house, and not trusting anyone else because, frankly, Americans can't be bothered to help their fellow citizens.

So I spent months not making art, sitting at home, waiting for things to get better because I had no other options.

Making a Change

 

Vexed Beanmonger

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
11 x 14 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - Available

© 2020 Christopher Burdett

 

I was aware that I was not making art. That I was losing my momentum, and that time I could be spending making art was passing me by. I want to make it clear that none of the time was wasted. I was doing the best I could and focusing on things that allowed me to get through my days. Yes, that meant, and still means, a good deal of playing Animal Crossing, but these are trying times, and we do the best we can do. I cooked more in 2020 than I think I cooked in all the years of life before 2020. I have spent a great deal of time with my wife. I have realized what I can and cannot live without. While far from perfect, this time has been very rewarding in many ways, but I was bothered by not making art.

I would sit at my drawing table, hoping that the muscle memory would kick in and I would start drawing. I would end up simply sitting and staring at the paper. When the calls for client work came in, I decided to take a single assignment, hoping that a deadline and external pressures would motivate me to work. I got the job done, but it took a great deal of effort and willpower to ensure the assignment was completed. It was not the external jump start I had hoped for, but I was able to accomplish what I had intended. That was at least movement in the right direction.

I realized that I needed to step back, start over, and approach this all anew. Earlier in the year, I worked up two small illustrations as a stepping stone to get into the large pieces I had planned out. A way to warm up since, with the book campaign, conventions, and life before 2020, it had been a while since I worked on large pieces. Those small illustrations had been untouched for months, and I decided it was time to dig one out and see where it would take me. At the time, they were not essential pieces to the books' overall stories, and if things went wrong with them, well, no one needed to know about them. I was able to sit down and start working on one of them. It was extremely slow going at the beginning. I would work only a short time before moving on to something else. But, slowly, over time, the piece began to take shape. Things were finally, maybe, starting to happen again.

The call for more client work came in, and again, I took on an assignment. This time, the client work went much smoother, and the entire time, I kept wishing to be back working on my illustration. I took this as an excellent sign. Once the client job had concluded, I was back to work on my illustration and was finally making good speed with it. In the fullness of time, I completed it. This marked the first time I had completed personal work in months, and aside from the small filler pieces I needed to finish at the beginning of the year for my book, this was the first personal work of 2020. Not that I was fully cured, but something had finally changed. I took on even more client work, and I completed more and more personal work. I was finally, thankfully, beginning to feel like myself again.

Moving Forward

 

Articulate Polyglot

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra Dalia - In the Black
13 x 17 - Pencil, ink, and acrylic paint on paper
Original - SOLD

All currently available originals
© 2020 Christopher Burdett

 
This is all not over yet. We are all still in it, and right now may very well be the worst of it all. There is much happening in the world and this country.  One only needs to check the nearest news outlet. But, if we are lucky, things will begin moving in the right direction. It is out of most of our hands, so I am concentrating on what I can control. I am making art again. I am doing what I can do. The coming months will not be easy and may not be better till more can receive the vaccine. I am likely far down the line, even though I share a house with a frontline nurse. Until I am vaccinated, I will probably not feel at ease, but that time will come. Hopefully, there will be a Gen Con, and we can attend. Hopefully, there will be an Illuxcon. These are all still months away, but we said that last year. The effects of COVID-19 will likely take up a minimum of a year and a half, so we still have much ahead of us. All I can do is be patient and make art.

I had hoped that this post would have loads of images of me at conventions with stacks of my books. I had expected to share numbers and statistics of what was selling well and if I had ordered the right amount of books. I had hoped to reflect on how the entire process of finishing a book, taking it to Kickstarter, and seeing it printed by Gen Con and what went well and what didn't. I expected to have many more completed pieces for the following books to share. None of this happened. Life is not predictable. We do not know what tomorrow holds, so we must do the most with today. Plan for tomorrow, but act today. That said, as I finish writing this, I will be heading back to my drawing table to continue working and awaiting a time when I can leave the house. 

That's all for another exciting Monday on the blog and a start to my 2021 posts. 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

2017 - A Year in the Bazaar

Since starting this blog in 2009 I have made a point to look back at the previous year and attempt to sum up what I learned, experienced, and did as a working artist. Every year except last year. I did not get around to even addressing that I did not do a year end recap until late March of last year. The reason? EVERYTHING was in flux, and I do mean everything. I had finally set in motion something that I had been working toward, whether I knew it or not, since I was in college, some 20 years ago. It was definitely something I had been building towards throughout my career in the gaming industry, but I never realized it at the time. It only became clear in 2016 as the pieces fell into place and it has taken a lot of 2016 and all of 2017 for it to really materialize into something tangible. And what is this thing you may ask... that would be The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia!

