Alien

Scroll down to see the process.

Looking at my portfolio, I noticed I hadn't yet done much in the way of creatures. As I asked myself what could fill that gap, I thought about the Alien comics, books, and movies that I spent countless hours with growing up. The franchise was beloved by my Dad and soon I was fascinated too. The way H.R. Giger's Xenomorph designs were so beautifully intricate, yet disturbingly gruesome, terrified me to my core and kept me coming back for more.

As an adult, that hasn't changed, Alien remains truly unique in both the worlds of horror and science fiction. In this piece I wanted to try and capture that daunting terror I love so much. Focusing on long spindly limbs, a body simultaneously organic and machine, and the fine details studding its form; my goal was to craft a creature set on the precipice of violence, but filled with a cold and cunning intelligence.

I poured over the original artwork, sketches, and costumes from the films; the 3D models and comic renditions from over the years; and the films themselves during my process. I tried to remain faithful to it all while capturing my own idea of how the Xenomorph should look and feel. Placed atop a mountain of skulls and glistening with the fetid humidity of its lair, this was the result.

-Sam Bogits

Process

I started with a handful of quick gesture drawings in pen to capture the feeling and body language I wanted, seen in the top left corner. After making my choice I researched as much of the original concept art, models, and costuming as I could find. I then drew up some studies of the details, the way the exoskeleton fit together, and the general anatomy. The final sketch brought together my research and my gesture drawing, giving me a rough idea of the details and a composition for the rest of the piece.

Here I went through various steps to reach the final. First an under-painting to get and idea of the values, then a limited value rendering of the skulls and the Alien itself. I then created a two value shape for the hive walls in the background as a base to work on top of.

Finally layers of atmosphere, darkness, and light were added to enhance the composition and bring it in line with my initial under-painting. I concluded with a final value adjustment and added in reflections to enhance the lighting and give it that wet, shiny look. Based on the original film's color grading, I colored it with that classic deep blue-green and sickly yellow palette. Lastly I made a final detail pass to really define the Xenomorph.

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