The Lost Colossus - Process

Today on the blog I have for you the process that went into my very first traditionally painted piece that was completed for a client. I am of course referring to the mighty Lost Colossus that was for the Legend of the Five Rings: Gates of Chaos expansion. Somehow this one slipped through the cracks. I painted this in late 2012 and the piece was released in August of 2013 (if I remember correctly). Here is for the final piece turned out to refresh your memory...

The Lost Colossus

12 x 16 - Acrylic on board

Gate of Chaos expansion

© 2013 Alderac Entertainment Group

Like every other pieces that I create the Lost Colossus began with a thumbnail stage. Unlike the rest of the pieces I create there was pretty much just ONE thumbnail that I was working with. I REALLY knew what I wanted to do with this piece and before sketching I took a ton of reference photos that I cobbled together to make myself into a four armed three faces giant statue. I really don't recommend doing just one thumbnail... but I have had a really great working relationship with Adrian over at AEG and I was confident that I was moving in the right direction with this piece. I spent a lot of time working out the concept to make sure it was the way I wanted it before turning it in...

The Lost Colossus - Thumbnail

© 2013 Alderac Entertainment Group

I did not make a mistake and my gamble paid off... the thumbnail was approved without issue. Now that I had an approved thumbnail and loads of reference... I was ready to begin the drawing. Since I was planning on creating this traditionally I knew I needed to have a really solid worked out drawing. I did not have the luxury of being able to make revisions and changes on the fly like I can working digitally. I took my time with the drawing and worked everything out...

The Lost Colossus - Drawing

© 2013 Alderac Entertainment Group

The drawing was rejected and I had to start over from the beginning...

Just kidding. The drawing was approved and I was ready to start smearing mud around with stick... and boy, was I nervous about that prospect. At this point in my career when I am ready to start my digital paintings I am mentally already two or three steps into the process working things out and making decisions. I don't really have any fear or worry about the prospect of the painting... maybe something in a piece will need some extra attention, but I know without a doubt that the piece will see the finish line. Not so much with the traditional work yet. I am really hesitant to begin as my mind is filled with everything that could go wrong... including the whole painting going down the tubes. In the process of creating a traditional painting I eventually get to a point where I know it will be alright, up until then though... it is nerve wracking. Here are a bunch of images of the painting coming together...

The Lost Colossus - Process steps

© 2013 Alderac Entertainment Group

In just 15 easy steps you too can have a Lost Colossus... or not... In the end this was a very successful test for myself and I was very happy to have faced the challenge. It at least gives me the encouragement that I can create a traditional image on a deadline ... and not die. I am still not anywhere near a 100% success rate with my traditional pieces yet. As mentioned elsewhere, I attempted to create my next two L5R assignments traditionally and had to abandon both and had to complete them digitally. Live and learn! As of right now I am working on my third traditional piece for a client... here it hoping this one makes it over the finish line!

Again, here is how the final painting turned out as well as the final production card that it was made for...

The Lost Colossus

12 x 16 - Acrylic on board

Gate of Chaos expansion

© 2013 Alderac Entertainment Group

The Lost Colossus - In handy card form

That is all for another exciting week on the blog, see you back here on Monday for a BRAND NEW MONSTER! RAWR! Until then...

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

Raluk Moorclaw, The Ironmonger - Warmachine - Privateer Press

Holy cow! Straight from 2011 the very first miniature I ever designed for Privateer Press is NOW finally out! Can't believe it has been this long... 2011... how times files, and talk about production schedules. So thoses that play Warmachine can now enjoy the mighty Trollkin Mercenary, Raluk Moorclaw...

Raluk Moorclaw, The Ironmonger

© 2014 Privateer Press

Besides a pose change the design seems to have made it through the production intact. Which is always nice! Here is how the final production turned out...

Raluk Moorclaw, The Ironmonger final production miniature

(Image courtesy of Privateer Press)

Since this was my first piece for Privateer Press... and it was done like a million years ago in the life span of making monsters I am not sure I really have any great or witty stories to share about this piece. I spent most of my time while working on this by getting use to the IP, the art director, and the whole process for making miniatures for Privateer Press. What I can share with you is a WHOLE ton of concepts, roughs, and monster man drawings...

