A NEW Spectator Miniature

I have a recently released miniature based on my designs that has already been turned into a miniature. This time around, the miniature getting an update in the Spectator. I redesigned the Spectator during my work leading up to the release of 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. To start things off, here is my design of the Spectator.

Spectator (originally Gauth during the concept push)

5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons Monster concept

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

The first Spectator miniature was released in 2015, with a second 2D acrylic mini released in 2023, and finally, the most recent version last year in 2024. While the miniatures have varied, they have continued to stay true to the original design. Now, the most recent purple and it looks GREAT! Here is a look at the new mini.

 Spectator

Adventures from Baldur's Gate

Lastly, here are images of the previous Spectator minis to see how it has changed over the years.

The previous newest Spectator miniature from  2024.

 

Spectator 2D Miniature from 2023.

 

The original Spectator miniature from 2015.

That's all for another exciting 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

A NEW Gazer Miniature

I have a recently released miniature based on my designs and illustrations that has already been turned into a miniature. This time around, the miniature getting an update in the Gazer. I redesigned and illustrated the Gazer for Volo's Guide to Monsters. To start things off, here is my illustration of the Gazer.

Beholder Gazer

11 x 14 - Digital

Art Director - Kate Irwin

© 2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC

The first Gazer miniature was released in 2019, with a second 2D acrylic mini released in 2023. The original was so tiny, and the second was more visually faithful to the design. This most recent version is a perfect combination of the two previous miniatures, merging diminutive size and detail. Here is a look at the new mini.

Gazer

Underdark Expeditions

Lastly, here are images of the previous Gazer minis to see how it has changed over the past six years.

Gazer 2D Miniature - 2023

Gazer Miniature - 2019

That's all for another exciting 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

A NEW Fire Snake Miniature

I have a recently released miniature based on my designs and illustrations that has already been turned into a miniature. This time around, the miniature getting an update in the Fire Snake. I redesigned and illustrated the Fire Snake for its Monster Manual appearance for the launch of 5th Edition. To start things off, here is my illustration of the Fire Snake.

Fire Snake

Dungeons & Dragons - 5th Edition Monster Manual 

8x11 - Digital

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

It has been ten years since there was a Fire Snake miniature released, and I never imagined that it would get another version, let alone one that matches my original painting, in addition to being a vast improvement to the overall quality of the piece. The Fire Snake is a juvenile Salamander (which I also designed and illustrated), and I had a ton of fun working on its design and painting, so it is so cool to see it return. Here is a look at the new mini.

Fire Snake

Underdark Expeditions

Lastly, here is an image of the original Fire Snake mini to see how it has changed in the last ten years.

Fire Snake

Icon of the Realms: Elemental Evil Miniatures

That's all for another exciting 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

A NEWER Aarakocra Miniature

I have another recently released miniature based on my designs and illustrations that has also already been turned into multiple miniatures. If you had guessed it would be an Aarakocra, then you are most definitely correct! And yes, this is ANOTHER totally new and different Aarakocra mini. They can't seem to stop making them and I have zero issue with this. Here is the final illustration for the Aarakocra that I painted over a decade ago.

Aarakocra

 Dungeons & Dragons - 5th Edition Monster Manual

8x11 - Digital

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

The Aarakocra is one of those monsters that means a great deal to me for a number of reasons. This is one of the many monsters I designed for 5th Edition, the species appeared in the movie, they have made a ton of miniatures of them, and they have reprinted the art many, many times. It means a great deal that this monster and the art I did for it are still kicking around after over a decade. Here are some images of the new mini.

The NEWEST Aarakocra miniature for all your newest Aarakocra miniature needs.

Lastly, here is an image of the original Aarakocra mini so you can see how it has evlved for the past eleven years.

 

The original Aarakocra miniature was made for the Icons of the Realms line of minis from 2014. 

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

ANOTHER Water Weird Miniature

I have another miniature for you that is based on my work on Dungeons & Dragons. In June, I shared with you the first time this particular monster got turned into a mini, and now it has received the treatment again. Now, jump ahead, and at some point since June, a pre-painted version of the Water Wierd has been released to go with the previous unpainted version. Here is my final design for the Water Weird.

Water Weird - Redesign

Digital over pencil on paper

Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

This particular monster has evolved a bit since it left my hands, but I think it looks great for it. I always pictured this monster as being a bit... smaller. But big monsters are great. I imagine my belief that they are smaller monsters comes from the illustration for them in the original Monster Manual all those years ago. Here is the new painted version... and it is a more blue than the unpainted version.

The unpainted Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Water Weird

 That is all for another exciting 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

NEW Eidolon Miniature

Today, I am pleased to share a new miniature based on an illustration I did for Dungeons & Dragons back in 2018. While the mighty Eidolon has received two miniatures to date, this is the first to include the shattered brazier in my painting. To start things off, here is my illustration of the Eidolon.

