Showing posts with label Sam Flegal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sam Flegal. Show all posts

Monday, April 13, 2020

AradaniCon Wrap Up

This past Friday and Saturday, I was able to take part in AradaniCon, a free online convention hosted by the good folks at Aradani Studios. There were panel, demos, cosplay, artist hangouts, gaming, and a late-night digital dance party. While I could not attend as much as I would have liked (computer failures and unexpected real-world issues), I took part in the artist hang out and Sam Flegal's panel, How to Find Your Voice as an Artist. It was Sam, Allen Panakal, and me talking about art, making art, inspiration, and more. We took questions from those watching live, and I had a blast. It is available in its entirety on YouTube.


How to Find Your Voice as an Artist

For the time being, I think this may be the way of things, and I see more of this happening in general in the future. It was fun, easy, costs only time, and was a way to connect with people all around the country and world nearly seamlessly. A HUGE thanks to all the Bielaczycs and all of their work done to get things up and working, inviting me to take part, and making it all happen. Really good times! 

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, March 1, 2019

Pensacon 2019 Recap

Another amazing Pensacon has come and gone. I can not say enough good things about the convention, those that run it, work it, and attend it. Three days of super fun times and really great people. This year was by far my best Pensacon to date, both financially and as a convention. The area of Pensacola that surrounds the Bay Center is getting to feel familiar, and we are taking part in a lot more events outside of the convention. Our con family is expanding, and the fun level has significantly increased. Pensacon 2020 has been announced, and I can not wait to return!

A HUGE thanks goes out to Mike Ensley, Steve Wise, and all of the AMAZING staff and volunteers for bringing me back and making it such a wonderful experience. And thanks to all those that stopped by my table to talk about art, monsters, and more. You are all responsible for making my time at Pensacon so much fun and memorable! 

Here are some images and thoughts from Pensacon 2019...

 Once again it somehow all fit into my car.

 Getting ready for set up.

 The vendors are hard at work getting everything ready.

 My Pensacon 2019 booth set up. I tried something different this time around, I left my original paintings at home and brought canvas prints of my most popular paintings. It was more successful than expected!

 My favorite drawing from the Thursday night drink and draw. Drawings will be auctioned off for charity.

 The vendor floor is ready for the first day of Pensacon!

 My con neighbor is Sam Flegal! This is the first time we have ever been set up side by side, and it was a great time. We are both ready for the first day of Pensacon!

 I started the first day with a panel on working on game art, usage, and collecting. It was a great panel, and I think we actually talked about relevant topics and answered questions.

 On the panel was me, Brain Stillman, Sam Flegal, and Seth Polansky. I would do another panel with these guys in a second. 

 These are the droids I am looking for.

 Pictures will never do it justice, the vendor floor was packed all weekend. On Saturday there was little to no room to move down there.

 The top highlight of the Pensacon for me was meeting Alan Harris. He was the actor that performed Bossk, who is the character that most directly influenced my journey as an artist. I got a couple figures signed. I had an absolutely lovely conversation with him, and he told me about his time on set performing Bossk. Good times. I mostly kept my cool...

 Here is a set of four Festering Mummy artist proofs with one big sketch on the back. RAWR!

 Speaking of artist proofs with sketches, here are some more.

And, here are even more. I forgot to get images of them all. Artist proofs were huge for me this year at Pensacon.

 The screening of the Eye of the Beholder was GREAT. There was a good turn out, and the Q&A afterward was fun and informative. There were many great questions about making art for D&D and playing D&D.

 Another highlight of Pensacon 2019 was seeing the Cybertronic Spree play on Saturday night.

 The show was beyond AMAZING and if you ever have a chance to see them perform you must go.

 With the help of Dear Wife, I was able to get to the front of the stage, and there was much rocking out.

 By Sunday I was running low on energy, as with most cons, but there was still a lot of fun, excitement, and attendees to meet.

 I was able to finally cross paths with Jeffery Combs at Pensacon. He and I both worked on All Souls Day fifteen years ago, but I never had a chance to talk to him on set. I adore his Star Trek work, and it was great to finally have a moment to talk. I, of course, got my DVD of All Souls Day signed.

 Sunday was busier than expected, and I caught a second wind to see Pensacon over the finish line.

