'Alien' Studies and some recent work

I am doing a really bad job of keeping this thing updated... I'll blame freelance. 

I've started doing comp studies from film stills- something I should have done years ago instead of only studying old paintings, especially since I want to work in that industry. These were done from the original 'Alien.' Such a gorgeous movie. It continues to blow my mind that these shots that seem so busy and full of mechanical details and complex lighting are actually so (deceptively) simple. Big shapes. Very clear silhouettes. You can tell what's going on from a mile away. 

This being an old movie, I also really appreciate how subtly a lot of the color is done, compared to the over-the-top complementary color usage these days. If anyone knows a good reason for the bright yellow-lit helmets in Prometheus, besides "It stands out against the blue backgrounds," I'm all ears. (Don't get me wrong though, that movie was still bloody gorgeous.)

Some recent work. These 2 are paintings for a client's sci-fi film pitch. Some of my more fun assignments. 

Cover illustration for Jared Sandman's new novel, 'Blackstone.' 

Finally, a portrait I did of the late Christopher Hitchens for the 'Notorious' group show at the Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco. I haven't had a chance to work in oils much lately, so this was a real joy, and I finally got to do some experimenting again. I might post some of the sketches and process shots in a later post, once I get them scanned.