Eidolon

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

11 x 14 - Digital

Art Director - Kate Irwin

© 2018 Wizards of the Coast LLC

The Eidolon is a spirit or undead force that inhabits inanimate objects, such as a giant statute that was originally depicted on the original D&D Player's Handbook cover. While the statue on the cover of the PH has been a known image for decades, it was such an honor to design and illustrate it, standing up and getting ready to make the player's day a whole lot more interesting. Here is the new Eidolon miniature in all its glory.

The new Eidolon is larger than its predecessor.

 

Oh! But that is not all. They also made an official miniature depicting the statue from the cover of the Player's Handbook. It is cool to see this original version as a miniature after all these years.

Player's Handbook Cover Statue in plastic form!

Finally, all the different versions of this statue and the Eidolon.

They turned out beautifully!

That is all for another exciting 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

Water Weird Miniature

I haven't had any new miniatures to share lately, but it would appear that this situation has changed. It is always wonderful to see a mini that is based on my designs or illustrations, and this one has been long awaited for a decade. I redesigned the Water Weird while working on the design push for D&D 5E. It was a fun one, and I hoped that it would eventually become a mini. It took ten years, but here we are. The monster has evolved a little bit from when I worked on it, but it is still recognizable to me. Here is my final design for the Water Weird.

Water Weird - Redesign

Digital over pencil on paper

Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

The store only had one copy of this monster so it is staying in the package and going with the rest of my miniature monsters. Here are some photos of the mini in the packaging. It turned out great, and it is wonderful to see another monster in its tiny plastic form.

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Water Weird

I will have more minis in the coming weeks. Next week is a bit of a mess, and I am not sure which days will get a post. I know Wednesday for sure will happen, Monday is not happening, and Friday is up in the air currently. But all will be made clear next week. SO, in the weeks after next week, be sure to look for more miniature posts here on the blog.

That is all for another exciting 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

NEW Aarakocra Miniature

I have another recently released miniature that is based on my designs and illustrations that has also already been turned into mulitple miniatures. Last week it was the Spectator, but today is the return of the Aarakocra. Again, I am speaking losly with the word 'new,' when this mini came out this past October. And yes, this is ANOTHER totally new and different Aarakocra mini. They can't seem to stop making them and I have zero issue with this. Here is how the final illustration for the Aarakocra turned out.

Aarakocra

 Dungeons & Dragons - 5th Edition Monster Manual

8x11 - Digital

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

I have said it here before, I have a few D&D monsters that mean a great deal to me, each for their own reasons. The Aarakocra is one of those monsters. Anytime I see new minis, the reuse of my art, or other artists take on the monster it is a good day for me. And even though there are a lot of Aarakocra minis and I love them all, this is by far my favorite and really holds true to my original designs and painting. Here are some images of the new mini.

The NEW Aarakocra miniature for all your new Aarakocra miniature needs.

 

Lastly, here is an image of the original Aarakocra mini so you can see how it has evlved for the past ten years. I will add that this is the last of my miniatures posts for a while. There are more minis coming, but there are some months away and I have no more save to post. So I will have to come up with something new to post of Fridays for a while.

The original Aarakocra miniature made for the Icons of the Realms line of minis from 2014.

 

 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

NEW Hydroloth Miniature

I am always surprised with a Dungeons & Dragons monsters recieves a new miniature when one was released for it reletively recently. Mind you, I am not complaining. I love seeing minis based on my work, I am just surpeised. For clarity, when I say new, I mean October of 2023 - I am still a little behind on things and having to Shade and Glaze everything does slow me down. This time around the Hydroloth that I redesigned and illustrated for Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes has recieveda new prepainted 3D miniature. The first Hydroloth mini based on my work was released in 2022. To start things off, here is my painting of the Hydroloth.

Hydroloth

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

11 x 14 - Digital

Art Director - Kate Irwin

© 2018 Wizards of the Coast LLC

While the first mini had a unique pose, this new version is based directly on my painintg with the crouch and out stretched clawed hand. I think it looks great and is a more faithful interupitation of my work in plastic. Both are great, but I am definitely in love with this new version. Here is a look at the new mini.

The NEW Hydroloth miniature for all your new Hydroloth miniature needs.

Lastly, here again is the original Hydroloth miniature from two years ago so that you can compare the two minis and the illustration. I will have some more new minis for you in the coming weeks.

The original Hydroloth miniature from 2022.

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

ANother NEW Aarakocra Miniature

AGAIN, if you are saying to yourself there are already several Aarakocra miniatures out there and that I shared them here on the blog, you are correct. Today I am sharing ANOTHER NEW Aarakocra miniatures that was 'recently' released. Let us start things by looking back at my original Aarakocra painting that I created for the 5th Edition Monster Manual.

Aarakocra

 Dungeons & Dragons - 5th Edition Monster Manual

8x11 - Digital

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures release of the Aarakocra Paladins is a two-pack of Aarakocra miniatures. I think the miniatures looks excellent and are very dynamic. Here is the unpainted Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures release of the Aarakocra Paladins.

