Revisiting the Proto-Shoggoth

In 2009, I was hired to design a series of miniatures for Fantasy Flight Games. They were gearing up to make plastic minis of all of their Arkham Horror/Call of Cthulhu monsters, and I was at the right place at the right time to get the bulk of them. It was a fun project with a lot of freedom for a grotesquely small amount of pay. And then nothing. It wouldn't be until 2011/12 for the monsters to finally be released as unpainted figures in board game sets and as fully painted premium minis. By and large, they all turned out great, and I still look back at them favorably. As it has been 17 years since I made the art and 15 years since they were eventually released, I thought it would be nice to revisit some of them. Next up in alphabetical order, we have the Proto-Shoggoth. Here is my design and the final miniature.

Proto-Shoggoth 

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper - 3 separate drawings

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

The Proto-Shoggoth   miniature

And, as an added bonus, something I have never shared before, here are the thumbnails that I created for this piece. Over the past 17 years, I had forgotten how loose and sketchy these were.

Proto-Shoggoth   - Thumbnails

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

That's 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

Revisiting the Lloigor

In 2009, I was hired to design a series of miniatures for Fantasy Flight Games. They were gearing up to make plastic minis of all of their Arkham Horror/Call of Cthulhu monsters, and I was at the right place at the right time to get the bulk of them. It was a fun project with a lot of freedom for a grotesquely small amount of pay. And then nothing. It wouldn't be until 2011/12 for the monsters to finally be released as unpainted figures in board game sets and as fully painted premium minis. By and large, they all turned out great, and I still look back at them favorably. As it has been 17 years since I made the art and 15 years since they were eventually released, I thought it would be nice to revisit some of them. Next up in alphabetical order, we have the Lloigor. Here is my design and the final miniature.

Lloigor

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper - 3 separate drawings

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

The Lloigor miniature

And, as an added bonus, something I have never shared before, here are the thumbnails that I created for this piece. Over the past 17 years, I had forgotten how loose and sketchy these were.

Lloigor - Thumbnails

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

That's 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

Revisiting the Hound of Tindalos

In 2009, I was hired to design a series of miniatures for Fantasy Flight Games. They were gearing up to make plastic minis of all of their Arkham Horror/Call of Cthulhu monsters, and I was at the right place at the right time to get the bulk of them. It was a fun project with a lot of freedom for a grotesquely small amount of pay. And then nothing. It wouldn't be until 2011/12 for the monsters to finally be released as unpainted figures in board game sets and as fully painted premium minis. By and large, they all turned out great, and I still look back at them favorably. As it has been 17 years since I made the art and 15 years since they were eventually released, I thought it would be nice to revisit some of them. Next up in alphabetical order, we have the Hound of Tindalos. Here is my design and the final miniature.

Hound of Tindalos

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper - 3 separate drawings

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

The Hound of Tindalos miniature

And, as an added bonus, something I have never shared before, here are the thumbnails that I created for this piece. Over the past 17 years, I had forgotten how loose and sketchy these were.

Hound of Tindalos - Thumbnails

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

That's 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

Revisiting the Dark Young

In 2009, I was hired to design a series of miniatures for Fantasy Flight Games. They were gearing up to make plastic minis of all of their Arkham Horror/Call of Cthulhu monsters, and I was at the right place at the right time to get the bulk of them. It was a fun project with a lot of freedom for a grotesquely small amount of pay. And then nothing. It wouldn't be until 2011/12 for the monsters to finally be released as unpainted figures in board game sets and as fully painted premium minis. By and large, they all turned out great, and I still look back at them favorably. As it has been 17 years since I made the art and 15 years since they were eventually released, I thought it would be nice to revisit some of them. Next up in alphabetical order, we have the Dark Young. Here is my design and the final miniature.

Dark Young

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper - 3 separate drawings

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

The Dark Young miniature.  

