Coming to Gen Con 2022 - The Grand Tote Bag of Ethra VanDalia!

I am happy to share the first of several surprises I have in store for Gen Con 2022 in August. I present to you with the Grand Tote Bag of Ethra VanDalia that you will be able to obtain for FREE!

The Grand Tote Bag of Ethra VanDalia will be available at Gen Con 2022!

Dear Wife had another fantastic idea for Gen Con, a tote bag for the books! You can never have enough bags to carry things at a convention, and I am thrilled that we now have a stylish and functional bag to hold all your Grand Bazaar items. 

If you are wondering how to get your hands on one, well, first, you need to be at Gen Con. After that, there are two easy ways to get one... for FREE: 1) Purchase all three of my books and both pins 2) Purchase one of the remaining sixteen copies of the deluxe edition of the books. It's that simple! Here is what you get with each of those options.

Purchase the hardcover of the Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDaila, the 5th Edition D&D stats guide, the coloring book, and both pins ($80), and get the tote bag for FREE.

 

Purchase the deluxe edition of the books ($150 - while supplies last), and get the tote bag for

We will only have limited supplies of tote bags at Gen Con, so you will need to act fast. If this takes off, it might be something we will continue, but it will depend on how popular they are in the event. Judging from my recent other conventions, I feel they will be. Here are a couple images of the items bagged up - please note that all the books fit entirely inside the bag; they are peaking out so you can see them.

Bagged up and ready to go! At Gen Con, the books will be prebagged, signed, and ready to go!

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

Lord Mashugana (Shug) Nute, Sovereign of the Nine Couches, Emancipator of the Pork Chickens, and Eater of Tacos

In late 2013 we lost our elder statesman at the age of 20. Before I ever knew him, he had been a friend to my wife for many years. I was lucky enough to know him the majority of his long life that encluded adventure, travel, and the quest for tasty, tasty food. He possessed the keenest of intelligence and an almost human spirit and the capacity for deep empathy.

For the winter solstice I presented my wife this image of Shug. It was a piece I have been wanting to create for six years, but I was not ready or able to make it until now. Achsa confirmed that if it had arrived any sooner then now it most likely would have never been hung in the house. The pain of his loss was still to present. It was challenging to work on this without her knowing, but I was able to keep it a surprise. Please, note that his medals are all foods that he was able to best in the quest to eat all the things. Here is my portrait of Shug.

Lord Mashugana (Shug) Nute, Sovereign of the Nine Couches, Emancipator of the Pork Chickens, and Eater of Tacos

9 x 12 - Pencil, acrylic paint and ink on paper

NFS

 © 2019 Christopher Burdett

As I said, I have wanted to create this image for six years. While the presentation was not new six years ago, I found it funny that this year many services and companies seem to have popped up to sell photo manipulated portraits of people's animals on the bodies of humans, usually in military or Victorian attire.  I guess I was a little ahead of things, but I didn't get around to it until it had become mainstream. At least mine is an original drawing. Here it is framed.

I wanted a proper frame that fit the look and feel for the piece and I think I found it.

Please know that this is a unique piece, and I am not open to these types of commission,s nor will I draw anyone else's pet. This is a service I retain for my wife and the memory of those unique animals that share their lives with us.

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog, see you back here tomorrow or Friday. Until then...

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

Marketplace - Process - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

Today I am sharing the process and steps that went into the Marketplace painting that I created last year. This painting is part of The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia project and helped with creating the (Irritated) Girasol as well as a little bit of world-building on my end. This piece led to many of my ideas finally coming together regarding the Grand Bazaar and helped kick off my major push to focus almost entirely on this project. To start things off, here is how the final painting of Marketplace turned out.

Marketplace
11 x 14 - Acrylic on board 

Original - NFS

© 2016 Christopher Burdett

Even with my work, there is always a digital thumbnail(s) to start things off. I shot my reference as needed and work out my ideas digitally till everything is working, and I have enough to move forward into my final drawing. When it is a personal piece, I am only ever working on one thumbnail since I respond directly to what I am working on and do not need to show an art director multiple ideas and concepts. I very much went into this piece with an intended plan and vision. I wanted the shadow to fall over the face of the Girasol, with her eyes glowing in the darkness. Her items for sale would surround her, and I hoped the piece would be a quiet moment as the
Girasol waited for customers. I did consider some legs of customers to be in the extreme foreground, but I did not go with it since legs would detract from the main figure and complicate the piece unnecessarily. Here is my thumbnail for Marketplace.

