The DOODLES, DESIGNS, and aRT of CHRISTOPHER BURDETT

Friday, May 1, 2020

Beholder Death Tyrant Miniature

When I was redesigning monsters for the 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual, one of my assignments was to tackle the Beholder Death Tyrant. This is an undead Beholder and a nasty piece of work for any party of adventures to tackle. I really liked the design I came up with for 5E, and I know my art director did as well. Here is my design of the Beholder Death Tyrant.

Beholder Death Tyrant

Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual - Redesign

While I liked the design, I knew it would never become a miniature. The floating disembodied eyes would be a problem for sure. Well, six years later, I was proven wrong! The Beholder Death Tyrant was made into a miniature, and they solved the problems with the eyes brilliantly. It is also very faithful to my design as well. I think it is a great piece, and I am happy to add it to my shelf of miniatures. Here is how the mini turned out.

Beholder Death Tyrant Miniature

I hope to be proven wrong about more of the monsters I have designed for Dungeons and Dragons, as I love to see miniatures based on my work.

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, April 29, 2020

Star Wars Process - Bossk

I have waited a long time to share the process for this painting. At times I considered never sharing it. Four years on, I am comfortable sharing it and talking a little more about this piece. I have talked a LOT about this piece over the past four years, and this will likely be the last time I mention it.

For those that know me, I have a particular love for Star Wars, specifically the monsters and aliens in the Star Wars universe. I watched the original Star Wars movie in the theaters when it was released, and it changed everything for me. I was only three years old, but it had a profound impact on my career and passion as an artist. The cantenna scene specifically had a significant effect on my young mind. I didn't know what I was seeing, but I wanted to make it. I have spent my life making monsters, I continue to make monsters. The work that I have done on the Star Wars games is some of my favorite client work and something I am still proud of to this day. Through the game art, I was able to be a part of Star Wars and create my own little corner of that universe. It is something I will also be thankful for FFG for giving me that opportunity.

Of the monsters and aliens in the Star Wars universe, my favorite character and alien is Bossk. The reptilian Trandoshan bounty hunter instantly caught my eye, and though he only was in the Empire Strikes Back for seconds, I was forever in love. The character has since been fleshed out in cartoons, books, comics, and games, and I have enjoyed every second of it. I perused the opportunity to work on a Bossk piece for some time, but the time was always off. FINALLY, it all came together, and I was able to create an official Bossk painting. Here is the final version of my Bossk painting.

Bossk - Final Version
X-Wing Nationals Tournament Alternate Art
16 x 12 - Traditional with digital edits and finish

The narrative of the painting is that Chewbacca was the prey that got away. Out of all of Bossk's successes, the hunt that never resulted in a kill was his pursuit of Chewbacca. You might think that this narrative is a little hollow in the image, well things have a way of changing along the way. With every piece of art I make, it starts out with reference. Such as this image.

Reference Photo

Photo by Achsa Nute

This is but one of the many images of me making my best Bossk impression. I wanted to make a connection between Bossk and the holo image of Chewbacca. Now that I had reference, it was time to work on some thumbnails.

Bossk - Thumbnails
Digital

These thumbnails were well received, but there were some requests and some issues with templates, cropping, and final card arrangement. I needed to move the composition around a little and make it a little more dynamic. Here is the revised thumbnail.

Bossk - Revised thumbnail
Digital

This updated thumbnail was approved, and I was given the go-ahead to move forward with the final drawing. To this day, this is one of my favorite drawings that I created for the Star Wars games, which is why it is the only drawing that I have kept. Here is the final drawing.

Bossk - Drawing
X-Wing Nationals Tournament Alternate Art
17 x 14 - Pencil on paper

Original - NFS

The drawing was approved, and it was time to paint. I created this piece a little larger than I usually worked at the time. I wanted to give it the size and attention is deserved now that I was finally painting Bossk. Here is an animated process of the painting coming together. As with most of my paintings, I work back to the front, leaving the main elements to the end. There is a rather pronounced jump in the image of the painting at the end, this is a result of the photos of the painting while working on compared to the final scan of the painting.

