The DOODLES, DESIGNS, and aRT of CHRISTOPHER BURDETT

Friday, June 4, 2021

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Eidolon

I don't get into gaming stores as often as I used to, and the past fifteen months certainly haven't helped. Now that things are beginning to improve, I recently once again found myself in a gaming store. As I was taking in the many delights and noticing how many products I contributed to, I came across something that caught my attention. It was a new to me miniature that was based on my Eidolon from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. You might be aware that the Eidolon has already been made into a miniature, but this one is a little different. To start things off, here is the illustration for the Eidolon.

Eidolon

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

11 x 14 - Digital

Art Director - Kate Irwin

I am often out of the loop on what is actively happening in the tabletop gaming world as my head is down working. I was slightly aware of the unpainted series of D&D miniatures, Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures, but I haven't looked too closely into them. Much to my surprise, while standing in the gaming store recently, I was surprised to see the Eidolon. I, of course, had to pick one up. Here is the unpainted Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures release of the Eidolon.

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Eidolon

I thought something was a little off when I first looked at this mini. Maybe the detail was a little crisper; perhaps they changed the height, whatever it was, I couldn't put my finger on it at first. Eventually, I realized that the pose is flipped from the pre-painted version and my illustration. The eyes are consistent, but everything else is inverted. I like this aspect a lot. It gives you a different version of the same miniature, so there can be some variation at the table if there is more than one in a gaming session. I will need to pay a little more attention to the Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures line to see what else might be out there. Lastly, here is the pre-painted miniature of the Eidolon for comparison.

Eidolon Pre-painted Miniature

That's 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, June 2, 2021

Thunderwing the Sprite - Dungeons & Dragons - Process

Today, I am happy to share the process and steps that went into one of my four illustrations in the recently released Dungeons & Dragons supplement, Candlekeep Mysteries. For this installment, I am sharing my final contribution, Thunderwing the Sprite. Thunderwing the Sprite is having the worst day when players encounter her as she is having a pretty cry and not the ugly sob that I initially drew her. Here is the final painting for Thunderwing the Sprite.

Thunderwing the Sprite

Candlekeep Mysteries

11 x 14 - Digital

Art Director - Kate Irwin

This piece is a bit out of my wheelhouse and not the typical work I take on, but you do the best you can do when you get an assignment. Since this needed to be a human-like female creature, I knew I would be relying heavily on reference to make sure it turns out the best it can. Dear Wife stepped in to be the very best sad Sprite she could be and saved the day. The assignment called for Thunderwing to be sitting on a rock crying, so that is what I provided. I knew from the start that it was going to be problematic. Her wings are essential, and they take up a lot of space once seated. Since she was sad, it was evident that the wings needed to be down and not up. All of this resulted in a very horizontal composition when the art required to be verticle. Here are the thumbnails that I submitted for Thunderwing the Sprite.

Thunderwing the Sprite - Thumbnails

As anticipated, these thumbnails were not working. While I liked them a lot, maybe more so than the finals, they didn't work for the art that would be in the book. I was asked to revisit them and have Thunderwing standing so that the composition allowed her wings to be down and for the overall piece to be vertical. My art director also suggested that I have Thunderwing interacting with her wings somehow, possibly wiping her eyes. I thought all of this sounded interesting, and Dear Wife once again stepped in and modeled her best very sad Sprite. Here are the revised thumbnails for Thunderwing the Sprite.

Thunderwing the Sprite - Revised thumbnails

The second time is the charm and production selected option 'A' from the revised thumbnails. With a thumbnail chosen, it was time to work on the final drawing. Again, the reference was invaluable to make sure this turned out the way it needed to. While I can pull tentacle and tooth from my head all day long, I need reference all day long for a human-like female creature. Here is how the final drawing turned out for Thunderwing the Sprite.