The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

A book of Monsters and Stories!

The Bazaar

Some of you might already be very familiar with all this, if not... The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia will be a book of monsters and stories and will begin to introduce the Bazaar, its creator, and some of the beings that live and work there. A year ago I was just beginning to see the pieces falling into place. It was a very scary time, and in some ways it still is. Looking back at 2017 in one moment I feel like I have not completed any work and then I am struck by how much I have actually completed. It is all still very weird to me, and even though I have been building to this point for years, now that I am here it is all very strange. ...in a good way ...mostly. I was very hesitant to talk about any of this publicly for a long time. If I talk about it and it does not go anywhere will I look like a fool? If no one cares about what I am doing am I wasting my time? What if I realize I just can't make this work and I give up? All of these things and more were (are) constantly in my head. I actually held off announcing the project as long as long as I could. I wanted to get a lot of work done on it and I wanted to show myself that I was going to make this a reality. Thanks to some sage advice, I came to realize it is never too early to start talking about something and that I might have actually waited a little too long. Of course, I needed to have finished the project's name sake before really talking about it!

The monsters of The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

Three have yet to be revealed... or is it two?

Ethra VanDalia

I have talked about this before when I announced this project, but this all goes back to work that I began in college. I first envisioned the Bazaar, its creator, and some of its inhabitants in the print lab while working on etchings and lithographs. Many of them stuck with me, and they have popped up now and again over the years. If something is going to haunt you for 20 years, you better do something with it because it is there for a reason. The longer I have focused my work on this project the more I have realized that this is the exact time I need to be working on it. I could not have done this project before now and if I waited any longer it would be too late. The more I work on it the more it all comes into focus. Which is all a little intimidating, very exhilarating, and profoundly surreal.

Ethra VanDalia 
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper   
Original - Currently not available   
© 2017 Christopher Burdett

The evolution of Ethra
1998 - 2017

To get the word out and to help build a stand alone presence on the internet I have created a new blog that exclusively focuses on the Bazaar and I have begun my first mailing list. While I have continued to post everything here on my main blog, the new blog features samples and first drafts of some of the writing associated with the monsters. The new blog is presenting the work more from within the world of the Bazaar while my post here are more objective and focus on the art. If you have not checked out the new blog I highly urge you to head over there any have a look around!  In many ways I feel like I am starting over with my social media presence when dealing with the Bazaar, but it needs to have its own standalone hub. At least I have an established Facebook page and this blog to help get the word out. It has all been a learning experience with a few bumps along the way.

Trade Offs

With so much of my time and energy being devoted to the Bazaar it has left very little time for any other work. While I am still taking some freelance gaming work, I have stepped away from the majority of it, for the time being. This, more than anything, has been one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made. I fought so long, pushed myself to be better, did everything I could to get to where I am currently in the gaming industry... just to put it on hold. I am still interested in freelance work and I will gladly put the Bazaar on the back burning for a little while to work with certain art directors or for specific projects. In fact I did just that earlier this year. The reality is that for the most part I will be saying 'no' to the vast majority of freelance work until I complete my project. This might hurt my career in the gaming industry, but the plan is for my own work to more than make up for any losses. But it is scary, and there is still a bit of discomfort when I turn work down. I trained myself for years to take everything that came my way so doing the opposite now still feels a little awkward, but I am learning.

A look at my production board in early 2017.

I began the year working on monster #8 and I ended the year working on #30.

I could not have done this without focusing almost all of my work time on my project.

To be truthful none of this is an actual surprise to me and I knew, at least deep down, that I would find myself here eventually. I have talked here on the blog about getting burned out and losing my direction and motivation with client work. It is one of the reasons I switched from digital to traditional painting. I needed to get more out of the work I was doing for others. Now I am getting 110% out of the work I am doing and I am doing it all for myself.

