Emberhorn Minotaur - Princes of the Apocalypse Process

I have another VERY overdue process post for you. Today I am sharing the process and steps that went into the Emberhorn Minotaur piece that I did for the 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragon's release of Princes of the Apocalypse. I first shared this piece with you back in April of 2015 which means I painted it in 2014... so, yeah, this is a little overdue. So many other things going on. Anyway, here is how the final piece turned out...

Emberhorn Minotaur
Dungeons & Dragons - Princes of the Apocalypse

12 x 9 - Acrylic, pencil, and gouache on board 

Original available on my web store!

Because this was one of my first traditional paintings for a client it was a rather stressful piece to work on. I talked about this a bit when I shared the process of the campaign piece to this one, Scrag Attack. The Scrag piece had a bit more going for it while I worked on it that this one lacked. In the end this piece was a LOT harder to get across the finish line. The lighting, the figure, and all the items in the scene that I needed to include were just a few of the things I struggled with. Not to mention the composition ended up being a little different then I had planned.

As with each and every other piece I create there were thumbnails. I shot photo reference of me as the Minotaur and as the warrior. I wanted to do a piece that was up close to the action right before the Minotaur, who is breathing fire, slams its axe against the warrior's shield. Here are how those thumbnails turned out...

Emberhorn Minotaur - Thumbnails

While 'B' was the winner, production wanted me to pull the camera back a bit and include the entire weapons for both figures. I REALLY liked the cropped weapons, I felt that it drew more attention to the figures looking at each other and the fire... but I made the change. Also, there Minotaur needed to be a little taller. I was fine with that. Here is how the updated thumbnail turned out...

Emberhorn Minotaur - Updated thumbnail

Now that I had an approved thumbnail it was time to get to work on the drawing. This went quicklu and without issue. Here is how the final drawing turned out...

Emberhorn Minotaur

14 x 11 - Pencil on paper

Original - SOLD

There was some concern from production that the fire didn't appear to be going in the right direction. To make sure it looked right I added some more volume to the fire ball and made sure that it was coming forward and did not appear to be blowing to the left. I made this edit digitally since it would have meant erasing a lot of line work on the drawing and would have, in my opinion, made for a less visually appealing drawing. Here is a the edited drawing...

Emberhorn Minotaur - edited drawing

14 x 11 - Pencil on paper with digital edit

With an approved drawing it was time to get started on the painting... and the stressing out and panicking. Here is the painting coming together is 15 stress free steps...

Emberhorn Minotaur - Process progression

The Minotaur was never the problem. The Minotaur was fun and  came together easily. It was the interior, the warrior, and the braiser of coals in the background that caused me nothing but hardship. I fought with this piece for way too long and it nearly won every battle. In house the cavity in the wall above the braiser was an issue and I was told it was not reading at all. Eventually it was removed. This was a learning experience since there was paint over paint over paint by the time I removed it, so that meant even more paint on top that needed to match everything else. Once I got the piece to a point I did not completely hate it I showed it to an outside advisor who told me it was totally not done. The entire environment needed more work as well as a lot of work to the warrior. This in no way totally and completely made me question what I was doing trying to attempt this piece traditionally. ... So I got to work adding more more more to everything. Added a lot more to the environment and reworked the warrior by making him more narrow overall which makes him appear taller. EVENTUALLY, I got to a stopping point and I turned the piece into the client. Here is an animated progression of the painting to better show how the piece evolved...

Emberhorn Minotaur - Animated process progression

I turned the piece in and it was approved, save for one thing that was completely out of my control. Here again is the final painting for the Emberhorn Minotaur...

 

Emberhorn Minotaur 

Dungeons & Dragons - Princes of the Apocalypse 

12 x 9 - Acrylic, pencil, and gouache on board  

Original available on my web store!

While I was given approved reference and style guide images of the Minotaur, at some point it was decided that the new Minotaur hooves were not wanted and more traditional hooves were requested. I made this hoof edit digitally. By the time the edit request came back from production I did not want to have anything to do with this piece anymore and I could do it much quicker and easier digitally. Also, in the long run, the change in the hooves would probably never be an issue or a deal breaker for anyone interested in this piece. I liked the ones I did originally and kept them. Here is the final print version of the Emberhorn Minotaur turned out...

 

Emberhorn Minotaur - Print final 

12 x 9 - Acrylic, pencil, and gouache on board with digital finish 

Learned a lot while working on this piece and hope to never find myself in that situation again anytime soon. I felt like I was dangerously in over my head and that is just not a good place to be while trying to make art, at least for me.

