The DOODLES, DESIGNS, and aRT of CHRISTOPHER BURDETT: Cover

Showing posts with label Cover. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Descent: Dark Elements Cover - Process

Today I am sharing the process and steps that went into a piece that I created yearly last year and was released back in April of this year, the cover illustration for Descent: Dark Elements. This assignment centered around a horrific Merroid emerging from the waters of a flooded chamber of a deep dark dungeon. This is of course something I could get behind! Here is how the final illustration turned out...

Descent: Dark Elements

12 x 12.5 - Digital

As the cover of a Descent expansion the piece needed to fit certain parameters. There needed to be a lot of bleed at the top for the type which resulted in an almost square layout. As with all of my assignments, I got started on some thumbnails. I envisioned a very dynamic scene of the Merroid splashing out of the water...

Descent: Dark Elements - Thumbnails #1

It turns out that production was looking for dynamic at all. They were looking for something more eerie and moody with the Merroid slowly rising out of the water. This meant all the thumbnails get scrapped and a new set needed to get created...

Descent: Dark Elements - Thumbnails #2

This time around I was more on target with what production was looking for. There were still a couple more notes to be addressed, but I was definitely on the right track now. Here is the updated and finalized thumbnails...

Descent: Dark Elements - Thumbnail #3

With an approved thumbnail it was time to work up the drawing. This one was really straight forward, big monster in the water... RAWR! Here is how the final drawing turned out...

Descent: Dark Elements

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper

There was one small tweak of the drawing once I was done with it, but that could be addressed in the painting process and did not require an edit to the drawing. It was time to paint! At this time I did this piece I was still working 100% digitally, though depending on the client, I most likely would approach a cover these days digitally too. But you never know. In just twelve easy steps the cover to Dark Elements comes together... or now. I know I say this a lot, but this one was really straight forward. No issues or catastrophes along the way. They happen, but not on this assignment. Here is a look at the piece coming together step by step...

Descent: Dark Elements - Progress progression

To better illustrate the painting taking shape, here is an animated progression of the process...

Descent: Dark Elements - Animated process progression

Except for the tentacle mouth rotation that was requested by production after the drawing was turned in, a stretch and squish of the background early on, and a rock that I moved the painting stays as it was originally planned. Always nice when a piece behaves itself! Here again is the finalized painting and an image of the packaging featuring the illustration for your viewing pleasure...

Descent: Dark Elements

12 x 12.5 - Digital

Descent: Dark Elements packaging

(image courtesy the FFG website)

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

Monday, April 13, 2015

Descent: Dark Elements Cover

A year ago I had the opportunity to work on my first cover assignment for Fantasy Flight Games. Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition, has special organized play adventures available first as in-store experiences and later available through their online store. Their organized play covers are very monster centric which allowed me the opportunity to work on one. I was tasked with portraying a menacing Merriod in a deep dark underground water filled dungeon. Here is how that Merriod turned out...

Descent: Dark Elements

12 x 12.5 - Digital

The Merriods are pretty crazy with their bitey face claw tentacles and they many rows of sharp pointy teeth, but were very fun to work on. This apparently has been out as an organized play adventure for a while now, unbeknownst to me. This adventure was made available for purchase on the FFG web store on Friday and I learned of its release. It feels like so much longer then a year since I worked on this with all that has happened artistically for me since then. Here is how the cover looks on the packaging...

Descent: Dark Elements packaging

(image courtesy the FFG website)

The menacing Merriod is currently getting some love on the FFG website. While it is not the first time, it is not often one of my pieces is so prominently featured on their site. I will take a moment to reflect on this... and then get back to work.

Dark Elements announcement on the FFG website

RAWR!

A big thanks to Andy Christensen for the opportunity to work on this assignment and for all the great art direction throughout this project. I will have a bit to share about this one when I post the process in the the coming weeks. More on this soon!

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

Friday, March 27, 2015

Bestiary: Lost World - Process

Been talking a lot about Magic the Gathering recently and thought I would switch it up today with some Dungeons & Dragons. Still clearing out my blog queue of items that have been patiently waiting to get posted. Today I have the process that went into designing and making the cover for Dragon Magazine issue 42. I first shared this with you way back in September of 2013... it sure has been waiting awhile to be posted! So that we are all on the same page, here is how the cover for Dragon #42 turned out...

Bestiary: Lost World - Dragon Magazine Issue 427
Digital

Not only was I tasked with painting the cover, but I was also asked to design three new prehistoric drakes that would be featured on the cover. One was the size of a large dog and was to be used as a hunting pack animal, one was big enough to ride, and one was a massive monster of a creature. Three new monsters mixed in with a hunting party of goblins and hobgoblins, what could possibly go wrong? I got to work on concepts and thumbnails, first on the new monsters concepts and then on the overall composition thumbnails for the illustration. Here are how the monster concepts turned out...

Venomous Urdrake Concepts

Sabermaw Urdrake Concepts

Ironclaw Urdrake Concepts

Now that I had some monster concepts I began working up the thumbnails using my favorite designs. Subtle influence on the art director? Possibly... but Kate has always been an amazing AD and she had her favorite monsters and her preferred thumbnail. Here is how the thumbnails for the illustration turned out...