Marketplace - Thumbnail
11 x 14 - Digital

© 2016 Christopher Burdett

All in all, it was a straightforward concept. I knew how my wife needed to pose for the image, and I think it all came together in the thumbnail. With everything working, it was time to work all the details and flesh out the piece as a finalized drawing.

Marketplace - Drawing

14 x 17 - Acrylic on board 

Original - Currently not available 

© 2016 Christopher Burdett

With the drawing completed, it was time to get to work on the painting, which became the most challenging part of the piece. Actually, the most challenging part was the early stage - the ugly stage - of the painting. It was just not coming together, and the entire piece was just not working. I thought I had it all worked out, but pieces were not falling into place. I spun my wheels with the background and color choices for way too long. I work back to front, and I was bogged down in the back with no clear way to work up to the front. I finally began to make progress when I switched gears, really focused on my reference, and started fresh with the foreground elements of the bowls and baskets. That was the eureka moment, and the entire painting began to come together for me. I focused on something I could look at and relate to, and the rest of the painting then responded to those initial referenced pieces. I changed some elements along the way and made sure everything was working better together. You should see the struggle in the process images and how things began to change once I started working on the foreground elements.

Marketplace - Process progression

Once that fruit bowl took shape, painting came together. I never expected that I would have so much fun painting those bowls, but I did. Here is an animated progression of the painting to get a better look at the evolution of the piece.

Marketplace - Animated process

As mentioned before, this was the first appearance of the (Irritated) Girasol. I would revisit her when I created the official drawing that would be used for the chapter on the Irritated Girasol in the book. Here is the final drawing for the Irritated Girasol.

Irritated Girasol
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper

Currently Available Grand Bazaar Originals

© 2017 Christopher Burdett

Finally, another look at the final painting for the Marketplace to see how it compares to the Irritated Girasol. Keep in mind these are not the same Girasol. The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia will share more about the Girasol people and why they are irritated. More on this in the coming months!

Marketplace
11 x 14 - Acrylic on board 

Original - NFS

© 2016 Christopher Burdett

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

Finding Your Family - Father's Day Reflections

While I talk about a lot of things here on the blog, there is a lot I do not talk about. This blog's scope has always been my career as an artist and the journey that comes with it. Aspects of my personal life that fall outside of making art generally do not find their way here, but sometime you realize things are all interconnected. I would not be where I am today without my family, the family that I was born into and the family that I have joined.

I have not had contact with my biological father in over 20 years. This was my choice and a discussion for another day and most likely one to never happen on this blog. Father's Day has always been a bittersweet holidays for me. I stay quiet on Father's Day and let others post their photos and reflect on their fathers. I feel that I should remain quiet since the good memories of my father seem so far away now. This is of course really silly, because there is a man in my life that I look to as a father. A man that has done so much for myself and Dear Wife. A man I owe a great deal to because his help assisted us to build the life that we have today.

Donald Nute in St. Augustine, Fl

November 2016

Through the twists and turns of life I find myself knowing Donald Nute. He is my father-in-law and has been (and continues to be) a part of my life for over 16 years. His deeds and accomplishments are many and chief among these (for me) is the raising of his amazing daughter that I now share my life with. He was the head of the AI department and Philosophy at UGA, has authored books, traveled the world, is a fan of Tolkien and dinosaurs, and plays a mean game of Dreamblade. He stepped in and planned our wedding after we just wanted something simple. He had bigger plans for his daughter and her wedding. He even stepped in and helped us drive all of our belongings from Florida to California three days after the wedding when we made the move so that I could work in the film industry. In a way you can say my father-in-law went on our honeymoon! Most of my world travels were planned and coordinated by him. He pointed the way to adventure and I was more than eager to follow. We will be all going on a new adventure in a few months and I can not wait. He has been there for me to give advice and reflect on his experiences countless times. You know, the kind of thing a father should do.

Lake Town and Shire Garden Railroad

October, 2012

There is also the garden railroad that is set it Middle Earth and travels through the Shire, Lake Town,  and beyond. If you are going to build a garden railroad, you GOTTA make it unique. Dear Wife's parents have put a ton of work and time into building this and photos do not do it justice. It has been a while since I have contributed, but I made some of the facades for the Hobbit Holes and some early figures. There are open house sessions if you would like to visit the railroad and see it in action! You can get all dates and some additional information over of his website.

