Showing posts with label Ankheg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ankheg. Show all posts

Friday, June 9, 2023

Dungeons & Dragons Word Search and Coloring Book - The Return of the Ankheg

Sometimes I go looking, and sometimes these things come to me. Another Facebook ad gave me the heads-up on something I might want to check out. I checked it out, and I can confirm that it did fall well within the sphere of my interests. After a quick glance at the recently released Dungeons & Dragons Word Search and Coloring Book, I noticed that under Ankheg was something very familiar to me.

Dungeons & Dragons Word Search and Coloring Book
For all your Dungeons & Dragons Word Search and Coloring Book needs.

Much to my surprise (but is it really at this point), under Ankheg I found the design drawing that I produced while working on the 5E D&D Monster Manual and monster redesign. It looked a little funny, but I am sure it was modified a little to make for a better coloring page. Here is my Ankheg drawing.

A drawing of a monster that is near and dear to me.

As mentioned, I recognized it immediately as my work, but the more and more I looked at it, it felt a little off. Not by much, but something just seemed different. I could clearly see my mark-making and my work, but something was... strange. I compared it to the original design work.

Ankheg - Version 02
Digitally modified drawing
12 x 9
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Ankheg - Final Concept
Digital color over modified drawing
12 x 9
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

After a side-by-side comparison, I knew something was off. It was my design, but with less detail, and the shading was off. That is when I remembered I did additional detail drawings for all of the monsters I painted for the 5E MM, including the Ankheg. Since my final design for the monster was a digitally edited version of my drawing and the illustration in the book was in a more cropped action pose, I redrew that original concept as one of my detail studies. Since it was going to be smaller, I dropped some of the details in the original drawing and changed a couple things here and there. And thus, the mysetery is solved, and I was correct, it was my drawing, just not the one I thought it was at the beginning. Here is a look at all the detail drawings I did for the Ankheg ten years ago. 

Ankheg - Detail drawings
 9 x 12 - Pencil on paper
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

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

Friday, August 6, 2021

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Ankheg

Today, I have for you another, and the last to my knowledge Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures release of a D&D monster that I updated for 5th Edition. If you know me and this blog, you know my love of the Ankheg and that it was one of my favorite assignments when doing the design push for 5E D&D. Having always been a fan of it and then illustrating it for the second 4E Monster Manual, the Ankheg has always held a special place in my monster heart. My work with it for 5E only secured its place in my top D&D monsters. With the prepainted miniature coming out last year, it is nice to see an unpainted version showing the entire monster. To start things off, here is the illustration of my redesigned Ankheg.

Ankheg
5th Edition Monster Manual
11 x 14 - Digital
Art Director - Daniel Gelon
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast LLC

While I have designed many monsters for D&D, the Ankheg remains a favorite, and to see it made into another miniature fills me with a great deal of happiness. Designing miniatures was my first work in the tabletop gaming industry and remain a joy of mine. As mentioned above, while the first 5E miniature follows my illustration of the Ankheg, this new version shows the entire monster as it proudly stands entirely above ground. Just look at that abdomen! Here is Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures version of the Ankheg in all its glory.

 
Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Ankheg

As it is a favorite, I could not let them all live forever in a plastic bubble. I made sure to acquire two of these plastic beasties so that one could stay in the package and so that one could breathe free and be part of my miniature display. It also gives a better view of the entire monster.

Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures - Ankheg
Out of the confines of its packaging

Lastly, here is a look again at the prepainted Ankheg miniature from last year. Still love the job they did on this one. RAWR!

Prepainted Ankheg 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

Friday, June 11, 2021

Custom Ankheg Miniature by Jason DuBois

If you know me and know this blog, you will know the long history and the love I have for the D&D monster, the Ankheg. The Ankheg and I go back a way professionally and even further as a monster lover. The official miniature that was released last year was an exciting time. Even with a miniature available in stores, it has not stopped the crafters and gamers from making their own. I recently came across a custom Ankheg miniature made by Jason DuBois, and I had to immediately ask if I could share it on the blog. Jason was gracious enough to let me share his work. I think it looks great, and he did an excellent job capturing the 5th Edition Ankheg look and feel. Here are some of Jason's images of his work.

Ankheg miniature by Jason DuBois.
Images courtesy of Jason DuBois.

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

Friday, March 26, 2021

My Dad's Monster Manual - The Return of the Ankheg, Kraken, and Fire Snake

I would like to share something that I find very interesting and fun. It is a third-party Dungeons & Dragons book that uses licensed art, of which some of mine is included. While that is enough to warrant a blog post, the concept around the book itself is highly creative. My Dad's Monster Manual is a collection of monsters that most players should be more than familiar with, but in this case, they have all be reenvisioned and given new names, backstories, stats, and abilities. The author of the book had his father guess what each monster in the official monster manual was called and what it does, and from there, these new versions were created. I think this is a super fun idea and gives Dungeon Masters the opportunity to spice up their games and keep their players guessing. If you have a chance, you should check this book out. Here is a look at the book.