Bestiary: Lost World - Thumbnails

Thumbnails turned in and decisions made. A little from column A, B, and C and the monsters and composition is all decided upon. Time for the final drawing and time to work up all the detail and figure out all the vague bit in the thumbnail. Here is how the final drawing turned out...

Bestiary: Lost World - Drawing

11 x 14

Pencil on Paper

The drawing was approved and it was time to paint! In just 12 easy steps... yeah, right... This was a cover and it had a ton of stuff going on, so I was a little apprehensive about this one. All in all, much to my surprise, it came together extremely quickly and without any major brain melting moments. Here is the painting coming together in 12 steps...

Bestiary: Lost World - Process steps

To help better illustrate the painting taking shape here is an animated gif of the process. You can see what changed along the way a bit better. Like when I got rid of a huge vine or changed the perspective of the Ironclaw's head. There is the expected pushing and pulling of the environment to get the right focus and contrast. ANIMATED...

Bestiary: Lost World - Process animation thing

The painting was approved without revision and production was happy. All in all, a success in my books. Covers do not come my way often, but when they do, I ponce on them. Here again is the final illustration and how it appeared as the cover (it was also used as the lead graphic for an article of the same name and appears in the magazine without cropping)...

Bestiary: Lost World - Dragon Magazine Issue 427

Dragon Magazine Issue 427 Cover

That is 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, September 18, 2013

Bestiary: Lost World - Dragon Magazine Issue 427

After posting my first Magic the Gathering cards on the blog on Monday I was wondering what I was going to do today that could hold up against that news. Well, a quick glance at the Dungeons & Dragons website solved my dilemma... My cover to Dragon Magazine issue 427 is now out! And look, there are LOTS of monsters on it...

Bestiary: Lost World - Dragon Magazine Issue 427

Besides being the cover for this month's issue of Dragon, this illustration is also the main piece for the article, Bestiary: Lost World. Not only did I get to paint hobgoblins and goblins but I got to design and illustrate three brand new prehistoric D&D monsters (RAWR)! This was a big piece for me... on many levels and I am very happy with how it turned out. I have produced a lot of single monster pieces over the years and this asked a lot more from me. Here is how the illustration looks cropped down for the cover...

Dragon Magazine Issue 427 Cover

The D&D home page today! RAWR!

I am looking forward to sharing with you the process that went into this piece. I did a bit of design work on the three prehistoric D&D monsters and I have been looking forward to sharing it. The final drawing that I did for this piece was also larger then my usual drawings since there is so much more going on. Hopefully I will have the process post for this piece on the blog in the coming weeks!

I would like to extend a HUGE thanks to Kate Irwin for involving me on this project and for her art direction on this piece! This piece was a big step forward for me and I am glad I have shown her I was ready and prepared for this assignment.

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog, see you back here on Friday for some Magic drawings! Until then...

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

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Heart of the Scar - Process

As promised when I first showed of the Heart of the Scar I have for you today a look at the steps that went into the piece. Over the last couple of years I have been able to put together a work flow that has been very successful for me. The work flow plays to my strengths and insures that I am aware and address my weaknesses. If you saw my recent post on the process for the Oasis Beast, then this work flow should look very familiar. Since I was creating a brand new creature and illustrating it I started with some concepts for the creature and thumbnails for the over all illustration. As you will see, I had a fairly set idea of what I wanted to do for the illustration...

Heart of the Scar thumbnails
© 2011 Wizards of the Coast
Not sure if any of these were a stand out favorite of mine. I just knew I wanted to get up close and personal with the monster so you could see all the tentacles and horror. Option 'C' was the winner with production.

Now that I had a monster and a composition I could get started on a final drawing. Looking at the drawing now I am a little shocked how little detail I put into it, especially with it being such a large and prominent piece. I guess I felt confident in the subject matter and forms that I didn't need any thing more complex from the drawing. Of course, it tuned out I was correct... thankfully!

Heart of the Scar drawing

I was working on this piece and the Oasis Beast at the same time. I have a superstition that makes me work on paintings in the order I was assigned them, since the Oasis Beast was first on the list I finished it first followed by the Heart of the Scar. I usually prefer to work on larger more complex paintings first, but my silly superstition wouldn't allow it. When I did get started on the painting I was a little surprised with how quickly it went...

After an undetermined amount of time I had a finished monster ready to devour unsuspecting players. As I have mentioned previously, I really need to keep track of how much time goes into a painting one of these days. As per my work flow, I put the piece away for a few days to have a look at it with fresh eyes, made some changes and turned it in with my fingers crossed that I had not taken stupid pills when working on it. Thankfully I had not and the piece was approved without revisions!

This piece is my first cover and to make it even better it is for Dungeons and Dragons. I could not be happier and it was a real treat to work on! To wrap up the post, here is the piece on the cover...

Dungeon Issue #197

Another monster to add to the monster zoo in my head. If you have any questions regarding the steps I take or the process in which I work, please feel free to ask!

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog, see you back here on Friday for some tentacled holiday cheer! Until then...

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