Various Raluk Moorclaw, The Ironmonger roughs and concepts

ALL are © 2014 Privateer Press

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

The Droid's Task - Star Wars: It Binds All Things

Over on the Fantasy Flight Games website last week they previewed the newest expansion to the Star Wars Card Game, It Binds All Things. In that preview they showed off a card that I have in this expansion! The long and the short of it is: IG-88 + Jabba's Palace + Rodian = The Droid's Task!

The Droid's Task

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

The Droid's Task in handy dandy card form

When this expansion is officially released I will share the process step and some back story related to its creation. There were some revisions as well as some back and forth with production regarding certain elements... some of which that are no longer in this piece. More on all this in the fullness of time...

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

Spectrum 21 and Artist Selfies

Well... it is Spectrum submission time again. I have written about spectrum several times before here on the blog and you can read more HERE. Not sure I have anything new to add about Spectrum this year save that I did in fact submit some pieces for consideration in Spectrum 21. ...against my better judgment.

If you are going to submit to Spectrum 21 you better hurry, the deadline is today!

I have absolutely no anticipations or belief that my work will get accepted, but if I don't submit I know that it is 100% certain that I will not be accepted. Unfortunately, the pieces I was REALLY excited about submitting I have found myself unable to submit. The License for these images is held by a rather larger company and I tried to acquire the permission to submit to no avail. My art director on the projects tried their best... no luck. I will try again for next year. The pieces fall in a weird gray zone between years so they may be still eligible for submission next year. Oh well... Spectrum time again, time for the best of the best to be honored and I have already established that I am merely, and happily, Okay. 

Hey! On a more positive and fun note, Lauren Panepinto posted a great article about artists and their reference selfies. She got some really great artist to contribute their selfie reference photos and the final illustrations that they belong to and shared them over on Muddy Colors. You owe to yourself to go check out the fun, especially if you don't know about Muddy Colors and especially if you are not using reference!

Selfies... everybody is doing it... why aren't you?

Lauren did a call out on Facebook for additional artist selfies and I could not resist because I have SO many of them. I am every monster I make... so I have just a few silly photos laying around. SEE, all these years of me preaching about using reference is not some personal cause, EVERYBODY uses reference. For my submission of a selfie I went with my piece I did for the D&D Halls of Undermountain book, Wroot the Goblin. It was a fun photo shoot and I am happy with how the final turned out...

  Ridiculous artist selfie and final Wroot the Goblin

© 2012 Wizards of the Coast

Again, take some time if you haven't already to go check out Muddy Colors and the artist selfies! 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

Trandoshan Rival Explorer - Beyond the Rim Process

Today on the blog I have for you the process that went into the making of (in my opinion) the best space lizards, a Trandoshan, for the Star Wars RPG book, Beyond the Rim. I shared this with you originally in September... how time flies. To get us back up to speed, here is how the final Trandoshan Rival Explorer turned out...

Rival Explorer

© 2013 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

This is not my first nor will it be my last Trandoshan piece. I think there is a standing order still over at Fantasy Flight Games to give them to me if at all possible. They are one of my two favorite aliens from Star Wars... the other being the Mon Calamari, but I have mentioned this many times. I have lots of reference and years of familiarity with these guys so it is always fun to work on them. I got started with some thumbnails as always...

Rival Explorer - Thumbnails

© 2013 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

Nope, totally not standing in the yard dressed in what I imagined a Trandoshan explorer would where... nope, TOTALLY not happening. At the time I think I was leaning more toward option 'B' after being really excited about option 'A'... but it didn't matter, option 'A' was the winner with the client. With a selected thumbnail in hand it was time to get started on the drawing...

Rival Explorer -Drawing

© 2013 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

After all the right and perfect marks are made on the paper (HAHA!) I had myself a drawing of a Trandoshan... or should I say, another drawing of a Trandoshan. As I type this I keep looking back at option 'B' of the thumbnails and wonder, "What could have been". Oh well... moving on, no time to second guess the art directors.

With the final drawing approved it is now time to get started on some paint work! In just eight easy steps you too can have your very ownTrandoshan ! Or not...

Rival Explorer - Process steps

© 2013 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

Another straight forward piece to paint. I think the only note on this piece was at the end I needed to shorten the height of his face between the lib and nose. I just had to shift his face down and it was a quick fix. Not that understood why this was an issue, but it is not my job to question, just to make sure the client is happy with the final product. RAWR!