Bossk - Painting Process

Here is the final scan of my Bossk painting. I was pleased with it, and it was everything I had hoped to do with the painting and the character. The painting was approved, and I moved onto other work.

Bossk - Original
X-Wing Nationals Tournament Alternate Art
16 x 12 - Acrylic and pencil on board

Original - SOLD

Three months after the painting was approved, I was asked to make significant edits to the piece. As a professional, I made these changes. I do not need to agree with the changes, but I need to do the best job I am capable of to ensure that the edits and changes are made to the expectations of the client. This is just the way of things. Here is an image of the parts of the painting that were still approved.

Bossk - Approved elements

Since it was such a profound change to the painting, I started over with thumbnails to ensure that the client and I were on the same page and in agreement with what needed to be done. It was agreed that Bossk needed to be in an interior location, possible in a cantenna without figures in the background, or simply against a wall. Here are the new background thumbnails for the painting.

Bossk - New background thumbnails
Digital

Option C was chosen. While it was a little bland, I went with their choice and moved forward with having Bossk against a wall. Here is the process of the background being added digitally to the painting.

Bossk - Edits Painting Process

While it is far from where it began, I made the requested updates and presented the client with the edits and changes they wanted. Here is the updated Bossk painting with a sterilized background.

Bossk - Background Version 1
X-Wing Nationals Tournament Alternate Art
16 x 12 - Traditional with digital edits and finish

After submitting the new version of the painting, I was told that the background needed to be a spaceship interior with windows showing space in the background. This was news to me, but again, as a professional, I moved forward with making additional changes to this painting. Here is the painting process for turning the wall into a spaceship interior.

Bossk - Contuned Edits Painting Process

For a third time, I submitted a final for this painting, and for a second time, it was accepted.

Bossk - Final Version
X-Wing Nationals Tournament Alternate Art
16 x 12 - Traditional with digital edits and finish

After all of this work, changed, and edits here is the final card produced using the painting.

Final Bossk production card

During the painting of this piece, I stood back and took a photo of my workstation. I was excited about this piece and really happy with how it was turning out. I could not wait to share it when it came out.

The painting on my workstation nearing completion.

And this ends the journey of my Bossk painting. May it now be put to rest, and we can all move on. I have spoken.

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, April 27, 2020

D&D Monster Cards Challenge 0-5 - The Return of the Monsters

Back in 2018, a deck of monster cards was released featuring the monsters found in the 5th Edition D&D Monster Manual. That means that a bunch of my monsters got to see use in handy dandy card form. Unlike some other products that saw the reuse of my work, these cards clearly credit me as the artist, which is very much appreacited. I am still very happy with the work I did on the Monster Manual and the concept phase of getting 5th Edition up and going, so it is nice to see this art getting another use. Here is the packing for the cards as well as the cards featuring my art.

D&D Monster Cards Challenge 0-5

Definitely some of my favorite monsters and paintings of monsters that I have done for D&D. Here are better images of all the paintings featured on the cards.

Aarakocra

8x11 - Digital

Ankheg

8x11 - Digital

Fire Snake

8x11 - Digital

Salamander

8x11 - Digital

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

Friday, April 24, 2020

Kickstarter Roundup - Panakal

Today on the blog, I wanted to point out a current Kickstarter project by my friend Allen Panakal that I think you all might be interested in. Allen is a singular artist with a bold and unique style. His work stands out from the majority of the artists I know, and for me, it was instantly captivating. If you have not already checked him out, you should do so NOW!

Allen Panakal's Ancient Ones: Sacraments of the Lost Ones Kickstarter

Here is some more information about the project in Allen's own words:

"The Ancient Ones is about one man’s discovery of extraterrestrial civilizations that have been manipulating humanity. As he travels the Milky Way, a seemingly chance encounter with an alien cabal makes him realize that he is the key to a galactic world machine. Now, he's tasked with saving Earth or letting it perish along with many other planets.

