Death Head Buzzard

This image was done for Wizards of the Coast back in 2002. And, sadly, this is one of my last acrylic paintings. Since then, I've gone the digital route for the sake of expedience and flexibility, but there is something charming about the surface and texture of physical paint verses digital paint. Of course, the image you are looking at had to be digitized, so it makes the surface irrelevant to anyone surfing the net. But, there is a certain electricity you get when holding an original painting in your hands.

Anyhow, when I was trying to come up with an idea for this zombie buzzard, I thought it would be fun to give the bird teeth as opposed to a beak. This helped to create a more menacing and surreal look. The first rendition had a lot more detail, but I knew it would have to work at a very small size ... so I painted most of the detail away in order so that it may read clearer and more graphic at that small size. It's always disheartening painting over an area you like, but in the end it's for the better.

--Marcelo