Talisman: The Lost Realms - The Return of the Dragons and Serpents

In a continuation of last week's post on my Talisman work resurfacing, I have more Talisman art that has resurfaced. This time around, it is The Lost Realms expansion that features the return of four of my monsters and was released in 2018. The pieces of mine included were created in 2009 and 2010 - give or take. The dates below will show 2010 or 2011, but it gets a little fuzzy on when I made the work versus when it was released, meant to be released, or the eventual delayed release. It's all unnecessarily complicated, but those were the times we lived through in the early 2010s. Let's start things off with a look at the packaging so that if you want to complete your collection of my art, you know what to get.

The Lost Realms expansion of Talisman

The four pieces of my art included in this expansion are the Arcane Dragon (originally the Seas Dragon), the Storm Dragon (one of my favorite pieces that I did for Talisman), Basilisk (the very first card that I did for the game, and the Dracolich (that you were reintroduced to last week). It is interesting to see the Storm Dragon and Basilisk juxtaposed because there was a TON of growth and work between the two of them in an incredibly short period. As mentioned last week, I used Talisman to experiment and try new techniques. For the most part, it gave me a place with a lot of freedom to push my boundaries and rise to the challenge. In the end, the work was fun, the pay was absolutely abysmal, and I have some cards in a popular game to show for it. Here is a look at the final art for the four pieces that have returned in this expansion.

Arcane Dragon

(originally the Sea Dragon)

Originally from Talisman: The Dragons

7 x 6 - Digital
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

Storm Dragon

Originally from Talisman: The Dragons

7 x 6 - Digital
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

Basilisk

5 x 4.5 -Digital

Originally from Talisman: Frostmarch

© 2010 Fantasy Flight Games

Dracolich

Originally from Talisman: The Dragons

7 x 6 - Digital
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

Finally, here is a look at the final production cards. As far as I know, these are unchanged from the other times these cards have been released. At last count, the Basilisk alone has been released two to three times before this release. I guess it is good that more of them are out in the world to be enjoyed.  

And all the monsters on their monster cards so you can hold them in your hands

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

Talisman: The Deep Realms - The Return of the Dracolich

Today, another episode of my work that was reprinted and released that I never knew about till now! This time around, it is the Dracolich that I originally created for Talisman: The Dragons way back in 2011. With a published year of 2011, it likely means I painted this in 2010, which means this little undead dragon is fourteen years old. I am only going through all the numbers because sometimes it is hard to get my head around how long I have been doing this. Jump ahead to 2015, and the Dracolich has popped up in the Talisman: The Deep Realms expansion. Always weird to stumble onto your work out in the wild that you never knew about. Though, I am not sure how many people knew about this piece to begin with. If this is your first encounter with this piece, I present to you the mighty Dracolich.

Dracolich

Originally from Talisman: The Dragons

7 x 6 - Digital
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

At one time, I did a lot of work on the Talisman games. I cut my teeth on the game and made some pretty good pieces for the game and some, shall we say, less successful pieces. Working on the game, with its TINY card size, meant that I could experiment, play, and take some chances with the art because when it is printed, it will be condensed and lose a lot of the fine detail. Also, these sets had a ton of cards with art from a ton of different artists, so turning in a dud now and again wasn't the level of issue it would be on other projects. There are some things that are working on this one and some things that aren't, but for a piece that is nearly fifteen years old, I think it is still, mostly, holding up. If you are looking to complete your entire collection of things I have worked on, then all you need do is look for this expansion, and you will be one step closer to a complete collection!

The Deep Realms expansion of Talisman

Finally, here is a look at the final production card. As far as I know, it is the same card with the same stats and abilities as the card initially released in the Dragons expansion. 

The Dracolich in handy dandy card form!

LOOK OUT! Craft:10!

 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

Talisman Adventures: Myths and Monsters - The Return of the Firemane, Rock Mauler, Amber Dragon, and Shadow Dragon

It recently came to my attention that last year the Talisman Adventures RPG came out with a Myths and Monsters book, and some of my old Talisman art is in it. It has been over a decade since I worked on Talisman, but I did do a couple of okay pieces. It is always fun to see ancient work used again. It must mean that it wasn't completely horrible. Starting things off, here is the cover of the book.

Talisman Adventures - Myths and Monsters

Talisman was the first Fantasy Flight game I worked on in 2009 as I changed the direction of my career in the tabletop gaming industry. The game was familiar to me since I had played it many times when I was younger, which made it more exciting to finally be able to work on it. I was still getting my feet under me artistically in 2009, but there are some glimmers of the artist I was to become in there. Here are the final paintings for the work appearing for an encore showing, the Firemane, Rock Mauler, Amber Dragon, and Shadow Dragon.