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Aarakocra Paladins

 

As I have stated above, the Aarakocra has already been made into several miniatures. It was a prepainted mini that was part of a standalone miniatures game that is now no longer in production, and again recenly, it was made into a pair of fighter minis. Here is the Aarakocra from that earlier line of minis.

 

Aarakocra - Miniature

Icons of the Realms

2014 

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

NEW Aarakocra Miniature

If you are saying to yourself there is already an Aarakocra miniature out there and that I shared it here on the blog, you are correct. Today I am sharing one of several NEW Aarakocra miniatures that was 'recently' released. Let us start things by looking back at my original Aarakocra painting that I created for the 5th Edition Monster Manual.

Aarakocra

 Dungeons & Dragons - 5th Edition Monster Manual

8x11 - Digital

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures release of the Aarakocra Fighters is a two-pack of Aarakocra miniatures. I think the miniatures looks excellent and are very dynamic. Maybe one of these days I will be asked to revisit this monster and I will be able to paint one in the middle of the action. Here is the unpainted Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures release of the Aarakocra Fighters.

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Aarakocra Fighters

 

As I have stated above, the Aarakocra has already been made into a miniature. It was a prepainted mini that was part of a standalone miniatures game that is now no longer in production. It seemed interesting, but I never played it. It was an early way to get miniatures based on 5th Edition versions of the monsters, though. Here is the Aarakocra from that early line of minis. 

 

Aarakocra - Miniature

Icons of the Realms

2014 

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

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Death Tyrant

Today, I have for you another Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures that is based on design work I did for 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. I was completely unaware of this one until a friend let me know, and I was thrilled to see what they came up with. This time around, it is the Beholder Death Tyrant that got the complete Nolzur treatment. This wasn't the first time the Death Tyrant has become a miniature, but this one is undoubtedly very cool looking. To start things off, here is the design of the Death Tyrant that I produced back in 2014, leading up to the release of 5E.

Beholder Death Tyrant

Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual - Redesign

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

I have always loved the Beholder and all of its many iterations, variant, and history in D&D. So it was an honor and a treat to get to work on designing some of them. I knew the floating eyes would always be an issue with making a miniature of this particular monster, so it has been fun to see how that problem has been solved in the two miniatures based on my designs. Here is a look at how the Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures version of the Death Tyrant turned out.

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures Death Tyrant Miniature

I love everything about this miniature. If I had the time and energy to paint minis anymore, I would certainly have this one high on my list. But a simple miniature was not good enough for the mighty Death Tyrant; there is also a Death Tyrant paint kit with everything you need to paint it. Maybe, one day, I will have a chance to paint this one.

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures Death Tyrant Miniature Paint Kit

 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

Hydroloth Miniature

Today, I have for you a miniature based on one of my illustrations. I redesigned and painted the Hydroloth for Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes was released in 2018, so I had assumed at this point that the Hydroloth was not getting a miniature. I love that I was proven wrong, and I only needed to be patient, and it would eventually show up. To start things off, here is my painting of the Hydroloth.

Hydroloth

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

11 x 14 - Digital

Art Director - Kate Irwin

© 2018 Wizards of the Coast LLC

The Hydroloth miniature turned out great! If I still had time to run games, I would most certainly be using this monster the first chance I could. It is a great size, has a great pose, and has a presence on the battle mat. One of those reveals that I hope would bring dread to the table - "OH NO! What is THAT!?!". Here are some images of the miniature so that you can compare it to my illustration.

The Hydrolothr miniature for all your Hydroloth miniature needs

 

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

Syrinscape Kraken Battle Sound Set

I have recently been finding a lot of my art through Facebook ads. Some of the art is being used without my permission (more about this maybe later), while others, like what I am sharing with you today, are using the work correctly - and that makes me happy. I recently came upon a series of ads from the good folks at Syrinscape showcasing all their really nifty sound sets and music scores that can be used to enhance your experience at the gaming table. These are so cool, and I would have loved to have had them when I had the time to play, but I can definitely appreciate them now. 

Beyond the remarkable aspect of what Syrinscape offers, I noticed since they are licensed partners with WotC, they were using official D&D art to promote their offerings. One, in particular, caught my eye.

RAWR! I'm a Kraken, and I offer you some sick music and sound effects!

I, of course, started clicking through links and options to see what my art was being used on. There is an entire selection of music and sound effects to make your battle with that mighty Kraken even more intense and exciting.

There are loads of details and information regarding all their options and products, and I encourage you to head over there to check it all out. There is even a link to a sample of what is in store for you once you try out what Syrinscape offers.

Kraken sample for all your Kraken needs!

Lastly, I will leave you with my full art of the Kraken that I did for the 5E Monster Manual. It feels like I just did it, but it is now over 8 years old. Time files when making monsters.

Kraken

5th Edition Monster Manual

11 x 14 - Digital

Art Director - Daniel Gelon

© 2014 Wizards of the Coast LLC

That's all for anther 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