And, as an added bonus, something I have never shared before, here are the thumbnails that I created for this piece. Over the past 17 years, I had forgotten how loose and sketchy these were.

Dark Young - Thumbnails

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

That's 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

Revisiting the Crawling One

In 2009, I was hired to design a series of miniatures for Fantasy Flight Games. They were gearing up to make plastic minis of all of their Arkham Horror/Call of Cthulhu monsters, and I was at the right place at the right time to get the bulk of them. It was a fun project with a lot of freedom for a grotesquely small amount of pay. And then nothing. It wouldn't be until 2011/12 for the monsters to finally be released as unpainted figures in board game sets and as fully painted premium minis. By and large, they all turned out great, and I still look back at them favorably. As it has been 17 years since I made the art and 15 years since they were eventually released, I thought it would be nice to revisit some of them. Next up in alphabetical order, we have the Crawling One. Here is my design and the final miniature.

Crawling One

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper - 3 separate drawings 

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

 

Crawling One miniature.  

And, as an added bonus, something I have never shared before, here are the thumbnails that I created for this piece. Over the past 17 years, I had forgotten how loose and sketchy these were.

Crawling One - Thumbnails

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

And, AND as another added bonus. Here is a piece I did a couple of years after this assignment, where I go to illustrate myself and the Crawling One for the Call of Cthulhu: Silver Twilight Lodge expansion. For the miniature design and the illustration, I started with established FFG designs for these monsters. I smoothed them out a little and added a lot of myself, but they are still on guide. I distinctly remember in the forums for this game that there were a few people who were not happy at all about the look of the Crawling One, and that it was wrong, as it doesn't look like this. I laughed and got back to making art and monsters. As a side note, this piece originally came out in 2011, but in 2020 (or thereabouts) it returned in the Arkham Horror expansion Final Hour.

Unbound!

 Call of Cthulhu: Silver Twilight Lodge

 © 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

Unbound!

 In card form!

 © 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

That's 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

Revisiting the Child of Abhoth

In 2009, I was hired to design a series of miniatures for Fantasy Flight Games. They were gearing up to make plastic minis of all of their Arkham Horror/Call of Cthulhu monsters, and I was at the right place at the right time to get the bulk of them. It was a fun project with a lot of freedom for a grotesquely small amount of pay. And then nothing. It wouldn't be until 2011/12 for the monsters to finally be released as unpainted figures in board game sets and as fully painted premium minis. By and large, they all turned out great, and I still look back at them favorably. As it has been 17 years since I made the art and 15 years since they were eventually released, I thought it would be nice to revisit some of them. Next up in alphabetical order, we have the Child of Abhoth. Here is my design and the final miniature.

Child of Abhoth

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper - 3 separate drawings

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

The Child of Abhoth miniature.  

And, as an added bonus, something I have never shared before, here are the thumbnails that I created for this piece. Over the past 17 years, I had forgotten how loose and sketchy these were.

Child of Abhoth - Thumbnails

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

That's 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

Revisiting the Being of Ib

In 2009, I was hired to design a series of miniatures for Fantasy Flight Games. They were gearing up to make plastic minis of all of their Arkham Horror/Call of Cthulhu monsters, and I was at the right place at the right time to get the bulk of them. It was a fun project with a lot of freedom for a grotesquely small amount of pay. And then nothing. It wouldn't be until 2011/12 for the monsters to finally be released as unpainted figures in board game sets and as fully painted premium minis. By and large, they all turned out great, and I still look back at them favorably. As it has been 17 years since I made the art and 15 years since they were eventually released, I thought it would be nice to revisit some of them. Starting things out in alphabetical order, we have the Being of Ib. Here is my design and the final miniature.

Being of Ib

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper - 3 separate drawings

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

The Being of Ib miniature.  

And, as an added bonus, something I have never shared before, here are the thumbnails that I created for this piece. Over the past 17 years, I had forgotten how loose and sketchy these were. 