I've been illustrating the Ancient Ones since 2014, but I've been writing it since 2009. This is Book One of a potential four-book series. I'm slowly creating my own sci-fi world for my characters and stories to live in. I'm asking for your help to make these books a reality."

As a builder of worlds and a teller of stories, I am SO excited about Allen's first book becoming a reality. He needs your help now to get this project over the finish line. As I write this, it is well on its way to being funded.

Book 1: Ancient Ones: Sacraments of the Lost Ones

There are many tiers to support Allen and his work at, as well as a ton of add-ons so that you can get as much of his work as you would like. There are even high-end tiers where you can get large metal prints of his key pieces, AND they are offered at an exclusive discounted price. We are stocking up on the metal bookmarks, you can never have too many bookmarks! Now is the time to support Allen and ensure that his project becomes a reality! Head over the Kickstarter and check out this fantastic project!
That is all for another exciting week on the blog, see you back here next week! Until then...

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

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Into The Ultra Interview

I recently had the extreme delight to be interviewed by Brain Stillman for his new series, Into The Ultra! It was a blast to sit and chat with Brian about Magic the Gathering, D&D, Star Wars, and the Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia. I have known Brain for years, and it was so exciting to be a part of his new project. You can watch the interview here or over on YouTube, and be sure to check out the Facebook page.

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, April 20, 2020

Arkham Horror: Final Hour - The Return of Unbound!

While I am usually sharing the reuse of my Star Wars work, today I have something a little different. One of the monsters that I originally created for the Call of Cthulhu card game has recently resurfaced in the Arkham Horror expansion, Final Hour. The piece reused was titled Unbound! and features my redesign of the Crawling One that I did for Mansions of Madness games and miniatures way back in 2011. Here is a look at the book art for Final Hour, pretty neat! Now, let's take a look inside.

Arkham Horror expansion Final Hour

Look at all these tokins. Lots of monsters on them, but one of them looks somewhat familiar.

Ah, yes! Here's one that looks very familiar indeed!

Cropped and stuck on a piece of cardboard, the Crawling One is still looking good after all these years. Too bad, there was not the room for the early artist cameo that appears in the original art. Nine years later, there is so much I would change about this piece, but we live and learn, and that is the whole point.

Unbound!
Call of Cthulhu: Silver Twilight Lodge

As an added bonus, here is my turnaround for the Crawling One miniature that I created before getting the Unbound! assignment. I was asked to redesign the monster for the miniatures and give it a new spin. With all my miniature work, it was super fun to work on. I kind of miss those miniature designing days.

Crawling One
Mansions of Madness

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

Friday, April 17, 2020

From the Vault: Social Norms Campaign

Over a decade ago, I was asked to create some social norms posters for a group that was targeting high school students in the Florida Panhandle. For those unfamiliar with social norms campaigns, it is a strategy to show that the majority of students in a given area do not take part in underage drinking, smoking, illegal drugs, etc. It shows that harmful and unlawful behavior is not as typical as it might appear and should be avoided. This work was done through the day job, and I wanted to approach it by using some of the popular internet memes of the time. What was hot at the time are now blasts from the past. I am not sure whatever happened to this project, I had to leave it to address higher priority assignments and the team that was brought it seemed to flounder in my absence. I do not think that any of my work was ever used, and that might be for the best. Here are some mockups, comps, and final versions for your viewing pleasure.

The owls were a popular meme of the time, and I thought they were fun.

I ended up doing a lot of owl images.

HA! HA! I always like this guy.

This is where we really strayed into dicey territory. The client insisted that we had a lot of flexibility with copyright and trademark due to the nature of the campaign. I was not as well versed with copyright as I am now, but even then, this seems a bit sketchy. Nothing was ever done with them, so hopefully no harm and no foul. I miss Ask a Ninja.

This was most likely my favorite of the ones that I made.

I assured the client that the students would understand this one.

I think this was as close to a completed version of any of my posters as I got. We looped back around to the owls, and that seemed to click with the client.

Maybe one of these made it out into the world, but I really think that none of them did. Oh well. It was a fun distraction at the time and allowed me to do something a little different.

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