Gray Wanderer

9 x 12 - Pencil on paper

Original - SOLD

© 2014 Christopher Burdett 

Finding the Path

None of this has been a straight line and none of this has gone as planned! While I have know what I wanted to DO, how it would be made real has shifted greatly, even in this last year. I can't really compare and contrast just yet, since I have not completed the project and since when it is all said and done maybe all of my ideas will end up happening. What I do know is that when I put all of myself into the work I get the most out of it and I am the most pleased. This has been happening more and more as the project has taken shape, especially this last year. When I am designing and working on a monster that is 100% me, I am getting so much more out of it. My art is once again doing what I have always needed it to do, satisfying the need to create something new and bringing what is inside me into the world. It is now always easy, actually it is never really easy, it is work after all. For the first time in years I feel like I am getting something really tangible out of my work. I am making improvements and advancements in my craft which feels so good. The way I am going about making my drawings now is very different than when I began working in them in 2014. The techniques and even the media has changed over the years, especially this year. Before I presented the originals of the completed pieces at Illuxcon in October I had to revisit a lot of the pieces to make sure they were all at the same level and were all being handled the same way. I never expected to have to do that with my work. But they all look so much better for it.

Judicator
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper
Original - Currently not available
© 2017 Christopher Burdett

What's Next?

While I am nearly complete with monster #30, the last planned monster for this project, there is still a lot of work to do. I have a map to create, a bunch of environmental scenes, some spot art, and the bulk of the writing. Having the monsters done is no small feat and puts me in a good spot to keep the momentum going with the project. I just have to keep at it and prioritize my work time on the project... which can be difficult at times. As I have said, I feel like I did not complete any work this year. I look back and wonder where the year went... but then I look at the stack of my monster drawings, notes, and writing and realize I have actually done a lot. I have also really enjoyed the year and did a lot of great and fun things. I just need to continue to focus on my work and I am sure before I know it I will have much much more to share with you!

Uncanny Scribe
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper
Original - Currently not available
© 2017 Christopher Burdett

In years past I have tried to find some sort of nugget of learning, some sound bit of truth, or something that I could leave here on the blog as a product of a year's work. Not sure I have that for this year. It is still all very much happening and there is still so much more to do. I can say that making the move away from making things for other people to making things for myself has been a very challenging process. For so long I gauged my worth and success as an artist by the work I did for others. I was a REAL artist if I worked on project X. I was a REAL artist if I worked with art director Y. I was a REAL artist is I if I did Z. I am realizing that this is a really silly way at looking at all this. Doing all those things is AMAZING and I would not trade any of it, but it was all really great experience to help me get to where I am right now. I made the art, the art does not make me. I am not going anywhere and I will still be making monsters, it will be that most of the monsters I make will be my monsters and I will be telling their stories. Here is to a VERY productive 2018!

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

Whatever Happened to the 2016 Recap?

March is all but over and the year is just racing by... as usual. Never enough time and always five things to do at any given moment. Yet we continue on and somehow, for the most part, get the important things done. Most of the time...

You may or may not have noticed that I never posted a recap of 2016. Most likely I am thinking you never noticed, but that is okay, we are all busy doing our own thing. As long as I have been doing this blog I have made a point of recapping each year. I share my thoughts, reflections, successes, and failures to hopefully understand my own journey as well as share with others to hopefully help them along theirs. But here we are at the end of March and I have not recapped 2016.

While this is not the recap I have been intending to write since January, this will hopefully explain why there has been no recap... without giving too much away. 2016 was a really weird year for me and there was a lot going on and a lot of changes happening. I had some really great highs: a super Gen Con and being in the main show at Illuxcon, and there were some really frustrating lows: continuing to struggle to make art at a ever increasing level of quality. But all of that seems to miss the point of my journey as an artist in 2016. It is not about the things I did or did not do, it seems to be about where I am heading and where I will be in a year or two. 2016 was a year of change and it has spread over into 2017.

This image has resonated with me for the last 6-8 months.

Every moment I was about to write a 2016 recap the events of that day in 2017 changed my takeaways from 2016. 2016 has not ended for me yet and it is quickly becoming clear that, if all goes as to plan, 2016 and 2017 will be a collective event in my career. It currently feels like 2016 was the drum roll for 2017 and now it is my time to perform. This also goes beyond my art career. My day job, my free time, and even my day to day activities all seem to be in flux and evolution. EVERYTHING seems to be in a state of change for me right now and it is taking a bit of time for it all to play out and to reach a recognizable end point. If everything continues as they are going I will have some really exciting things to share with you and I will be really really thrilled with it all. But you never know how things will actually work out until they do, so I do not what to say too much at this time. If you are being very observant, you might be able to glean some ideas at the path ahead of me. But don't worry about that too much for the time being, I have a lot of work ahead of me and I will share it with you when the time is right.