Thunderwing the Sprite - Drawing

Candlekeep Mysteries

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper

Original - AVAILABLE

Art Director - Kate Irwin

I mentioned pretty crying and ugly sobbing earlier. While the drawing was approved, I was asked to make sure Thunderwing remained somewhat pretty and was not absolutely breaking down. I was sent some additional reference images for pretty crying that I used as I moved into the final. I have been asked many things in my career, but this was the first monster that needed to appear to be pretty crying. While it was a first, it certainly wasn't the worst. Here is the process of the painting for Thunderwing the Sprite taking shape.

Thunderwing the Sprite - Process

This painting took shape very quickly, and it was completed due to the reference that I had at my disposal. You will note that I adjusted the drawing going into the painting process so that it was locked in, and I was not searching for the correct facial features in the paint. I made sure that my reference had the proper lighting, fabric reference, and props so that the hands looked like they were holding wings. As I have said countless times here on the blog, reference is critical, reference is your friend, and reference must be used. This painting either would not exist, would have been poor quality, or would have taken me easily ten times the amount of time to complete if not for reference. Here again, is the final painting for Thunderwing the Sprite.

Thunderwing the Sprite

Candlekeep Mysteries

That's 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

Friday, May 28, 2021

REMINDER: Kickstarter Roundup - Hooker

When I wrote this post yesterday, the theme was to rally the troops to create a strong push and to get Daniel Hooker's Mermaid Mayhem: A Deep Sea Card Battle for Glory Kickstarter across the funding goal. It didn't have far to go with four days remaining. As I was looking at the campaign page to see what else I could share about this awesome game, the pledged amount ticked over the goal and it became funded! I was so excited to have been there to witness the campaign meet its goal.

But that is not all; I awoke this morning to now see that the campaign has now also reached its first stretch goal—exciting times in the last days of the campaign. If you have been on the fence about supporting this project, now is the time to act. There are many more stretch goals available that will make this game that much more fun. I hope you take the time to go check out Daniel's Kickstarter and how it some love!

Daniel Hooker: Mermaid Mayhem: A Deep Sea Card Battle for Glory

Stretch goals aplenty! I have my hopes on the Meme-maid cards getting unlocked before Monday. Those look like a lot of fun.

We have known Daniel for years, and he is a local artist that has made comics, mermaids, monsters, and more. On top of that, he is an all-around great guy, and I am always eager to support his projects, and I think you should too. Daniel has created a series of inclusive mermaid art for the last several years, and now he has created an entire mermaid game! I couldn't be more excited.

"Mermaid Mayhem is an exciting card based adventure for ages 8 and up! Take your mermaid battle squad on a danger filled treasure hunt. Grow your party and punish your foes as you race to claim the most treasure."

There is more information, art, and many tiers to support this project on the campaign page. Now that Daniel's game will be a reality, it is time to unlock more stretch goals!

Just a glimpse of what in instore, be sure to head to the campaign page to learn more about this awesome game!

That's 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, May 26, 2021

Dungeons & Dragons - Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft - Part 2

On Monday, I shared the first of two posts of my work from the new Dungeons & Dragons supplement, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Today brings the second post and the mighty Unspeakable Horror. This monster was a particular joy to design and paint. While there was a loose description provided, a lot of it was up to me to work out. I remember the need for its body to look and feel like old rotten wood and that it needed to have a crown of parasitic worms or caterpillars. All I know is that I needed to make an Unspeakable Horror, and I was more than happy to oblige. Here is the final painting for the Unspeakable Horror.

Unspeakable Horror

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

11 x 14 - Digital

Art Director - Kate Irwin

The final painting may be digital, but there is, as with all of my D&D work, an original drawing available of this monster. I was especially pleased with the drawing for this one and gave it additional time and attention. Partially due to the complexity and partly because I was enjoying myself. Here are the drawings for the Unspeakable Horror.

Unspeakable Horror - Drawing

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper

Original - AVAILABLE

Art Director - Kate Irwin

Lastly, here is a look at the Unspeakable Horror in the book. It printed beautifully. I really like the red graphic element behind the figure; it complements the piece nicely. As always, fingers crossed that there will eventually be a miniature made for this monster.

