Gen Con 2011 - Day 3

Day three charges in like a mad elephant. Each day is a learning experience and each day offers new surprises, insights and hurdles to figure out. Since this is my first go round in all this I don't know what to expect and that might be the hardest thing to deal with. Other have been extremely helpful and offered their experiences from past years, but until I go through it myself I can not really understand. So as each day passes I understand more and more how this all works and that there is a flow and pattern to people's behaviors and actions over the days. Day four will add the last piece of the Gen Con puzzle so that I can get my head fully around this whole con thing. Before that though... I have pictures from day three...

The booth of the world famous artist and ninja Jeremy Mchugh!

LOOK! It is Drew Baker, another ninja and master salesmen!

The award winning Scott Murphy!

The booth of Aaron Miller with an smorgasbord of great paintings!

The booth and beautiful work of John Stanko!

I think if he really tried, Chris Seaman might be able to get a little more awesome into his booth.

A look around the con from high above my booth. This is looking behind...

...and this is looking out in front above everything.

My booth changed throughout the day, for the best.

The gang is all hear for a badly lit photo from the Fantasy Flight Games artist dinner Saturday evening. Fun times!

That is all for day three. Day four will be along tomorrow a some point... though it might not arrive until I return home. Until then...

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

Gen Con 2011 - Day 2

It is hard to imagine that the con is technically half over. It has been a blur. I can say without a doubt that this event has been a learning experience. Thanks to my wife's quick thinking we were able to adjust and adapt to the unpredictable conditions of a con like this. I have a lot to think about and filter as I look ahead into doing more things like this. Had a lot of good time with the other artists and it is really exciting to be part of the community like this. There are far too few opportunities to get artists together like this. Of course… if there were there might not be a lot of art being made since we would all be hanging out together all the time! On with the images…

This is possibly the best little bit of preparation that I did for the con. So many people repeat it back to me and then look at my work and agree…

And some even want me to draw them some monsters that they can take home with them. This was the first play mat that I had a chance to draw on, it was pretty fun!

When I was not drawing for con attendees I was drawing for myself, this is a monster that slowly came into being over days one and two.

I was asked to contribute to a book of awkward knitting. This was super fun and I of course has to have some tentacle in there. It was well received!

RAWR!

Another con and another outstanding photo with the world famous ninja, Jeremy McHugh!

The artist reception was held off site this year. Unlike past years when the reception was held in the artist alley, this year it was held in a very small room at one of the hotels. There were a lot of us in this very small noisy room. But a huge congrats needs to go out to all the winners and especially Scott Murphy for taking home best of show!

That's all for another exciting day at the con! More to come tomorrow! Until then...

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

Gen Con 2011 - Day 1

Day 1 has already become a blur of memories. It seemed like a huge day of manning the booth was ahead of me and then in a flash the day had finished. Not sure what I had expected, but the day was sure filled with surprises. It was really interesting to see how people reacted and what they reacted to. The predictable unpredictability! Now on with the images of the day…

Gen Con 2011 booth version 2.0. Stronger, faster… more agressive.

The row that we cap is all set up and ready for the frost day of the con. Everyone is getting their game aces on… RAWR!

Despite my best efforts I actually sold a couple of things my first day. Let see if I can keep it up…

I was asked to make some art of a dice bag. Every year the dice bags are auctioned off and the money goes to charity. The auction will take place later in the weekend. This was super fun to do!

My first con commission! Wanted a monkey, so he got a monkey with TENTACLES! Because everything is made better with tentacles!

Facing out into the con I got to see some of the most interesting people all day long!

That is all for Day 1! Day 2 stretches out before me and I am ready to experience it in all it's glory, see you back here tomorrow for images of all the fun! Until then...

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

Gen Con 2011 - Day 0

I have a feeling already that my Gen Con posts might be light on words but hopefully heavy on images. As I end day 0 at Gen Con 2011 I am already realizing just how exhausting and all involving having a booth in the artist alley is going to be. The day started at 5:30 am with only a few scant hours of sleep. We arrived in Indianapolis around noon and hit the ground running. I was greatly relieved to see that my mighty box had made the journey to Indianapolis ahead of me and remained intact. We lugged everything over to the convention center, got our passes and began to get things set up…

Box, booth and wife ready for an exciting four days of Gen Con 2011. That empty table next to us will hopefully be filled with none other than Ralph Horsley by the morning of Day 1.

We arrived much earlier then most of the other attending artists. By 8:00 pm when they kicked everyone out this place was a buzz with activity.

Did I mention our GREAT location? Our booth faces out into the convention hall on a major artery of movement. Could not be happier! And yes, that is Fantasy Flight Games just over there… in Nerf range…

In no time at all everything was set up and ready to go. When I say no time, I mean after several hours and lots and lots of shuffling, reshuffling and adjusting.

Version 1.0 of the booth… version 2.0 was in effect by 8:00pm… but I will share that with you tomorrow.

A nice mention of all the first time artists appearing in the artist alley was included in the show program!

That is all for day 0… I need sleep! It all begins Thursday morning when the doors open to the general public at 10am!

See you hopefully tomorrow for Day 1 coverage of Gen Con 2011! Until then...