 
My Dad's Monster Manual

This book is full of monster art that appears in the fifth edition Monster Manual. Included are three of my pieces, the Ankheg, Kraken, and Fire Snake. I love how these creatures were given a fresh spin and fun new names and origins. The entire book has so many fun new ideas and monster potential. Here is a look at my art in the book.



Here again, is my full art for each of these monsters. It is nice to see how they live on and continue to show up and have a life of their own,

Ankheg
5th Edition Monster Manual
11 x 14 - Digital
Art Director - Daniel Gelon
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast LLC
 
Kraken
5th Edition Monster Manual
11 x 14 - Digital
Art Director - Daniel Gelon
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast LLC
 
Fire Snake
5th Edition Monster Manual
11 x 14 - Digital
Art Director - Daniel Gelon
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast LLC

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

Friday, May 29, 2020

Ankheg Miniature

I have been waiting for this one for so long. I figured it was only a matter of time. Given enough sets of miniatures, the good folks at Wizards of the Coast would see fit to produce a miniature based on my design of the Ankheg for 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. Well, it finally happened, and to make it even better, the miniature is based on my painting of the Ankheg that I created of the 5th Edition Monster Manual. The Ankheg is a special monster for me and my work on Dungeons & Dragons. It was the first monster that I painted for the second 4th Edition Monster Manual, I was asked to redesign it for 5th Edition, and finally, I painted it for the 5E Monster Manual. And now, after all that time, a miniature has been made of my version of this iconic monster. Here is my painting of the Ankheg.

Ankheg
5th Edition Monster Manual
11 x 14 - Digital
Art Director - Daniel Gelon
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast LLC

This is still one of my favorite pieces that I have painted for D&D. For me, it just hits all the right notes. A giant monster that is an insect, it's kind of crazy and weird, there is some nice action with the piece, and it is an isolated figure. I love a good isolated figure piece, and it is what I have loved about D&D Monsters Manuals since I was a child. That bold image of a monster on the page with nothing to stand in the way of your imagination building the world the monster lives in. Here is how the miniature of the Ankheg turned out.

Ankheg Miniature

I am so happy with how this miniature turned out. Not only were they faithful to my painting, but it is a large miniature. As much as I love miniatures, I love large minis the best. After so many years of hoping, it is really satisfying to finally see this monster made real in plastic.

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

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
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Ankheg
8x11 - Digital
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Fire Snake
8x11 - Digital
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Salamander
8x11 - Digital
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast
 
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

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Ghoul - Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit

In the last couple of weeks, the Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit has been released at Target stores, and I have two pieces in the monster manual section of the kit. One piece is new, and the second is an encore appearance. The new piece is a rather focused Dwarvian Ghoul that has her eye on you. Here is how that Ghoul turned out, as well as the drawing for it.

Ghoul
Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit
11 x 14 - Digital
Art Director - Kate Irwin
© 2019 Wizards of the Coast LLC

Ghoul
Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit
11 x 14 - Pencil on paper
Art Director - Kate Irwin
© 2019 Wizards of the Coast LLC

This was a fun one to work on and the first piece of client work I have done in a while, though there is more where this came from. A big thanks to Kate Irwin for aways including me on fun monster projects. It is exciting to see this kit on the shelf at Target! I hope that it is a good starting point for a new generation of D&D players.

As I previously mentioned, the Ankheg that I produced for the 5E Monster Manual returned to appear in the kit. In the 5E MM, the Ankheg was cropped a bit, but in the kit, you can see the entire painting. This was one of my favorite designs and illustrations that I have done for 5E.


Ankheg
Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit
11 x 14 - Digital
Art Director - Daniel Gelon
© 2019 Wizards of the Coast LLC

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog, see you back here after the long holiday weekend. Until then...

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

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Monster Manual Prints now Available!

Head over to my WEB STORE to get your prints of my monsters from the 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual! Each print is 8.5 x 11 and comes signed and numbered! The print run is limited to 50 each. You can get them singly or as a set at a discount. Go now and get yours today! RAWR!







See you back here on Monday for more new monsters! Until then...

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

Friday, September 26, 2014

5th Edition D&D Monster Manual Book Signing

The 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual comes out next week and the good folks at Fallout Comics have invited me out to do a book signing! If you are in the the North Florida / Tallahassee area be sure to come out to Fallout Comics on Saturday October 4th between 12 pm - 3pm @ 1484 Apalachee Pkwy, Tallahassee, Florida 32301 (Facebook event page). I will be signing and sketching in Monster Manuals and will have a whole lot of other surprises!