Unspeakable Horror in book form!

That is all of 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, May 24, 2021

Dungeons & Dragons - Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft - Part 1

Last week a new Dungeons & Dragons supplement was released that I have been looking forward to for some time. Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is a deep dive into the world of Ravenloft for D&D 5th Edition, and I was lucky enough to create a couple of paintings for the book. This is the first time working in Ravenloft, and it only left me wanting more. For both monsters, I was asked to design them and illustrate them, which, if you follow my blog at all this is my favorite type of project.

For the first of two posts, I bring you the Carrion Stalker. It was described as an alien horseshoe crab resting upon a mass of tentacles that pulled itself around with pincers. This sounded right up my alley, and I enjoyed working on this one from start to finish. When I share the process for this piece in the coming weeks, I will share how I deviated from my established workflow and how it caused me a bit of a headache. Here is the final painting for the Carrion Stalker.

Carrion Stalker

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

11 x 14 - Digital

Art Director - Kate Irwin

While the final painting is digital, the painting was not the only image created and used for this assignment. I was asked to also create a drawing of the underside of this monster to help illustrate its horrifying anatomy. In addition to the drawing used for the painting, there are two fully rendered drawings of the monster's underside. An original version required revisions due to the arrangement of the mouth and the final version that appears alongside the painting in the book. The mouth change came late after the thumbnails and designs were approved, which is why there are two versions. Because all of these drawings are related to the same monster and assignment, I am offering them as a set. Here are the drawings for the Carrion Stalker.

Carrion Stalker - Drawing

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper

Set of all THREE Originals - AVAILABLE

Art Director - Kate Irwin

Carrion Stalker - Underside drawing original

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper

Set of all THREE Originals - AVAILABLE

Art Director - Kate Irwin

Carrion Stalker - Underside drawing final

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper

Set of all THREE Originals - AVAILABLE

Art Director - Kate Irwin

Lastly, here is a look at the Carrion Stalker in the book. It printed beautifully, and it is always nice to see my drawings in the book along with my paintings. I hope there will be a miniature of this one someday, though it will be a tiny mini.

Carrion Stalker in book form!

That is all of 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 14, 2021

Blast From the Past - Concept Design for Harv the Barbarian (2004)

In 2004, when I still lived and worked in Los Angeles designing and making monsters for TV and movies, I did some design work for the never-made movie Harv the Barbarian. What is Harv the Barbarian, you might ask? Well, it was an unmade epic starring Rob Schneider and was co-written by SNL legend Jack Handey. You don't believe me? In digging through my archives and doing a little searching on the net, I found an article from 2014 regarding the script. In the article, it even mentions the "Mystery Worm of Atlantis, a sixty-foot-long, five-foot-thick worm that uses its ability to projectile vomit as a weapon, in the gladiator arena," which is the same monster that I did design work on.

I am getting a little ahead of myself. By late 2004 I had worked in LA for some time and had produced a great deal of work for the shop I was exclusively working at. In all that time, I never received so much as a bonus or pay increase of any kind. If I wanted more, I worked more hours. Once again, I found myself asking my boss for some sort of raise to make the lean times out there more manageable. Again I was turned down for a straightforward pay increase, but I was allowed to work for free on my own time on concept designs involving a pitch for a new movie. If the shop got the movie, then I would get my raise. To be clear, I was asked to make unpaid spec work for my boss to get a job with no guarantee of composition for me. I was desperate and agreed. I did a great deal of work on a giant monster called the Mystery Worm of Atlantis that would fight Rob Schneider in a gladiator stadium. On the surface, it sounds fun and a great opportunity, except for that not getting paid part and being taken advantage of.

Long story short, I did a lot of work, like, a LOT of work. I produced a series of concepts for the Worm that I can no longer find and a final painting of the design that the boss picked. After all that work, nothing happened, the movie was never made, the shop never got the work, and I never got a raise. In early 2005 I left LA. This project was just one of the many reasons that led me to the decision. Here is the end result of all that work.

