A Second Look at Older Work - Nexus Ops

This coming June will mark twenty years for me in the gaming industry, and this is also my twenty-sixth year as a working artist. I have made a lot of work over these years, and as I focus on larger projects with multi-year timelines, it is hard to keep this blog updated regularly. I have kept this thing going since 2009, and I would like for it to continue. To that end, I thought I would look back at works I particularly liked, enjoyed making, or seemed to have fallen through the cracks and went unnoticed.

Today, I have a big one from thirteen to fourteen years ago. It is not often that you are asked to redesign all the components of a board game, and when it does happen, you jump at it. I was already familiar with the game, Nexus Ops. I hadn't played it, and I still have never played it, but it looked like a fun game with a lot of cool monsters that get to be miniatures. I gave everything in this project 100% of my design sense and tastes and would like to think anyone familiar with my work would instantly see it in this game. In addition to designing all of the miniatures in the game, my hero illustrations of the pieces were used on printed game pieces, packaging, and advertising. For one shining minute, my art was everywhere. The turnaround was TIGHT and the payment was LOW, but I really wanted to work on this project and had a lot of fun working on it. Here is a look at all the pieces together and scaled accordingly, as well as a closeup of each.

The Nexus Ops Lineup of man and monsters

Digital

Nexus Ops
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

If you know me, I looked at a lot of real-world animals to base the color schemes for these monsters. One of the main inspirations was using the Eastern Box Turtle as the starting point of the Rockstrider. I wanted to give it a hint of 'angry turtle' in the face, and overall, the color palette and markings.

Crystalline

Digital

Nexus Ops
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

 

Fungoid

Digital

Nexus Ops
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

 

Human

Digital

Nexus Ops
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

 

Lava Leaper

Digital

Nexus Ops
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

 

Rockstrider

Digital

Nexus Ops
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

 

Rubium Dragon

Digital

Nexus Ops
© 2012 Fantasy Flight Games

As a side note, you can see and read a TON more about Nexus Ops here on the blog. I have previously shared drawings, miniatures, packaging, and more related to the game and my work on it.

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

DXR-6 - Process - Star Wars: Imperial Assault

Today I have for you another overdue process post, this time around it is for my DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle card from the Imperial Assault Core Set. I first shared this with you back in August of 2014 when it was spoiled at Gen Con last year. This card has had an interesting life and gotten around a bit. Here is how the final DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle turned out...

DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle

Imperial Assault Core Set

10.127 x 9 - Digital

© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

A Trandoshan with a gun. I wonder who should get this assignment... that is a tough one... Turns out I got that assignment because of my mad obsession with Transoshans. Granted I am not sure why everyone just doesn't love space lizards. Anyway...

The Assignment called for, "A Trandoshan mercenary holds a DXR-6 Disrupter rifle; put this image in a battle context, but focus on the rifle itself." Pretty straightforward really. Space lizard with a fancy laser gun. I got to work on some thumbnails and turned them in...

DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle - Thumbnails

© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

Not sure at the time if I had a personal favorite among these thumbnails. I think I was get getting more and more extreme with the thumbnails as I went. How far can I push and pull the Trandoshan's features as it disintegrates some hapless target. There is something about the extreme exaggeration of option "C", but there was no way it was going to happen. You never know though, and that is why you take a chance. As with all my work I started with some reference photos to get my head, and body, around this piece. As an added treat this here are the reference images I used for this piece...

DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle - Reference
Photos by Achsa Nute

If you are wondering, that IS Darth Vader's lightsaber taped to a Nerf gun for lighting and special effects reference. With a little additional effort and some thoughtful actions you can make your reference be a lot more useful. In the end, thumbnail "A" was the winner and it was time to move onto the final drawing. Here is how that drawing turned out...

DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper

Original - SOLD

© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

The drawing was approved without issue and it was time to start painting. In just 16 easy steps you can get a finished Trandoshan painting... or not. This should have been a rather straight forward painting of a space lizard with a gun, but there were some issues along the way. Here is the piece coming together...

DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle - Progression progression

© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

About half way through this piece I determined that the head on this Trandoshan was a little too big. If I was painting this piece traditionally this would have been a bit of an issue but since this piece was digital it was more or less a straight forward edit. I wonder now if I had been painting this traditionally if I would have made the change, or attempted to change, of shrinking the head. At the point I made this change it would have involved some serious reworking. Not that I am adverse to making this level of change in paint (okay maybe a little) but it would have been rough. You might also notice that I removed the knife hilt as the painting went along. I am on a crusade to put a knife into the hands of a Trandoshan in one of my paintings this was not going to be that piece. It was a little awkward down there and was unneeded visual clutter that was not adding anything to the piece. Lastly, and this was feedback from FFG after I turned the piece in, I addressed the beam of energy leaving the gun. Production felt it was a little too white. As you can see from the reference, I was basing the look on something in the real world and there are plenty of other similar depictions out there. Production wanted me to address it, so I addressed it. After my first edit on the new toned down blast the piece was approved. Here is an animated progression of the piece so that you can better see the edits as the piece came together...

DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle - Animated progression thingy

© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

Once again here is the final piece as well as how it appeared in Imperial Assault after being heavily cropped. I am also including the Adepticon Trandoshan Hunter variant card where this art was better used a second time around. As mentioned elsewhere, this marks the third time my art has appeared on the Trandoshan Hunter card for Imperial Assault.

DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle

10.127 x 9 - Digital

© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

The handy dandy DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle card... with CROPPING action!

Trandoshan Hunter - Adepticon exclusive giveaway

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

Star Wars - Imperial Assault - DXR-6

Let the sharing of work spoiled at Gen Con begin!

Today I have a piece that will appear in the new Fantasy Flight Game Star Wars board game, Imperial Assault. The game was announced at Gen Con and they were demoing the game and displaying the components. It looks great and is just the kind of game I like to play... and to make it even better, I worked on it! I got to illustrate one of the item cards, the DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle item card to be specific. This is how my painting for it turned out...

DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle

© 2014 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

I was asked to illustrate a Trandoshan in the heat of battle firing the DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle. I approached this as the Bossk piece I have yet to have a chance to make. Had a lot of fun doing it, so I was eager to see how the card turned out in the game...

The handy dandy DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle card... with CROPPING action!

Well, that is interesting... Things always change during the development of a game... like templates for the card art. Eight years ago this would have crushed me. Today, I had myself a huge laugh and enjoyed showing friends at Gen Con. I know the art will show up elsewhere in FFG Star Wars games and will get fully utilized. I am just happy to have worked on the game and that this piece is now able to be shared!

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