 Beginning last year, we instituted a recovery and rest day after Pensacon on Pensacola Beach.

 After three (four with set up) on the convention, it is good to have some downtime with friends to rest and ease out of the convention experience.

 There are worse ways to end a convention. Thank you Pensacon! It is, as always, a WONDERFUL time!

Be sure to check out the Pensacon website to see who will be coming in 2020 and to follow them on social media to get the newest announcements. I hope to see you all there next year!

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

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Pensacon 2019 THIS WEEKEND!

I am THRILLED to be returning as a guest to Pensacon this coming weekend, February 22-24! I LOVE Pensacon, and I always have a fantastic time there. Not enough good things can be said about Pensacon, and I hope to see you there!
I will see you at Pensacon February 22-24, 2019!

The map for Pensacon is up, and you will be able to find me at table 20N on the third floor of the venue in the artist alley. There are a ton of fantastic artist appearing this year at Pensacon, and I will be tabling near several of them. It should be an excellent time with lots of yummy art for the eyes to take in.

Come find me at table 20N, I will be right next to Sam Flegal!

Lastly, I will be part of two events this year. The first will be a sit down with Brain Stillman and Sam Flegal to talk about making art for gaming and dealing with collectors and collecting art. It should be a fun chat and the first time I have had the opportunity to panel with Sam. This panel takes place at the opening of the show on Friday, so don't miss it. The second event will be the screening of the Eye of the Beholder on Saturday. There will be a Q&A after the screening, and since I will be the only artist in attendance that is in the film, I will be there with the filmmakers, Brian Stillman, Kelley Slagle, and Seth Polansky. I hope to see you at one or both of these events! 

Come see me talk about things!

That is all for another exciting week on the blog, see you back here next week after Pensacon! Until then...

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

Friday, October 6, 2017

Kickstarter Roundup - Flegal, Sass, Seaman, and Walpole!

Today on the blog I wanted to point out some current Kickstarter projects by friends of mine that I think you all might be interested it. Most of these have just begun or have a while still to go and at least two of them are already funded. All of these campaigns feature amazing art by awesome people and if you have not already checked them out, you should do so NOW! 


First up is Sam Flegal's Fateful Signs: The Illustrated Voluspa. I shared with you Sam's Fateful Signs: The Illustrated Havamal Kickstarter from last year which I was really excited about. I am even more excited about his new book in the series. The art looks to be even better, the book looks to be even better, and Sam is really hitting his stride with his Fateful Signs work. I can not speak highly enough about this Sam's work and I strongly urge you to be a part of this campaign. Even if you missed his first book, you can still get one through the current campaign!


Second is Mike Sass's Epic Fantasy Painting DVD. Mike is a great guy with a gorgeous painting style and he has worked on a ton of great projects producing beautiful art. This DVD covers his entire painting process and goes into a lot of detail on how we approaches a painting. From drawing, shooting reference, color theory, and painting process and technique this 5.5 hour DVD tutorial is a must for students and aspiring artists. Even veteran artists that are making the transistion to oils can learn a lot from Mike's DVD. I urge you to go check out the campaign and support Mike's efforts!


Third is Chris Seaman's Cameo Creeps Set III. Again, I have shared Chris's previous Cameo CreepsKickstarter here on the blog. I love Chris's work and we own three Cameo Creeps originals as part of our art collection. Chris is building up an amazing empire of original monsters and I STRONGLY urge you to take the time to head over and see what Chris is doing if you are unfamiliar with his work. Cameo Creeps is only going to get bigger and better so you don't want to miss out on the new Creeps. Earlier sets are sold out, so you need to act fast!


Last, but not least, is Tyler Walpole's Blood of the Dragons: Prelude. In Tyler's own words, "Over the last few years, between freelance illustration gigs, I have been slowly developing my own urban-fantasy story setting, called: Blood of Dragons. And now, I’m asking your help to bring the first art book in the series into the world." Tyler is an amazing guy and I love his work. He has been knocking it out of the part with his Blood of Dragons work and it is so exciting to finally see it coming together. You need to see what he is doing, so head on over to Tyler's campaign and be a part of the world he is building!