Mystery Worm of Atlantis Concept

Digital - 2004

Looking back now, all I can see is a bad painting of an almost interesting monster design that was executed poorly. I hardly knew anything about painting, let alone digital painting, in 2004. I had so much to learn, and thankfully, I learned a lot in the coming decade. I was in way over my head with this project, but I was desperate, and desperation sometimes provides the drive to break through your comfort zone and try new things. Sometimes desperation has you making poor choices like accepting spec work. There is no point in spending time breaking down everything wrong with this piece. I was much younger than I am now and knew a lot less. I can do much better now. That is hopefully how things should work. Let us look at this as a snapshot from September 2004 and the work I was doing in LA in the film industry. Here are a series of process images that I found in my archives.

Thumbnail

I will be honest; this thumbnail is my favorite part of the entire process and the work I did on it. There is better handling of the anatomy and composition here. There is a lot more movement over all that was lost as I worked on it.

Final pencil drawing

I might have this somewhere, but I have not seen this drawing since 2004, so it is likely lost.

The painting taking shape

I actually learned a fair deal working on this piece. A keen eye can see how the image changed and how different aspects evolved as I found better ways to work and improve what I was doing. I have no time or reason to do so, but I wonder how I would approach this monster and this painting today if I had to do it as the artist I am today.

That is all for another exciting week on the blog. I will be taking next week off on the blog, so don't expect anything new until the following 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, May 12, 2021

Kiddywidget - Dungeons & Dragons - Process

Today, I am happy to share the process and steps that went into one of my four illustrations in the recently released Dungeons & Dragons supplement, Candlekeep Mysteries. For this installment, I am sharing the companion piece to last week's post of the Skitterwidget. The Skitterwidget and Kiddywidget were a pair of pieces that needed to be adult and child versions of a mechanical dog-cockroach-like construct that the players would encounter. Here is the final painting for the Kiddywidget.

Kiddywidget

Candlekeep Mysteries

11 x 14 - Digital

Art Director - Kate Irwin

As previously mentioned, I designed the Skitterwidget and Kiddywidget in adult and child pairings. This way, production could look at the two versions and pick their favorites. I wanted them to have a familial connection and not look like two random robot creatures. Since I had free range with the design process, save for them being reminiscent of a mechanical dog-cockroach. I will say the Kiddywidgets were a bit more fun to design due to the challenge of making a cuter child-like version of the adult designs. While I don't do cute often in my work, I feel like I accomplished it well with this assignment. Here are the thumbnail pairings I submitted.

Kiddywidget - Thumbnails

Skitterwidget - Thumbnails

As before, I personally preferred the 'C' options, but the 'B' Kiddywidget was a close second. There was something about the 'C' Kiddywidget that I loved. With options 'B' as the approved thumbnails, it was time to move forward on the final drawing.

Kiddywidget - Drawing

Candlekeep Mysteries

11 x 14 - Pencil on paper

Original - SOLD

Art Director - Kate Irwin

As with the Skitterwidget, the drawings were approved, and I was ready to start painting. There were no further notes, and I was free to make the monsters come to life. Here is the painting taking shape.

Kiddywidget - Process

With the Skitterwidget painted first, I had a template to work from and adjust. Since I was now painting a child version, I wanted to be mindful of the level of wear and tear I put on the construct. I also wanted to make sure the overall piece was brighter and lighter. I shifted things more yellow overall and made sure the shadows were not as dark. I added a fair amount of blue and green into the piece to keep it bright and colorful. While I am not sure this direction is correct, and I didn't think about it in advance, it simply felt like the right direction to take the piece. Call it dumb luck or call it experience from years of working, not matter; I feel like I was successful in my efforts. While they are a pair, I prefer the Kiddywidget to the Skitterwidget without question. This likely goes back to my preference for the Kiddywidget thumbnails. While production was happy with all my work on this project, they were especially happy with these two constructs. It is always nice to hear with work is appreciated. Here again, is the final painting for the Kiddywidget.

Kiddywidget

11 x 14 - Digital

That's 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