If you are interested, here are links to all of my yearly recaps since the beginning of the blog. It is an interesting narrative when viewed together like this. You might even be able to see where I am heading next by looking at the evolution and changes expressed in these post: 2009 part1, 2009 part2, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015

I think I have been as detailed and as vague as possible. More details and news will be coming in the fullness of time and this should all make for an interesting recap in 2018. If you are still reading this and if you have been following the blog, thank you. I feel like I am shouting into the void most of the time with this blog, but it is my way of recording my career as an artist.

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

2015 - A Year in Paint

2015 in my studio looked a lot different

I feel for the past several years that my year in review posts have been a bit negative, or at least had a frustrated edge to my thoughts and feelings towards making art and the gaming industry. I am happy to report that this is not the case for 2015. Starting in August of 2014 I turned everything on its ear art wise in my life and began working traditionally for my clients. Not only have I produced more in art in the past year than I have in any year that I can remember, I made more time for myself to do non art things as well as make art for myself. So, that's it! I am making more art, I am happier with my art and art making, and I am making more time to do other things in my life. 2015 was really really good to me and I am optimistically looking ahead to 2016. Is there a need for me to keep writing and you to keep reading? Let's see as I dig a little deeper…

The Big Switch

I have spoken at length about my transition from painting digitally to traditionally here on the blog. Simply look to my wrap up of 2014 or any of my traditional process posts this year. This transition does need to be addressed again because of how it has made this year a much more positive one. I started out as a digital painter. I am comfortable painting digitally and I think I do a pretty good job at painting digitally. Painting traditionally has been a roller coaster of pleasure and fear. No matter how crazy the transition has been the one result is that I am making real life tangible paintings for the first time it my life. Having the tangible painting has in and of itself has been worth ALL the hard work to get to this point. Even if my traditional painting skill set is not currently at the level I may be able to reach digitally, it is in my hands and is a real object. All I need is time and more experience with the media to bridge the digital / traditional quality gap. I can now make precious and unique items that I can never have with a Photoshop file. I have always had my drawings, but paintings and drawings are a little different.

Jabba's Rancor

Star Wars LCG - Imperial Entanglements

14 x 11 - Acrylic and pencil on board

Art Director - Zoe Robinson

Original - SOLD

© 2015 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

I will be the first to say that I have always had a bit of an inferiority complex when it came to how I felt about my digital paintings compared to other artist's traditional paintings. I didn't feel like I was a "REAL" artist. Which is silly, I know, but I just did not feel I was making anything when working digitally. No matter the tool, the quality and impact of the art is what matters. I realize this more now than I ever have in my entire career of making art. It does not matter if the work was done digitally or traditionally. Does the work meet the needs of the client? Is the work successful? What does it matter if you use paint or pixel? It only matters to the artist making it and the collectors that will want to own it. I paint traditionally now because I NEED to.

The mighty pile. Current stock of traditionally painted work. Not all has been released, many secrets to come!

I will be honest, the last three paintings that I produced in 2015 were painted digitally. They are most likely the best three digital paintings I have even painted and way better than the work I was doing digitally before I made the switch to tradition media last August. I made the choice to paint these pieces digitally, I knew they needed to be at a level I have not yet reached traditionally. Which is totally okay. I also needed to have COMPLETE control over the painting to tweak and edit them from start to finish and I have that level of control when working digitally. The client I was doing these for requires my best work and I made the call to do them with a tool that allows me to do just that. I was more than surprised to see that after more than a year of not working digitally that my skill set had actually improved! Which makes sense, seeing how I had a certain level of learned skills already working for me when I started painting traditionally. It does not matter if I was working with paint of pixels, I am painting all the same. When I made the switch in August of 2014 I made a promise to myself to only paint traditionally for the foreseeable future. I went over a year just working in paint and plan to continue to do the vast majority of my work in paint. I have one client and one assignment that will continue to have me pairing digitally for the time being. Which is totally okay. The right tool for the job. That is being professional.

More ME time

While I don't have any tangle evidence that I worked less this year, it certainly feels like I have. Not only that, but I feel I have worked less while still producing more. What I can say is that in 2015 I traveled to Jamaica, Italy, German, and made multiple trips to Disney World this year while making more time in my schedule to spend time with my wife and friends. I did all these things and still produced a pile of paintings and drawings by the end of the year. I see this all as being really important and directly related to my happiness in 2015. While I am happier with what and how I was painting, I am also giving myself time to NOT work. For the first time in… forever, I feel like I am not working constantly. I am busy, of course, I work two full time jobs, how could I not be busy, but I have been making the time to take breaks, to travel, and to play. Case in point, for the previous two of three weeks from when I am writing this I have not made any art. I have down a little scribbling and a revision for a client, but I made a conscience choice to clear my schedule and take a break. A break to clear the mind, a chance to catch my breath, see friends, play video games, do holiday stuff, clean up after holiday stuff, do some stuff around the house, sleep… the stuff I will not have a lot of time to do in the coming months most likely. For the first time in a long time I do not feel guilty or regret about not working, and I am not fixating on filling my time with work. It has been glorious. For once, I feel like I am relaxed and ready to start the new year on the right foot. …a rested and relaxed one. I am finding it interesting with how much I can do when I try to do so little.