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

Fresh from the drawing table... Ankheg!

It begins again! I have for you today another drawing that is fresh from the drawing table. This time around it is an Ankheg! Back to the beginning of the alphabet… "A" still has a lot to offer and a giant insect monster was an obvious choice. I present to you my version of an Ankheg...

Ankheg
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

Since I have a history with the Ankheg, I did not pick it for "A" the first time around, but I could not pass it up a second time. There are just not enough giant insects monsters out there. Taking an established monster and giving it a new spin can sometimes be really easy and somethings it is a little more difficult. I think this Ankheg is somewhere in between. I went with a long bodied centipede type creature that bores it's way through earth and rock. To aid it the digging and to of course melt the face of any unlucky adventurer it has a handy dandy acid sprayer in it's mouth. Who knows how long the adults are, their bodies stretch deep into the ground. Maybe that is something to explore later.

My first 100 original Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual redesigns (A - Z): Aerial Servant, Ankheg, Ant (Giant), Ape (Carnivorous), Ape (Gorilla), Axe Beak, Axe Beak (version 2), Baboon, Badger, Barracuda, Basilisk, Baluchitherium, Bear (Black), Bear (Brown), Bear (Cave), Beaver (Giant), Beetle (Giant) - Bombardier, Beetle (Giant) - Boring, Beetle (Giant) - Fire, Beetle (Giant) - Rhinoceros, Beetle (Giant) - Stag, Beetle (Giant) - Water, Beholder, Black Pudding, Blink Dog, Boar (Giant), Boar (Warthog), Boar (Wild), Brain Mole, Brownie, Bugbear, Buffalo, Bulette, Carrion Crawler, Catoblepas, Cerebral Parasite, Chimera, Cockatrice, Coutal, Crab (Giant), Demon Type III (Glabrezu), Demon (Juiblex), Demon (Manes), Devil (Ice), Dragon (Red), Elemental (Earth), Ettin, Eye of the Deep, Flightless Bird, Frog (Giant), Fungi (Violet), Giant (Hill), Goblin, Golem (Flesh), Hobgoblin, Homunculus, Hydra, Imp, Intellect Devourer, Ixitxachitl, Jackal, Jacklewere, Jaguar, Ki-Rin, Kobold, Lich, Lizard (Giant), Lizardman, Manticore, Mind Flayer, Minotaur, Naga, Neo-Otygugh, Nixie, Ochre Jelly, Ogre, Owlbear, Peryton, Pixie, Purple Worm, Quasit, Ram (Giant), Roper, Rust Monster, Sahuagin, Salamander, Shambling Mound, Treant, Troglodyte, Troll, Umber Hulk, Unicorn, Vampire, Wasp (Giant), Wight, Wyvern, Xorn, Yeti, and Zombie.      

That is all for the blog today. I am traveling to Gen Con today and will be getting everything set up for the first day of the con tomorrow! Let the con coverage begin!Until then...

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

Getting ready for Gen Con 2011 - Buttons!

In just a couple of days I will find myself in Indianapolis getting ready to have my first booth at a con. Am I nervous? Not one bit, you know why... because I have NEW BUTTONS!

OH, SNAP! ALL NEW 2011 button set for Gen Con! Gotta catch 'em all!

Okay, maybe I am a little nervous. I have been planing and preparing for a while now and have my checklists and game plan. The buttons were the last item that needed to be accounted for. Most of my lingering concerns about the con are around just getting there and getting it all set up. Being my first time manning a booth I am going to try to learn as much as I can and hope that at least one person takes pity on me and buys something... okay, maybe two people.

Once again I would like to thank Chris Presley for making all my buttons. He is a incredibly generous friend and humbles me with his efforts to keep me in buttons for the cons I attend. Many thanks Chris!

See you back here on Wednesday for a prep con post and then after that... GEN CON 2011 COVERAGE! Until then...

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

ImagineFX issue #72

As I left our local Borders book store in the throes of it's going out of business sale I happened to look back into the store front windows to see the magazine racks. There on the rack were several copies of ImagineFX and I thought I might go back in and have a look since I had not seen the current issue yet. Am I glad I did it!

ImagineFX #72
In stores now... and currently at 20% off at Borders.

As I flipped through the issue I saw many familiar names and faces of artist I know. When I got to page 30 I saw an even more familiar name... (at the bottom)

HUZZAH! Unexpected promotional surprise!

Always so much more awesome when it is a surprise. This also explains a comment left on the blog about seeing my blog in ImagineFX... I was all like, 'huh? what?'. That was me being out of the loop, now I am back in it. I would like to thank Beren Neale over at ImagineFX for the shout out, totally unexpected and very much appreciated!

Close up... but since you are reading this... you don't need to read this, because you already know...

In the future, if you see something about me in a magazine or website, and I have not mentioned it here on the blog, shoot me a note. I might not know about it, so I can tell my mom about it... because personally I have no interest in such things... :P

That is all for another week on the blog! NEXT WEEK: GEN CON 2011! I will be wrapping up last minute issues at the beginning of the week and traveling to Indianapolis next Wednesday. I will do my best to keep the blog updated with all the news and events of Gen Con as I see them from my table in the Artist Alley! Until then...

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