Firemane

Talisman: Sacred Pool
© 2010 Fantasy Flight Games

Rock Mauler

Talisman: Highland
© 2010 Fantasy Flight Games

Amber Dragon

Talisman: The Dragons
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

Shadow Dragon

Talisman: The Dragons
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

Lastly, here is how these pieces appeared in the book. There is some cropping, but that is to be expected. It is interesting to see what they used and didn't use. I did produce some much better pieces for the game, pieces that could have been used in the new book but weren't. That is all out of my hands, and at the end of the day, none of my concern. This was work for hire, and I have no control, say, or remittance to be had. That said, it is good to see the Rock Mauler again. Not really a good painting, or design for that matter, but I clearly remember working on it and the struggles I had.

The monsters in handy dandy book form.

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

Drogon Tattoo

In 2010 I painted the three dragons from A Game of Thrones for the card game for the first time. This, of course, included Drogon, and in 2011, the cards were released featuring my paintings. They were a fan favorite immediately, with Drogon becoming the top favorite. Sometime after that, I was approached by Mat McCarthy regarding usage rights for a tattoo. As this was work for hire, that is all out of my hands; I gave him my blessing. For years I have been reluctant to design tattoos or have people use my art in such a manner. It had everything to do with not feeling comfortable with art I do not think it is my best to be permanently put on someone's body. As my skillsets improved over the years, my no-tattoo stance has softened. I am still not designing them, but my existing art is available - but you need to contact me first, and I would like images of the final results. To start things off, here is the final art for the first Drogon painting that I created.

Drogon
10 x 8.3 - Digital

Art Director - Zoe Robinson
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

If I dug through enough messages and emails, I could figure out when Mat approached me, but that is irrelevant to the story. Mat wanted Drogon on his body, and I was finally at a point I could give him my blessing. This was years ago, but as of 2016, Mat had a significant amount of the tattoo finally created. Mat shared the images again, which is how I finally saw them. He shared that the piece is still not completed. I think it looks fantastic all the same, and he agreed that I could share the images of his tattoo. Without further yammering on my part, here are the images of the Drogon tattoo.

Images courtesy Mat McCarthy

Many thanks to Mat for the use of the images and for liking this piece enough to get it over a good bit of his body. It is an honor and very humbling.

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

Remaining Game of Thrones Mousepads and Playmats ON SALE!

While preparing for my first convention since February 2020 in two weeks, I stumbled on a handful of remaining client-related pieces of merchandise. These Game of Thrones mousepads and playmats are the very last items of this type in my possession, and once they are gone, they are gone forever.

These mousepads and playmats feature my art of Viserion and Rhaegal that I created for the Game of Thrones card game. They are some of my favorite dragon art that I have made in my career.

In addition to a reduced price, I am offering discounted shipping in the US.

Here are images of the items and links to my store. Or you can head to my store to see all related items here.

 

Rhaegal Playmat

Viserion Playmat

 

Rhaegal Mousepad

 

Viserion Mousepad

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

Never Shared - Coils of Madness Packaging

Recently while doing some cleaning and organizing, I came across some card packs that I had completely forgotten about.  Not only were they forgotten, after a quick search, I realized I never shared them. These card packs have been tucked away for seven years, and now they are finally getting a little attention here on the blog. Way back in 2012, I worked on the Legend of the Five Rings expansion, Coils of Madness. One of the main pieces I produced for that set was the great mad dragon P'an Ku. The set was eventually released in 2013, and my P'an Ku art was heavily used on the card packaging as well as the card box. I feel like this may have been lost on me at the time because this is something that does not happen with my art with any frequency. Here is a look at the packaging for Coils of Madness.

P'an Ku snapping at you from the front of the packs.

P'an Ku wraps around to the back.

P'an Ku is the featured art on the top of the card box as well.

For an eight year old painting, I still really like this piece. Sure, there are things I would do differently now, but for card art, it still looks great, and I love I doubled down on yellow and made this piece so warm. I really thought this piece was going to be huge for me. I made a ton of prints and playmats of this image, and I just had a feeling this piece was going to sell really well for me. That is not how it ended up working out. When the playmats eventually sold out about five years ago, I never had them reprinted. The prints sold very slowly from the beginning, and I was finally rid of the last ones in February at Pensacon when the last one sold from my deep, deep discount bin. Not the fate I had envisioned for P'an Ku, but that is how it is sometimes. This piece seemed to tick all the boxes for a fan favorite, but the fans were never there. Goes to show that you can never honestly know what will be successful and what will not. Here is the final art for P'an Ku's Madness, as well as the card it appears on. 

P’an Ku's Madness

© 2013 Alderac Entertainment Group

P’an Ku's Madness in handy card form.

That's 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

Shifting Shadow - Commander 2017 - Prints NOW AVAILABLE!

I have updated my store with Shifting Shadow prints! Follow the link below to get your very own signed and numbered prints from Commander 2017. I know these are a little late in getting on the store... but better late than never! As always, these prints are limited to a print run of only 50 copies.

Shifting Shadow

PRINTS available at OMA!

 
If you are interested in artist proofs of this card, those are available over on my store as well!