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

Monday, March 14, 2016

Kickstarter Roundup - Miller, Flegel, Manomivibul, and Seaman!

Today on the blog I wanted to point out some current and upcoming Kickstarter projects by friends of mine that I think you all might be interested it. These run the gamut of ending very soon, right in the middle, starting tomorrow, and soon to launch. All feature amazing art by awesome people and if you have not already checked them out, you should do so NOW! 


First up is Aaron Miller's Collector Tokens Kickstarter! I shared this on the blog last month leading up to the launch of the campaign. Aaron was using the new social mediea amplifier Thunderclap to get out the word. Since then this Kickstarter has been doing GREAT and will be ending VERY soon. If you have not already checked it out now if the time. Many stretch goals have been unlocked and you will be getting a lot of bang for you buck.



Second up is Sam Flegal's Fateful Signs: The Illustrated Havamal! I am so excited about this one. Sam recently created a series of illustrations centered around the Havamal, a collection of ancient Norse wisdom. He is collecting his art, the original text, the translation of the original text, and the notes from the translator. There are a ton of tier to support this campaign at with loads of add on and extras. This is definitely one Kickstarter to now miss out on. Head over to Sam's Fateful Signs: The Illustrated Havamal Kickstarter to get all the details and information regarding this AWESOME campaign. 

The Collector's tier of Sam's campaign that I can't wait to get my hands on!
There are tiers at every price point to fit any budget.



Third on the list is Michael Manomivibul's Fathoms Art Book! This campaign starts tomorrow and will be a collection of Michael's work spanning from 2009 to the present. This is the first major collection of Michael's work and you should not miss this opportunity to get your hands on it. If you are unfamiliar with Michael's work you should check out his website or just Head to his Kickstarter. You will not be disappointed. 



Chris Seaman prepares a miniature set to be used in his Kickstarter video

Last but certainly not least is the announcement that Chris Seaman will have a Cameo Creeps Kickstarter coming to us in the near future. If you are unfamiliar with the Cameo Creeps that Chris creates then head over to his website to check them out. I absolutely love them and we own three of them in our collection. The details of the campaign are currently unknown, but I am confident that this will be one not to miss. You can follow Chris on Kickstarter so that don't miss the launch of his next campaign. No matter what, Chris will forever upped the ante for the communities Kickstarters, we will all now need to have miniature sets.

Keep an eye out for what Chris Seaman is planning for his Cameo Creeps Kickstarter!

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

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Upping My Frame Game

Since I have shared two new paintings in the last two week, I think this is a good opportunity to share some of the stuff I have been doing behind the scenes to create an overall more professional finished product with my paintings. What I am focusing on right now is upping my frame game. I look to my friend and fellow artist, Sam Flegal, as a guide on how to up my frame game. On top of being an amazing artist and businessman, Sam has great taste in frames and presentation. A lot of what I am doing to better my own frame game is learned directly or through observation from Sam. Recently, I have gone that extra step and started to finish off the backs of my framed paintings...

Choosing the right frame for the right painting is part of it and I am constantly trying to find ways to better frame my work in a cost effective way. When someone is buying a painting you want to give them a finished complete item, so sometimes that means addressing the parts you don't always see.

BAM! I have started to clean up and finish off the backs of my paintings.

I have had custom stickers made so that my branding and info is clearly presented on the back!

Made sure to put little rubber feet on the bottom of the frame for a better hanging experience.

In the end this was not as difficult step to take as I first imagined. Once you have the supplies to do it, which were not terribly expense, it comes together quickly and easily. It is just a matter of taking that extra step to invest the time and effort to make a more finished product. To be honest, I didn't realize this was even an option for me until recently (thanks to Sam... THANKS SAM!). When I started painting, I didn't even think this was necessary, I was just thrilled to be painting.  In my opinion, for what it is worth, I feel that the presentation of the painting is enhanced and it now feels professional and finished in a way my open backed paintings did not. My only regret is that I have sold paintings before I started doing this and I wish I could go back and finished off those paintings. BUT, this IS a learning process and you can't expect things to be perfect immediately.