Again, have you ever wondered what one of my paintings looked like at 100% at its original size? Well, here you go! The original is 9x11 and is 300 dpi. Here is a crop of the face / shoulder area, at 72 dpi this section now measures over 14x14. You can compare this close up to the close up I recently posted on the Nexu, which was from this same project. Hurm... I feel like I could have put another layer of time and work on this piece... oh well, too late now!

Rival Explorer -Painting at 100%

© 2013 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

While not printed nearly as large on the page as the Nexu, this Trandoshan ended up much larger on the page then expected. Good thing I paint big! Remember, you can never make the painting too big, but a painting can definitely be too small... and then there is a problem not easily fixed. YES, you can loose information in a big painting... but that is no where as bad a providing a image to the client that is too small to use or looks horrible when they up-res it.

Rival Explorer hanging out with some text...

Again, here is the final Trandoshan Rival Explorer for your viewing pleasure... RAWR!

Rival Explorer (this continues to totally not be me standing in the yard dressed this way)

© 2013 Lucasfilm, Ltd. TM Lucasfilm, Ltd. Under license to Fantasy Flight Games

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

AGoT - A Hidden Agenda - Viserion, Drogon, and Rhaegal

When you get the email that asks if you are available to work on a project because George R. R. Martin asked for you, by name, to paint some more dragons for the A Game of Thrones card game... you make time in your schedule. This happen last January and it is still a little surreal. My schedule was also rather full at the time, but this is one of those times you make the time and you do the work. A year later I can finally talk about this weird chain of events and share the dragony results. I present you with a second pass at Viserion, Drogon, and Rhaegal...

Viserion - A Hidden Agenda
© 2014 Fantasy Flight Games

Drogon - A Hidden Agenda
© 2014 Fantasy Flight Games

Rhaegal - A Hidden Agenda
© 2014 Fantasy Flight Games

Back in 2010 I painted these three dragons for the first time for the Queen of Dragons expansion and they were very well received. If you are unfamiliar with those pieces, you can see them here: Viserion, Drogon, and Rhaegal. For the Queen of Dragons expansion I was given a lot of leeway to give them my own personal spin, as long as I followed the general description found in the books. Which is good since at the time I was not very familiar with the novel and world the Mr. Martin was creating. I was just wanting to make cool dragons. With my return to paint new versions of the dragons I did had approved designs I needed to stick to, but I also had several years more experience so that I could approach the dragons with a fresh pair of eyes. The dragons were to be depicted a little younger then I originally painted them, but I am not sure if that really came across. Again, really more concerned in painting cool dragons. With as much as I did to maintain the look and feel that I had with them originally, I did make sure to correct some anatomical and detail issues that bothered me about those original dragons. When I do my process post for these I will compare the originals to these new versions and talk about what and why I made changes.

Here are how the final production cards turned out and you can see how they were cropped down for production...

Viserion, Drogon, and Rhaegal in handy card form! RAWR!

The back of the card packaging features the Drogon piece very nicely, I may not be on the front of the package, but I am rocking the back of it...

Drogon is hiding out on the back of the package... RAWR!

These three new versions of the three dragons really got me thinking, and by the time the Illustration Master Class rolled around last year I still had dragons on my mind. When one of the assignments turned out to be A Game of Thrones related I took the assignment without hesitation. I really wanted to see how I would have completely redesigned the dragons if I had the chance. If you followed my posts about IMC last year you my remember how the final product turned out...

The Three Dragons

24 x 14 - acrylic on board

© 2013 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

Crazy Talk

My coworker at the day job who supervises the audio/video department was doing some tests with Crazy Talk to see what options it could offer us to quickly create animated characters. He asked if I had any monster drawings available to test on and I was all too happy to provide some. A very short time later this was happening...

Crazy Talk just make Cyvus Vail that much wackier...

In a couple of clicks the program added the eyes and teeth and after rigging the mouth it handles all the lip sync on the fly. These two segments of audio are built into the program but I understand it will sync to your own recordings. The program creates the 3D illusion and I have to say that for an off the shelf program I am impressed. Unfortunately, at the day job we will not be doing any animated demons anytime soon, but it could be a resource to have. If only we had this eight years ago...

If you were wondering what this drawing is from, it is my Cyvus Vail redesign from 2011. Vail was originally created for the Angel TV show 10 years ago...

Cyvus Vail redesign
© 2011 Christopher Burdett

That is all for another exciting week on the blog, see you back here on Monday for... DRAGONS! Until then...

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