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

Scrag Attack - Princes of the Apocalypse Process

I have another VERY overdue process post for you. Today I am sharing the process and steps that went into the Scrag Attack piece that I did for the 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragon's release of Princes of the Apocalypse. I first shared this piece with you back in April of 2015 which means I painted it in 2014... so, yeah, this is a little overdue. So many other things going on. Anyway, here is how the final piece turned out...

Scrag Attack

Dungeons & Dragons - Princes of the Apocalypse

  6.5 x 16 - Acrylic, pencil, and gouache on board

Original - SOLD

© 2015 Wizards of the Coast

This was one of the very first pieces that I did after deciding to switch the majority of my client work from digital to traditional. This was also a piece I did a lot of freaking out about and over. It was a very nervous time in my monster making life. I was taking a lot of chances and I felt like I was risking it all. We are approaching the two year anniversary when I made the switch so I will be interesting to see where I am when that roles around.

I was relying heavily on all if my best practices that I learned in my digital process flow to make the switch to traditional that much easier. That meant starting off with reference gathering and thumbnails. Here is how the thumbnails turned out for this piece...

Scrag Attack - Thumbnails

© 2015 Wizards of the Coast 

Option "C" was the winner, production just wanted a little more bleed and to bet the Troll's elbow into the composition. There was a bit of a run around with this aquatic troll too. It was in the adventure, but an aquatic troll did not exist yet for 5th Edition. I was asked to that the Troll template and add gills and webbed figures. There was some back and forth and eventually it was approved and went through, though I was a little nervous for a moment or two. Here is how the final drawing turned out...

Scrag Attack - Drawing

  11 x 17 - Pencil on paper

Original - SOLD

© 2015 Wizards of the Coast

With an approved drawing I was physically ready to start the final painting, mentally ready... that is another situation altogether. I had no idea about how long this painting would take. I had no idea what obstacles I would face. I had no idea when I was even done with the painting... did I even ever actually finish it? Like I said, there were a lot of risks being taken and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Here is a look at the painting coming together...

Scrag Attack - Process progression

© 2015 Wizards of the Coast

I was pretty much in a state of wild panic through out this entire piece. If you look at the last image in the process above, this is where I first thought this piece was finished. Through a bit of a personal crisis and some advice from another artist I went back in and continued working on this piece to the point you see in the final state. I learned A LOT doing this piece and its companion piece (the fire breathing Minotaur that I will share the process with you soon). Sometimes you learn the most when you have the most to loose. You also learn a lot by doing the actual work and not by planning and practicing ahead of time. Here is an animated progression of this piece coming together so you can better see the steps...

Scrag Attack - Animated process

© 2015 Wizards of the Coast

To put it bluntly, there was a lot of blood split to finish this piece. It took its tool on me and my dear wife, but in the end it was finished, approved, published, and sold. The painting saw its entire lifespan so it was a victory. I just did not know at the time I started it that it would be so costly, emotionally speaking. Live and learn! Here again is the final painting for your viewing pleasure...

Scrag Attack

Dungeons & Dragons - Princes of the Apocalypse

  6.5 x 16 - Acrylic, pencil, and gouache on board

Original - SOLD

© 2015 Wizards of the Coast

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

Dungeons & Dragons - Princes of the Apocalypse

Last year I made the decision to begin working traditionally for my client work. The switch came in July/August and Dungeons & Dragons - Princes of the Apocalypse was the first project that I worked on. In some ways I find it very fitting that the first project was to be a D&D project. Princes of the Apocalypse with produced with Sasquatch Games Studio in coordination with WotC and it was a really fun to work on. I contributed two pieces to the book, one has an aquatic troll (RAWR!) and the other has a fire breathing minotaur (RAWR!)...

Scrag Attack

Dungeons & Dragons - Princes of the Apocalypse

  6.5 x 16 - Acrylic, pencil, and gouache on board

Original - SOLD

© 2015 Wizards of the Coast

Emberhorn Minotaur

Dungeons & Dragons - Princes of the Apocalypse

  12 x 9 - Acrylic, pencil, and gouache on board

Original available on my web store!

© 2015 Wizards of the Coast

Since these were my first paintings since deciding to go traditional AND these paintings were for D&D it was a *little* stressful at times. The stakes were high and I was just a little concerned I might not be making the best choice. In the end the paintings got done, my wife did not murder me, and they are in the book (thanks wife and Aaron!). These are not perfect, but they are a really good start and I think each painting since has been better and better. I have a lot to learn, but that IS the point of all this. Growth, advancement, learning new things. I will have more to say about both of these in the new future when I share the process that went into making these.

Here is a look at how the pieces appeared in the book, there was a little cropping, but they turned out great in my opinion...

Traditionally painted D&D paintings in handy dandy book 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