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, July 3, 2015

Sam Flegal: Fateful Signs - Norse Art Volume 2

I would like to spread the word about a most excellent Kickstarter, Fateful Signs - Norse Art Volume 2, going on right now from the most excellent artist, Sam Flegal. I love Sam's work and you should too! Here are some words from Sam about his project...
"I'm creating the second installment of a series of prints based on Norse Mythology. I have a deep love for the Northern Myths and I am pleased to offer FIVE new images in my series. Between Series 1 and 2 I have TWELVE unique images depicting the gods and legends of the northmen."
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/samflegal/fateful-signs-norse-art-volume-2

Don't walk, RUN on over to Sam's Kickstarter and get in on some excellent art! Here is a sample of the great new work by Sam that is part of his Kickstarter...



I can not say enough about Sam and his work and I strongly encourage you to go check out Fateful Signs - Norse Art Volume 2! You will not regret it! 

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

Friday, January 10, 2014

One Fantastic Week

If you have not heard about it, Peter Mohrbacher and Sam Flegal are doing something pretty cool over on Google Hangout. They are doing a weekly live chat where they talk about the previous week working as fantasy artists. They talk about what they are working on, the ups, the downs, they answer questions, and for some reason on their December 23rd live cast... they had me on as a guest! RAWR!



If you would like check out more you can see them over on youtube or on Pete's Google+ page. They are up to 7 episodes and in the most recent episode they invite on Sean Andrew Murray as a special guest. I strongly encourage you to check it out! I have known Pete and Sam for a number of years now and can't speak highly enough of them as people, artists, and businessmen.

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, September 6, 2013

Wookiee Gunner

What better way to conclude an exciting week on the blog then with a Wookiee! Today I have for you a piece I put together to have at Gen Con which you may have already gotten a glimpse of, my toned paper Wookiee Gunner...

Wookiee Gunner
12 x 9
colored pencil on toned paper
Original "Wookiee Navigator" sketch © 2013 Fantasy Flight Games

The Wookiee Gunner may be familiar to you for other reasons too, since it is based off of the Wookiee Navigator that I created for the Star Wars Card Game. Apparently this Wookiee is getting around a lot more then I originally knew. After Gen Con I got a message from Sam Flegal (this becomes even more relevant as you read on). The message included a photo of a Star Wars card with the image of the Wookiee Navigator and the card title of "Gunner". I was dumbstruck! Turned out the card comes with the Slave One, Star Wars miniatures expansion. How cool is that! Here is a look at the card and the mini...

Slave One and Gunner from the Star Wars miniatures expansion

Gunner! that happens to be a Wookiee...

Speaking of Sam Flegal... as mentioned in my Gen Con coverage, Sam is now the happy owner of the Wookiee Gunner! The circle is now complete, when the Wookiee Gunner left me it was but the learner, but now... it is the master. Or something like that...

Wookiee adaption program

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, August 21, 2013

Gen Con 2013 - Day 0

There are back again... Gen Con 2013. Due to limited (no) access to reliable wifi I am now posting my adventures from Gen Con 2013. I had planned to post while at the con... but the best laid plans... SO, I am posting it all now over the next several days.

Over all it was a really great con and hopefully the photos I took express that. It felt like there were always days and days ahead of me for the con and before I knew it... it was all over and I am home again. Met loads of people at the con, some new, some old and had some great interactions. Already looking ahead to Gen Con 2014!

Before I get ahead of myself, let's have a look at Gen Con 2013! As previously mentioned we drove as far as Nashville on the first day. We then made a caravan with the Flegals the rest of way to Indianapolis. Set up went smoothly and I am really happy with how the booth came together this year. Each year I learn to do things better and better, and I think it is starting to show... to me at least. Everyone was rather tired from travel and set up so there was now a lot of adventures the evening of Day 0, but there was plenty of time ahead of us for that!

Here is a look at Day 0...

TOTALLY saw a real dinosaur on the side of the interstate on the way to Indianapolis!
(Sorry for the bad photo, it all happen so quickly... like big foot.)

Upon second inspection on the way home it turned out to not be a REAL dinosaur... /sad

Crossed a real cool bridge as we left Kentucky and entered Indiana.

The booth! Almost completely together. There will be some additions and modifications before the start of the con the following day.

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog, see you back here tomorrow for more Gen Con 2013 coverage! Until then...

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