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

Commander 2017 Artist Proofs NOW AVAILABLE!

Artist proofs of my Commander 2017 card are NOW AVAILABLE on my store! If you are interested in the Shifting Shadow artist proofs, now is the time to act! I am a *LITTLE* behind in posting these, but better late than never. All of my artist proofs come signed and numbered and the standard APs are limited to 50. As always, there is an option to just buy the artist proof or to get a unique, one of a kind sketch on the back of the card. 

Shifting Shadow Artist Proofs now available!

Don't forget...

All of my Magic the Gathering Artist Proofs for all your Artist Proof needs!

All signed and numbered for your enjoyment!

I first shared this piece with you in August of last year. As I said, I am a little behind in getting these up with such a busy stretch of months. I will have prints available next week as well! Keep an eye out on the blog for details! Here again is the full final art of this card...

Shifting Shadow

Magic the Gathering - Commander 2017

14 x 10.2- Digital
PRINTS available at OMA!

© 2017 Wizards of the Coast

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

Announcing The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia - A Project of Monsters & Stories!

I am thrilled to formally announce a project I have been working on for some time now. You may have noticed that I have been posting a series of monsters drawn on toned paper. Well, these have all been part of a large project set in a world that I have been developing for nearly two decades. With the posting of my most recent drawing on Monday, Ethra VanDalia, I present to you, The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia...

Announcing The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

A Project of Monsters & Stories!

The Grand Bazaar is just that, a massive city-sized marketplace created by the being known as Ethra VanDalia. The Grand Bazaar has existed for thousands of years. It is inhabited by monsters and creatures who sell their wares, do business, and otherwise live their lives in the ever-expanding warren of shops, towers, and dungeons. Every monster has a story, and I plan to use The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia to tell them all.

This is an ongoing project and is very much in production. When I have created all of the art, written all of the stories, and have it all completed, I will be bringing it to Kickstarter to help fund the project as a book. I have a lot planned, and I hope that you will join me in this endeavor to see it a reality. I will continue to update on my blog about each new piece and give updates as things advance. This project has nearly completely taken up all of my art-making time this year, but as I have said before, this project began almost twenty years ago with a dragon creating powerful magical items.

Ethra VanDalia
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper 
Currently Available Grand Bazaar Originals

© 2017 Christopher Burdett

Ethra, or at the time, Eathra, first appeared in the fall of 1998 in my first etching class in college. The world that Ethra lives in was already taking shape in this first piece, but it would take nearly two decades for all the pieces to fall into place. Here is that very first etching of Ethra...

Eathra Van Daillia Completes the Gems of Power
Etching on paper - Edition of 8 
© 1998 Christopher Burdett

This is not the first time I have shared this image here. In 2007 I revisited Ethra with a much-needed update as I played again in the world of the Grand Bazaar - though, at the time, I still had not put the pieces together. The 2007 reworking of Ethra paved the way for its final incarnation...

Finishing Touches
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper 
Original - NFS

© 2007 Christopher Burdett

I needed to work and play in the visual world of the Grand Bazaar for a while before I felt ready to finally approach the final version of Ethra, and in turn, announce this project. Here is a look at the evolution of Ethra...

The evolution of Ethra
1998 - 2017

If the world and monsters of the Grand Bazaar seem familiar to you, it is because I have been creating works over the years set in it. At the Illustration Master Class in 2011, I produced a piece titled Haggling that features a Kiplorbic Animal Dealer and Nimsbane Curse Victim...

Haggling
11.9 x 15.8 - Digital
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Last year I created a piece titled Marketplace based around an Irritated Girasol...

Marketplace
11 x 14 - Acrylic on board 
Original - NFS

© 2016 Christopher Burdett

The pieces are falling into place, but I still have work to do. Once I have completed the base set of monsters, I will be moving on to illustrating the Grand Bazaar itself. I want to do this project correctly. This means it will receive as much time as needed to make it right. Here is a look at the currently completed monsters for The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia...

The first 21 monsters from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

*UPDATE!*

The current list of monsters appearing in the first volume are now complete! You can see them all in the following image and learn more about each in the links below!

Monsters line up for The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

Currently Available Grand Bazaar Originals

Here are all of the monsters appearing in the first volume of The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia: Aberrant Stilter, Belled Kreep, Corrupted Knight, Dight-Kin, Eau-de-nil Elder, Ethra VanDalia, Footman, Gray Wanderer, Gullet, Humgruffin Mother, Irritated Girasol, Judicator, Kiplorbic Animal Dealer, Lammergeier Transport, Myopic Riflemen, Nimsbane Curse Victim, Ophiomornous Bureaucrat, Petrous Blacksmith, Quincaillerie, Rapacious Guttersnipe, Saint Marque, Smokestack, Thrice, Uncanny Scribe, Virulent Artificer, Woven Egg, Woven Shaper, Xandrell Tree, Yote Arms Dealer, and Zombic Spore.

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