Being of Ib - Thumbnails

Arkham Horror Monsters / Mansions of Madness 

© 2009 Fantasy Flight Games

That's 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

Arkham Horror: The Labryunths of Lunacy - The Return of the Faceless Abductor

I recently noticed that an old piece I created for the Call of Cthulhu card game expansion, Silver Twilight Lodge, had made a return appearance. And when I say old, I mean over a decade. This piece was originally released in 2011, so I likely painted it in 2010. For a painting this old I still like it a great deal, and I know I was figuring out a lot with this piece. I produced this piece at a formative time when my skill set was advancing rapidly. While it might not look like it now, this was a piece at the cusp of my abilities. It was not met with much enthusiasm either. I believe this image received two 'likes' on Facebook at the time, and one of those was me. For many reasons, it is nice to see this piece pop back up. Maybe, just maybe, this time around, it will get some love. For its return, the card was included in a new Arkham Horror card game expansion, The Labyrinth of Lunacy. To start things off, here is a look at the front of the box for this new expansion.

The Labyrinth of Lunacy, an Arkham Horror card game expansion

This piece was called initially Nightgaunt, as that is the type of monster it is. When it was released, it was given the title Faceless Abductor which I am sure made more sense in gaming terms and added more spice to the game. No matter; it is nice to see this one come back around for a second look at the world. Here is the final art for the Faceless Abductor, as it was in 2011 and in 2022.

Faceless Abductor

Silver Twilight Lodge - Call of Cthulhu Card Game

(and now The Labyrinth of Lunacy - Arkham Horror Card Game)
9.3 x 6.9 - Digital
© 2011 Fantasy Flight Games

Lastly, here is the new card for the Faceless Abductor. As I never played either the Call of Cthulhu or Arkham Horror card games, I do not know if the monster stats are different or how different the game mechanics are for their monsters. Either way, here is the new card in all its glory. RAWR!

Faceless Abductor in new 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

Great Old One - Miniature Now Available! (FINALLY)

This is a long time in coming. Way back in 2010/2011 I created a painting of my take on a Great Old One... for a personal project that is recently getting some traction. That said, I was approached in 2013 to license the image for an upcoming RAFM Kickstarter. That Kickstarter came and went with it being funded and many stretch goals were also funded. One of the funded stretch goals was to have a miniature of my painting created! While there were teaser images and miniatures available for the Kickstarter backers the miniature based on my painting has yet to be available to the general population... until NOW!

Great Old One Miniature

Image courtesy the RAFM Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition Miniatures Kickstarter

Great Old One Miniature

Image courtesy the RAFM Website

Those interested in the Great Old One miniature can now head over the RAFM Website and get one for themselves. Mine showed up this week and I did not know what to expect. It sure is neat and I will need to put it together at some point and paint it up. There is something about it still all in it pieces that I find interesting too... the potential of being a monster. It is interesting to see where they strayed from my painting and where they stayed completely true. Here is a look at the miniature as it arrives...

Great Old One miniature by RAFM based on my painting

If you are interested in getting one of these for your very own just head over to the RAFM Website. I have had to wait 8 years to get my hands on one of these, you will only have to wait a week or less! Here again is the original painting that was the inspiration for the miniature. I have always really like this piece and I look forward to it eventually being put into context with what I am working on.

Great Old One

12.8 x 12.5 - Digital

© 2010 Christopher Burdett

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

Star Spawn - Arkham Horror Monsters

Back in August I shared with you my Star Spawn miniature that is part of the 2nd Edition release of Mansions of Madness. I also mentioned that the Star Spawn would also be included in the Arkham Horror Monsters line of prepainted miniatures. That time has come and I am happy to share with you some images of the production miniature of my Star Spawn design...

Star Spawn

Arkham Horror Monsters Miniature

Pretty cool if I do say so myself! I think that the miniature really turned out great and is extremely faithful to my design. Here again is my turnaround for the Star Spawn so that you can compare...

