The DOODLES, DESIGNS, and aRT of CHRISTOPHER BURDETT: Legend of the Five Rings

Showing posts with label Legend of the Five Rings. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Rediscovered Art Now Available - Legends of the Five Rings

With the completion of my studio last year and my return to conventions, I have been digging through many files, boxes, and art and doing a great deal of organizing. With all this comes the resurfacing of older art and art that I had assumed was gone. To be fair, in the lead-up to the release of The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia in 2020, I had cleared out client work and non-Bazaar stuff from my convention setup and filed a lot of older art away. With the chaos of the following years, a lot that was filed away became forgotten. This means I am now making works available that were lost but are now found. I will share some of this work on the blog as it returns to my store. To start things off, I have for you the last four drawings that I produced for the Legend of the Five Rings card game.

Niiro no Oni

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper

The Shadow's Embrace
© 2012

Hida Kaiji

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper

Seeds of Decay
© 2012

Determined Challenge

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper

Seeds of Decay
© 2012

Hida Kaiji

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper

Aftermath
© 2013

Here are some images of the final digital paintings and production cards for the pieces above. L5R was always a fun game to work on, and it allowed a lot of freedom with the art. Unfortunately, I was never able to fit as much L5R work into my schedule as I wanted to. These four are the last of the original art for the game that I still have. Once there are gone, so passes my involvement with the game.

If you are interested in the original drawings for any of these pieces, head to my store!

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

Monday, June 1, 2020

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

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

Friday, May 23, 2014

Aftermath - Natsumi - Process

Back in December I shared with you my contribution to the Legend of the Five Rings expansion, Aftermath. One of the cards that I had in that set was the mighty water elemental dragon thing... Natsumi. Today I have for you the process that went into making this piece. So that we are all on the same page here is how the final Natsumi turned out...

Natsumi

As I mentioned with the process post for Hida Kaiji this piece and Kaiji just didn't turn out as I had intended. While this piece did hit the mark more so then Kaiji, it just was not the piece I had originally wanted. This was by my doing and by my hand and should in no way reflex upon the client or art director.

Natsumi needed to be a water elemental of a dragon, flowing in and out of the water... becoming water and becoming solid again. I worked up a thumbnail that I hope captured that look and feel...

Natsumi - Thumbnail

The thumbnail hit the mark and I was given the go ahead to move on the final drawing. I got my water elemental dragon drawing on and this is what came of my efforts...

Natsumi - Drawing

As mentioned, I had wanted this to be in acrylic... but it just was not meant to be. Here is how the digital version came about. In just 12 easy steps a dragon painting can come together...

Natsumi - Process steps

Since this piece turned out better then Kaiji (to my eyes) I don't feel as "bad" about it. Maybe it is because it is a dragon... or a monster focused piece, but this one is less painful to revisit. Here is an animated gif to better show how this piece came together and took shape...

Natsumi - Process progression animation

As I have said many times, live and learn and walk away. Again, here is how the final Natsumi turned out as well as the final production card...

Natsumi

Natsumi in handy dandy card form

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

Friday, May 9, 2014

Aftermath - Hida Kaiji - Process

Back in December I shared with you my contribution to the Legend of the Five Rings expansion, Aftermath. One of the cards that I had in that set was the experienced version of the Crab Clan mutant, Hida Kaiji. Today I have for you the process that went into making this new experienced version of that big ole lovable mutant. So that we are all on the same page here is how the final Hida Kaiji turned out...

Hida Kaiji (experienced)

To be honest with you, I am not happy with how this piece turned out. This has NOTHING to do with the client, art director, or assignment... all with me. I had planned to paint both pieces for Aftermath traditionally, which obviously did not happen. After realizing it was not going to happen and that I needed to abandon my failed traditional pieces I was just off my game. As far as I am aware after taking with my AD on this after the fact they were happy with my Aftermath pieces... but that didn't change the fact that I was not. I had wanted to do so much more with these... and failed. So they were completed digitally and I never was able to get my head in a good place to feel like they were finished or successful. I think that Natsumi turned out more successful... but it was a water dragon... harder to mess up.

Getting things started as always was a thumbnail. Hida Kaiji needed to be towering over a bunch of Phoenix Clan monks smashing into them as they feebly breathed fire onto him. I knew what I wanted to do with this piece immediately and jumped into collecting reference. I worked out all the elements and figures and came up with this...

Hida Kaiji - Thumbnail

The thumbnail was approved without correction and I moved forward to the drawing. Everything was still progression on track and I was still eager to get these worked up in paint. Here is how the final drawing turned out...

Hida Kaiji - Drawing

The drawing was approved and I got my board prepped and I was ready to start painting in acrylic... and it all went horribly horribly wrong. This piece had all that fire I was unprepared for and the Natsumi had all that water. Curses to the fire and water! The details of my traditional failure are many and complex... but in the end the paintings just were not working out or coming together at all into something usable and I needed to abandon both pieces. I had to switch to doing them digitally before I ran out of time on the deadline. Back in my comfort zone I got to work on the digital version of Hida Kaiji but fought it the entire time...

Hida Kaiji - Process steps

There is just so much that I wanted to do with this piece and none of seemed to happen. I still did my best to turn in a good product and meet my commitment to the client. Like I said, I believe they were happy with the product, though I was not. Live and learn. Here is an animated gif of the Hida Kaiji coming together...

Hida Kaiji - Process progression animation

Sometime you just have to walk away from a piece. Not every piece can be successful no matter how much you try to make it work. Do the best you can and hope to do better the next time. Here again is how the final piece turned out as well as the final production card...