My illustrations in the 5E D&D Monster Manual
Kraken, Salamander, Fire Snake, Ankheg, and Aarakocra
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Did I mention surprises? Debuting at the signing will be a new set of limited edition signed and numbered monster prints! These 8.5 x 11 signed prints are numbered and limited to an edition of 50 and feature all five of the monsters that I illustrated for the Monster Manual. They can be purchased individually or as a set at a discount. RAWR!

Here is a look at the limited edition monster prints... for all your monster print needs.

The prints are all numbered and only await my signature when they are purchased. RAWR!

In addition to these new prints I will have with me original drawings and paintings, play mats, sketchbooks, Magic the Gathering prints, Magic the Gathering artist proofs, and more! I will also be signing any other items that I have worked on as well.

I hope to see you at Fallout Comics on Saturday October 4th between the hours of 12pm - 3pm @ 1484 Apalachee Pkwy, Tallahassee, Florida 32301.

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

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

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Dungeon & Dragons Monster Manual - Ankheg

One would think that since I am all about the monsters that I would have already started posting my work done on the monsters of 5th Edition D&D. To be honest, I just didn't know where to start! I designed 18 monsters for this new edition of D&D and illustrated 5 monsters that appeared in the Monster Manual (4 of my own design and 1 that I did not design). This was also the most personal work that I produced for a client last year. You don't have to look too hard on the blog to see that I have spent a lot of time redesigning the monsters of D&D for myself.

With all that in mind, I decided to start with the Ankheg. It is a monster I have always liked. I illustrated it for the Monster Manual 2 for 4th Edition, redesigned it for myself, redesigned it for 5th Edition, and finally have illustrated it for the new Monster Manual. You could say the Ankheg and I have some history. What better place to begin than with a monster I have gone full circle with? Here is my Ankheg for the 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons...

Ankheg - Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

As part of the assignment the Monster Manual, we were asked to create an additional series of detailed sketches that would be used in the design of the book. Not all of the drawings got used for all the monsters, but they were part of the process. Here are the detailed sketches that I created for the Ankheg...

Ankheg - Detail Sketches
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Some cropping aside, the Ankheg ended up in the book nice and big with a couple of detailed sketches hanging out. Here is a lousy photo of the Ankheg page I managed to take at Gen Con...

The handy dandy book version of the Ankheg for all your RPG needs!

While we are on the subject of Ankhegs, how about I talk about the process of designing it! I worked on monster designs in waves, a handful at a time, from start to finish. If my memory serves me, I worked on the Ankheg in the second wave. I was really getting into it by the second wave, and I wished I could design ALL the monsters and that this assignment would never end. Maybe under other circumstances, that could have happened... but that is neither here nor there. With all the monsters, I started with some thumbnail concepts...

Ankheg - Thumbnails / Concepts
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

They wanted something beefier than the previous design. The Ankheg needed to feel like it could really tear through the ground with its forelimbs and be a monstrous threat. I looked at a lot of mole crickets, like a LOT of them. One of my thumbnails made the cut on the first pass, option 'B,' and I was ready to work up a more finished drawing...

Ankheg - Version 01
12 x 9
Pencil on paper
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

I REALLY liked this design. Unfortunately, upon additional review, some changes were needed. Since most of the design was working, I moved forward with the revisions digitally over my original drawing...

Ankheg - Version 02
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Once these revisions were completed, I could see why I was asked to make them. This is a much more straightforward concept and not as busy. There was also concern that the appendages I added on the end of the thorax would give the impression that they could be used in battle, something the Ankheg could not do. With the design, all approved it was time to work up a color comp to assist the artist that was going to illustrate it for the book...

Ankheg - Final Concept
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

Conveniently, I became the illustrator, so I was very familiar with the new design and color scheme. I was also familiar with what had been the incarnation for the Ankheg for the previous five years during the 4th Edition. By sheer randomness, coincidence, or the aligning of the planets, I was asked to pretty much depict the Ankheg in the same way I had for the Monster Manual 2. I took this opportunity to improve upon myself and "do it right" this time. Here is a comparison of my Ankhegs created five years (almost to the day) apart for Dungeons & Dragons...

Ankheg - The circle is now complete: 2008 - 2013
© 2014 Wizards of the Coast

A HUGE THANKS to Jon Schindehette for all the monsters and direction during the design phase of 5th Edition (and for including me in the process, to begin with!) and Daniel Gelon for the art direction on the illustration!

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