Star Spawn Turnaround

Each - 12 x 9 - Pencil on paper
© 2016 (2009) Fantasy Flight Games

This was the very last design that I did for this line of miniatures. I am thankful that they finally all made it into production, even if it took one seven years. Hopefully there will be another great line of miniatures for me to work on, if not, I guess I will just have to make my own...

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

Star Spawn Miniature - Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition

Very excited to finally share this with work with you today. I have only been waiting 7 years for this piece to finally come out. With the announcement of the 2nd Edition release of Mansions of Madness I can now share the Star Spawn miniature design that I did back in 2009. While I have had to wait a while for pieces to finally come out, this by far is the reigning champ for the most delayed release. Better late then never! Here is the initial design for the Star Spawn...

Star Spawn

12 x 9 - Pencil on paper
© 2016 (2009) Fantasy Flight Games

You can imagine my reaction when I looked into the display case at Gen Con during set up. I did a double take since it had been 7 years since I worked on this piece and it has been years since I actually looked at the drawing. I was told years ago when it was not released with the rest of the Arkham Horror miniatures that it would eventually be out as a part of "something special". Well, that day has come and the 2nd Edition release of Mansions of Madness must be pretty special!

Star Spawn making its debut at Gen Con 2016

Here are two views of the complete turnaround for the Star Spawn. You might notice an edit to the texture of the legs that was requested after the final 3/4 view was created. The right wing in the rear view was a separate drawing that was digitally added for the turnaround.

Star Spawn Turnaround

Each - 12 x 9 - Pencil on paper
© 2016 (2009) Fantasy Flight Games

Star Spawn Turnaround

Each - 12 x 9 - Pencil on paper
© 2016 (2009) Fantasy Flight Games

Since I am sharing everything, because why not it has bee 7 years, here is a look at the very rough scribbly thumbnails that I turned in for miniature concepts. This is the highly detailed and clear roughs that I use to turn in 7 years ago. Scribble scribble scribble...

Star Spawn Thumbnails
© 2016 (2009) Fantasy Flight Games

If the release of the Star Spawn in Mansions of Madness after a 7 year wait was not good enough, it looks like a fully painted version of the Star Spawn will be available later in the year! Looking forward to having this fellow on my shelf with the rest of my miniatures. RAWR!

Painted Star Spawn and company

Image courtesy Fantasy Flight Games

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

Great Old One - Miniature

A couple of years ago I was approached to license one of my monster images for a Kickstarter being run by the good folks over at RAFM for a new line of Cthulhu miniatures they were working on. My Great Old One painting became a featured piece for their Kickstarter and eventually became a stretch goal add on as an actual miniature. In the fullness of time an image has surfaced of that miniature...

Great Old One Miniature

Image courtesy the RAFM Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition Miniatures Kickstarter

RAWR! I love miniatures and I love miniatures of my monster even more. Here is the original Great Old One piece that this miniature is based on. Hard to believe it has been five years since I created this one, how time flies...

Great Old One

12.8 x 12.5 - Digital

© 2010 Christopher Burdett

Not a bad translation of my painting if I do say so myself. I look forward to getting my hands on one of my own. Be sure to check out the rest of the really cool miniatures that RAFM is working on.

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

The Fishy Look

I am no closer to replacing my car, but I am ready to get back on the horse and get this old blog moving again. Today, I have for you a doodle that turned itself into a full drawing. ...or should I say that I was drawing without a goal and by the time the dust cleared I had this...

The Fishy Look

9 x 12

colored pencil on toned paper

© 2013 Christopher Burdett
Original for sale over on my web store!

Not sure what to say about this piece... TENTACLES! ...um, yes, I was was drawing some tentacles and lots of eyes and having a lot of fun and just didn't want to stop working on them. Usually how these things happen. Not sure why he feels the need to cover up his tentacle shame. I have some photos of the drawing taking shape...

Process shots are all © 2013 Christopher Burdett

That is all for an 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