Lake Town and Shire Garden Railroad

October, 2012

Speaking of Dreamblade, he and I played a TON of Dreamblade when the game was released and even after it was discontinued. He made both of us big playmats to improve the play experience, which is super awesome. We would play in person and over the phone. He even made a program that would randomly generate sealed packs of Dreamblade miniatures so we could play randomized games and switch up game play. Free time and schedules have changed over the years and we don't play anymore, but I sure do miss our games.

Custom made Dreamblade playmat

by Donald Nute

I do not want this to sound like a memorial because Donald is very much still here, but I wanted to reflect on the man, on Father's Day, and share some thoughts and reflections regarding his involvement in my life and his contributions to the world. Sometimes we are lucky enough to find people in our lives that fill a needed void left by others, and I am so thankful to be so lucky.

Donald Nute, Dear Wife, some idiot, and Jane Nute

Puerto Rico, January 2016

Let us not forget that Jane Nute, my Mother-in-Law, has been there at his side and has contributed equally. While this conversation was directed at Donald and my reflections, it would be impossible to address any of this without acknowledging Jane as well.

That's all for another exciting Sunday 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

Happy Birthday to Dear Wife!

Today is Dear Wife's birthday and I could not think of a better way to use today's blog post than to share some images of her from our many adventures. She is my loudest cheerleader, relentless supporter, faithful art director, and the best adventurer. Always looking forward to our next adventure and to the ordinary things we find in our journey through life. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Images from Germany, Italy, Mexico, Bahamas, Caribbean, and United States.

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

Felocamp Tattoo Design and Application

Let's get this out the way first and foremost... Unless you are my wife I do NOT design tattoos for people out of deeply felt personal reasons.

Back in 2013, Dear Wife was able to finally get me to design her a tattoo. It took another four years for this to happen again. She wanted a companion piece to the original with a aquatic feline motif. It needed to mirror the size, shape, and movement of the original, so while some of the problem solving was taken care of, there was still plenty of issues to work out.  Here is how the final design turned out...

Felocamp Tattoo Design

9 x 12 - Pencil on paper

© 2017 Christopher Burdett

While the original design pulled from imagery we saw in Italy and England this piece pulled partially from our trips to Italy (again) as well as the Yucatan. While this piece was easier to work out compared to the original, it still had its share of revisions. Here is a look at some of the various steps in the design...

Felocamp Tattoo Concepts

Digital

© 2017 Christopher Burdett

Here is a comparison of the Felocamp and Phoenix designs so that you can see how they mirror each other and work as a pair...

Felocamp and Phoenix Tattoo Designs

(each) 9 x 12 - Pencil on paper

© 2017 / 2013 Christopher Burdett

Dear Wife turned to Alain at Euphoria Tattoos here in Tallahassee again for the final tattoo. Alain does amazing work and he has been nothing but eager to work with my designs. We can not say enough good things about Alain and Euphoria Tattoos. Here is a look at the final tattoo as well as a comparison for of both tattoos side by side...

Final Felocamp Tattoo

Final Felocamp and Phoenix Tattoos

Lastly, here are some process images of Alain at work making the design a reality. I am amazed with how quickly it came together. We are both very happy with the finished product! Thanks, Alain!

Process images of Alain at Euphoria Tattoos creating the tattoo.

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

Irritated Girasol - The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia

I have a new piece from my series of toned paper monsters! Today's monster is the ever frustrated Irritated Girasol. The Irritated Girasol peddles her wears as best she can to make enough to survive to do it all again the next day. Won't you stop by her spot along the street and see if there is something you need.

Irritated Girasol
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper

Currently Available Grand Bazaar Originals

© 2017 Christopher Burdett

Irritated Girasol - line art
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper

Original - Currently not available 

© 2017 Christopher Burdett

If you think that the Irritated Girasol looks familiar, that is because she first appeared in my work last year in a painting titled Marketplace. My world-building has been going on for a while now and has been manifesting itself in different ways. Here again, is the first appearance for the Irritated Girasol.

Marketplace
11 x 14 - Acrylic on board 

Original - Currently not available 

© 2016 Christopher Burdett

Here are all the other completed monsters for 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, Saint Marque, Smokestack, Thrice, Uncanny Scribe, Virulent Artificer, Xandrell Tree, Yote Arms Dealer, and Zombic Spore.
 
As an added bonus, I have some images of the rendering process of this piece so that you can get a better idea of it taking shape.
 

Irritated Girasol - Process
© 2017 Christopher Burdett

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