The DOODLES, DESIGNS, and aRT of CHRISTOPHER BURDETT: phoenix

Showing posts with label phoenix. Show all posts

Monday, March 27, 2017

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

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

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

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

Friday, May 23, 2014

Aftermath - Natsumi - Process

Back in December I shared with you my contribution to the Legend of the Five Rings expansion, Aftermath. One of the cards that I had in that set was the mighty water elemental dragon thing... Natsumi. Today I have for you the process that went into making this piece. So that we are all on the same page here is how the final Natsumi turned out...

Natsumi

As I mentioned with the process post for Hida Kaiji this piece and Kaiji just didn't turn out as I had intended. While this piece did hit the mark more so then Kaiji, it just was not the piece I had originally wanted. This was by my doing and by my hand and should in no way reflex upon the client or art director.

Natsumi needed to be a water elemental of a dragon, flowing in and out of the water... becoming water and becoming solid again. I worked up a thumbnail that I hope captured that look and feel...

Natsumi - Thumbnail

The thumbnail hit the mark and I was given the go ahead to move on the final drawing. I got my water elemental dragon drawing on and this is what came of my efforts...

Natsumi - Drawing

As mentioned, I had wanted this to be in acrylic... but it just was not meant to be. Here is how the digital version came about. In just 12 easy steps a dragon painting can come together...

Natsumi - Process steps

Since this piece turned out better then Kaiji (to my eyes) I don't feel as "bad" about it. Maybe it is because it is a dragon... or a monster focused piece, but this one is less painful to revisit. Here is an animated gif to better show how this piece came together and took shape...

Natsumi - Process progression animation

As I have said many times, live and learn and walk away. Again, here is how the final Natsumi turned out as well as the final production card...

Natsumi

Natsumi in handy dandy card form

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, December 18, 2013

Aftermath - L5R

Aftermath, the newest expansion for Legend of the Five Rings, is now out and that means I can share with you some new monsters. A short time ago I shared with you the wily Nastsumi when it was previewed in the run up to this set's release. Natsumi was not my only piece that I created for this set, I also got to revisit an old friend, the might Hida Kaiji! I first designed and illustrated Hida Kaiji for the Seed of Decay expansion. Despite rumors to the contrary, Hida Kaiji appears to be alive and well and is now EXPERIENCED. Here is how the paintings turned out...

Hida Kaiji (experienced)

Natsumi

I was repeatedly told of Hida Kaiji's demise at Gen Con this year and actually got to meet the player who dispatched him. Looks like the player did not do a good enough job! They say kill it with fire... only it looks like fire is of no concern to Hida Kaiji. So far I have been seeing some happy Crab Clan players online with the announcement of the new Hida Kaiji card.

I had originally planned to do these pieces traditionally... but after starting them and seeing all that fire and all that water... well, I was foiled again. They ended up digital and I was a little disappointed that my original plans for these pieces didn't pan out. This unexpected switch to digital media resulted in a great deal of malice directed towards the finished paintings. A year later... my feelings have eased a bit and I can see them for what they are.

Here is how both pieces turned out in card form... OH! If you were curious, there is also a nice and shiny foil version of the Hida Kaiji out there too...

Hida Kaiji in handy dandy card form!

Natsumi in handy dandy card form!

These two pieces also mark the last of my outstanding L5R work. Due to my very busy schedule for the majority of 2013 I have not been able to work on anything new for L5R. Hopefully I will have time in my schedule to return to the world of L5R in the not too distant future. If I do, you will hear about it first here on the blog! RAWR!

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

Monday, November 11, 2013

Natsumi - Aftermath preview

Aftermath, the newest expansion for Legend of the Five Rings, will soon be upon us. In the lead up to the release I am happy to say one of my cards in the set has been previewed! The wild and wet Natsumi appears! I was tasked with creating this dragon like water elemental as it flowed in and out of the river taking form and liquifying. Here is how Natsumi turned out...

Natsumi

Not only was the art spoiled, but the final card with shown off too! It looks like I am giving some monster love to the Phoenix Clan now. I hope it will add to the success of the clan! Here is how the art looks on the card...

Natsumi in handy dandy card form!

I hope to be able to share some more from Aftermath in the near future as the release of the set nears. For now I will leave you just Natsumi... RAWR!

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, June 5, 2013

Phoenix Tattoo Design and Application

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

Okay, now with that said let's get down to the subject at hand, the tattoo I designed for my wife for her birthday. As a particularly noteworthy milestone birthday approached for my wife she asked, implored, and insisted that I design a tattoo she has been wanting for some time. She knows about and understands my feelings about designing tattoos but she being my wife and her birthday I agreed. She wanted a phoenix for her leg and she wanted a phoenix that was not the typical Asian inspired and influenced creature.

During out trip to Italy and England we looked for elements that would work well for a phoenix so that I could weave our trip into the design. I will get to some of those reference in a moment, but first let's have a look at the design from concept to final drawing...

Phoenix tattoo - initial concept without reference, revised post trip reworking with reference, Revision 3, cleaned up red line final.

Final phoenix tattoo drawing

My wife was involved in every step of the process to make sure she got what she wanted and needed out of this design. The overall body arrangement was her request to work best for the placement on her leg. Now let's talk reference. Here are some of the images that played heavily in the design of the phoenix...

Assyrian eagle guardian - British Museum - London, England

Wood carvings - San Pietro Martire church - Murano, Italy

Now that the wife had signed off and was thrilled with the design it was only a matter of it getting permanently applied to her body. For that we went to Alain at Euphoria Tattoos her in Tallahassee. We were both extremely happy with the job Alain did, here are some images of the tattoo in process...

The stencil in applied and the tattoo is about to begin.

Alain is hard at work.

I was impressed with how quickly the tattoo took shape.

Almost done!

All done! Alain did an amazing job and was extremely faithful to the original design. Thanks Alain!

Not to beat a dead horse but many people has requested that I design tattoos for them and I am just not comfortable doing so. This may change at some point, but for now, I am not available for such ventures.

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog, I will 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