Hida Kaiji (experienced)

Hida Kaiji (experienced) in handy card form

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, February 12, 2014

Yozo's Inspiration - L5R Process

Last November I shared with my L5R Promo Card, Yozo's Inspiration. Just your everyday ordinary comet dragon... Today I have for you the steps and process that went into this golden dragon of inspiration and cometity goodness. Just so that everyone is on the same page, here is how the final Yozo turned out...

Yozo's Inspiration

Thumbnails come first (as ALWAYS). The one real direction with this piece, besides to make sure it looked like the established Yozo design, was to make it feel like the dragon is transforming from a comet or is in someway a comet. I didn't really have any idea just how I was going to pull that off going into this assignment, but I figured I would work it all out by the end. For the thumbnails I was aiming for a coiling streaming form for the dragon as it trailed off behind the focal point of the head. Here are how the two thumbnails for this piece turned out...

Yozo's Inspiration - Thumbnails

Looking back at this now, "B" is just a confusing mess. I put both forelimbs behind the first bend in the body and that just makes the whole thing look and feel weird. This may have played a big role in why option "A" was picked... or the fact that option "A" is just a whole lot better over all and helps tell the story of the character. Now that the a thumbnail has been selected, time for the drawing...

Yozo's Inspiration - Drawing

Coiling snaky eastern dragon? Yeah, I will draw that stuff ALL day long. So many scales though! The drawing came together without issue and was approved. Time for painting!

Yozo's Inspiration - Process Steps

As I was working up the value under painting in the third step above I began messing around with the idea of streaking color and light straight back from the dragon. Anywhere that there would be shadow there instead would be the tail of a comet, or the appearance of a comet. The day is saved and a design choice was made to give the client the intended look for this dragon. It will still be recognizable as Yozo and a dragon but have the feel of a comet. I don't like to leave such large important aspects of a painting to "happy accidents", but sometime I get the best results from doing just that. Please keep in mind, these types of "happy accidents" come after years and years of working EVERYTHING out before hand and really putting the time and energy into a piece to make sure it is all worked out and planned for. That time has given me a tool box of solutions and design choices to work from and play with in these less structured moments. I do not advise going into your first assignments with a client on a wing and a prayer without a plan of action or intended outcome. Save that stuff for assignment #30.

Again, here is how the final Yozo turned out and how it ended up looking on the final promotional card...

Yozo's Inspiration

Yozo in handy dandy card form!

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

Friday, January 31, 2014

The Lost Colossus - Process

Today on the blog I have for you the process that went into my very first traditionally painted piece that was completed for a client. I am of course referring to the mighty Lost Colossus that was for the Legend of the Five Rings: Gates of Chaos expansion. Somehow this one slipped through the cracks. I painted this in late 2012 and the piece was released in August of 2013 (if I remember correctly). Here is for the final piece turned out to refresh your memory...

The Lost Colossus

12 x 16 - Acrylic on board

Gate of Chaos expansion

Like every other pieces that I create the Lost Colossus began with a thumbnail stage. Unlike the rest of the pieces I create there was pretty much just ONE thumbnail that I was working with. I REALLY knew what I wanted to do with this piece and before sketching I took a ton of reference photos that I cobbled together to make myself into a four armed three faces giant statue. I really don't recommend doing just one thumbnail... but I have had a really great working relationship with Adrian over at AEG and I was confident that I was moving in the right direction with this piece. I spent a lot of time working out the concept to make sure it was the way I wanted it before turning it in...

The Lost Colossus - Thumbnail

I did not make a mistake and my gamble paid off... the thumbnail was approved without issue. Now that I had an approved thumbnail and loads of reference... I was ready to begin the drawing. Since I was planning on creating this traditionally I knew I needed to have a really solid worked out drawing. I did not have the luxury of being able to make revisions and changes on the fly like I can working digitally. I took my time with the drawing and worked everything out...

The Lost Colossus - Drawing

The drawing was rejected and I had to start over from the beginning...

Just kidding. The drawing was approved and I was ready to start smearing mud around with stick... and boy, was I nervous about that prospect. At this point in my career when I am ready to start my digital paintings I am mentally already two or three steps into the process working things out and making decisions. I don't really have any fear or worry about the prospect of the painting... maybe something in a piece will need some extra attention, but I know without a doubt that the piece will see the finish line. Not so much with the traditional work yet. I am really hesitant to begin as my mind is filled with everything that could go wrong... including the whole painting going down the tubes. In the process of creating a traditional painting I eventually get to a point where I know it will be alright, up until then though... it is nerve wracking. Here are a bunch of images of the painting coming together...

The Lost Colossus - Process steps

In just 15 easy steps you too can have a Lost Colossus... or not... In the end this was a very successful test for myself and I was very happy to have faced the challenge. It at least gives me the encouragement that I can create a traditional image on a deadline ... and not die. I am still not anywhere near a 100% success rate with my traditional pieces yet. As mentioned elsewhere, I attempted to create my next two L5R assignments traditionally and had to abandon both and had to complete them digitally. Live and learn! As of right now I am working on my third traditional piece for a client... here it hoping this one makes it over the finish line!

Again, here is how the final painting turned out as well as the final production card that it was made for...

The Lost Colossus

12 x 16 - Acrylic on board

Gate of Chaos expansion

The Lost Colossus - In handy card form

That is all for another exciting week on the blog, see you back here on Monday for a BRAND NEW MONSTER! RAWR! Until then...

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