Burg Eltz

Near the Moselle River between Koblenz and Trier, Germany. Possibly the best castle I have had the chance to see in person.

Life Beyond My Studio

2015 was filled with more art activities that did not center on me being in my studio working. Every year I have had two big art events, Gen Con and Illuxcon. This year, for the first time, I have been looking for other venues and avenues to do art things outside my studio. Don't get me wrong, Gen Con and Illuxcon continue to be a lot of fun and are true highlights of my year. This is when I get to see my art family. Illuxcon was especially amazing this year as I was part of the Weekend Salon for this first time. This then leads into my recent announcement that I will be part of the Main Show of Illuxcon in 2016. I am both humbled, excited, and energized by this news. Illuxcon has and continues to be near and dear to the wife and I. Earlier in the year I was a special guest at the Space Coast Comic Con, and it was an extremely fun time. Can't say enough about how much fun it was to be a part of the Space Coast Comic Con.

My booth at the Space Coast Comic Con featuring my shiny new set of Pro Panels I bought this year to help me do events just like this.

One of the biggest personal events for me in 2015 was my RAWR! show at 621 Gallery in Tallahassee, Fl. I posted a lot about it, but it was a big deal for me and a blast to do. It was a long term goal to show in a gallery and it was a very interesting and educational experience. Really interesting to see people interact with my work in the wild. I had work accepted into Infected By Art 3, which came out a couple of months ago. I really like what IBA is doing especially in connection with Illuxcon. I took part in a very fun Free Comics Day event as well as a couple local Magic the Gathering events. All of these things have added to my over all enjoyment and happiness in 2015. I do not need these things to be happy, but I am finding a lot of fulfillment and happiness through them. It is nice to see my hard work paying off in the world beyond my studio. I am hoping this will continue into 2016. I am already scheduled to be a special guest this February at Pensacon in Pensacola, Fl. I am finding that getting out of the studio is good for me and makes me more focused once I return to it.

The big wall at my 621 Gallery show featuring my first 100 redesigns from the original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual.

Paint Like NO One is Watching

I have spent a lot of time over the years worrying about my art and if I was good enough or if it was "right". I have searched for shortcuts and tricks. I have been on a quixotic quest for the PERFECT line. Now… I just want to make art that makes me happy. That could be personal work or it could be from the assignments that I choose to take on from clients. I have been spending a lot of time lately playing in the Star Wars Universe and that has been really really fun. I have added myself and my voice into the monolith of Star Wars and could not be happier about it. I have recently returned to do some work on Magic the Gathering, and that has been a lot of fun. I have been doing some personal pieces when I feel like it, and that too has been fun. Are these all amazing, perfect paintings? I don't know. My clients seem happy, but I was happy with them before they were. Making art is work, don't get me wrong. I have said it time and time again, making art is hard work that requires a lot of time and effort to succeed at. Now though, after many years of ups and downs, it has become something more and I am getting more out of it. I am finding a joy and happiness that does not require an external qualifier to make it so. It has taken a long time to get to this point. Not sure this is were I will always be, but this is where I am and it is just fine for now. Is this because I am working traditionally? Maybe. It could be a product of my time in the industry, the level of experience I have, or some other ephemeral aspect of maturation. Who knows… but I certainly have no problem with it.

Wicket W. Warrick

Star Wars LCG - Solo's Command

14 x 11 - Acrylic and pencil on board

Art Director - Zoe Robinson

Original for sale over on my web store!

© 2015 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

In Conclusion

Work hard, play hard. For far too long it was all about that first part. I was working a lot and working hard. This behavior led most likely to many of my previous year's recap posts. This led to me being burned out and fed up. Thankfully I found a way to change it all and in turn restart and refresh my outlook on art and life. Nothing is perfect, how can it be, but things are sure a lot better now!

I need to point out, above all, if not for the continued support and aggressively relentless encouragement of my wife, none of this would have even been possible. I have traveled a very long way with my art and all of the highest heights and deepest depths have been weathered with her at my side. Could not have down it without her.

Dear wife giving me scale reference in Germany. RAWR!

Thanks 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