Mietze's Forever Home Two Year Anniversary

We interrupt today's' art post with pictures of a cat. Not just any cat, but my cat, Mietze (rhymes with pizza - 'meetzah'). Two years ago today, I found him in the tall grass at the park crying all alone. I kneeled to investigate and to see if he was, in fact, alone. He hissed at me and jumped back. As I combed through the grass, the tiny kitten walked over to me, leaned against my leg, crouched down, and began to purr. I knew then I had a new cat. Mietze was barely four weeks old but was on semisolid food and could go to the bathroom by himself - two critical things. He came with me to the office for several weeks until we were confident that he could be trusted being alone during the day.

A year ago today, I began to take him outside on a leash and harness for walks. He has some wild cat in him and needs the stimulus of adventuring outdoors to tame his aggression. We walk in the mornings and afternoons, and he took to it immediately. He waits at the door after I call him for his walk. I put his 'jacket' on, and we go out in the yard to explore and hunt. He loves to climb and will sit on my shoulder to get a better view, especially of the neighbor's yard. He has been entirely my cat since the moment I found him.  

Here are some of my favorite photos of Miezte from the past two years.

 

Mietze on the way to the vet after leaving the park.

 October 30, 2018

Mietze is helping me work.

October 30, 2020

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

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

Toned Paper Kitteh

Wrapping up another exciting week on the blog I have for you another toned paper drawing that I produced for Gen Con. This time I revisited the Agathion Familiar that I originally produced for the Chronicles of the Righteous from Paizo Publishing. People love cats so I thought it would be fun to rework my bad black kitty drawing on toned paper and here is how it turned out...

Mystic Kitty

9 x 12

colored pencil on toned paper

Original "Agathion Familiar" sketch © 2013 Paizo Publishing

My assumption paid off... This piece got a lot of attention at Gen Con and eventually ended up going to a new home in England. I think I mentioned this before, but this is based on our little bad black kitty, Stinky. He is all black and does not emit shadowy smoke... but other then that... RAWR!

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

Chronicle of the Righteous Process - Demons and Kitties

On Monday I shared with you the first part of the process and steps that went into making my good monsters for the Pathfinder supplement, Chronicle of the Righteous. Today I have for you the remaining two pieces from the book. One is a demon having a bad day and the other is a little black kitty. So that we are all on the same page, here are how the final pieces that appeared in the book turned out...

Angel Spell and Agathion Familiar

© 2013 Paizo Publishing

For the Angel Spell, production wanted me to show vines representing all four season wrapping around the demon as every last hit point was squeezed out of it. At this stage in my career I can read an art order and get a feel for which pieces are going to take longer then the others... and when I things like "many vines representing the four seasons" I will be putting more time into this piece compared to others. Not that there is anything wrong in this... it is just how things are and getting a feel for it allows yo to budget your time so much better. As always, I got to work on some thumbnails... some very sloppy thumbnails actually, but I made the demon red for clarity of view for my art director...

Angel Spell - Thumbnails

© 2013 Paizo Publishing

All I knew going into this was that I needed to have a spiky winter vine wrapping across the demons mouth... NOMS! Options "B" was picked and I moved onto the drawing...

Angel Spell - Drawing

© 2013 Paizo Publishing

To be honest I should have spent just a little more time on this drawing. The demon's right hand and muzzle are a little off and I had to correct this in the painting. If I was not working digitally this might not have happened or would have been a lot harder. Another reason to take your time and do things right the first time! It is our craft and our job to do this right and if it takes a little longer to make sure things like the hands and face are perfect... then so be it. If the hands and faces are off in a piece then the whole piece is going to be off. Viewers always look to the face and hands.

Once I had the approved drawing the painting came together in eight easy steps (not really, because I had to stop half way through it and fix the face and hand)...

Angel Spell - Process

© 2013 Paizo Publishing

For the Agathion Familiar all I had to do is channel the inner spirit of our little bad black kitties. The only thing I had to do was give them violet eyes, white markings, and dial down the evil by about 110%...

Agathion Familiar - Thumbnails

© 2013 Paizo Publishing

Option "C" was picked for its attitude and I got to work on the final drawing...

Agathion Familiar - Drawing

© 2013 Paizo Publishing

Compared to the Angel Spell this piece was a piece of cake. While the Angel Spell may have required more time to complete this piece came together very quickly, so it all evens out in the end. Here are the eight easy steps (and many hours of work) that it took to back a very sassy kitty cat familiar...

Agathion Familiar - Process

© 2013 Paizo Publishing

That about wraps it all up. Demons wrapped in vines take awhile to paint and you need to make sure you draw it right the first time and cat monsters do much quicker if you have convenient reference in your house.

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