Bob the Alien (Giger inspired Alien) Sculpting finished page 45

Everything looks Perfect Leigh! Amazing work! cant wait to see this Masterpiece finished.

Michael

I have a question, are you going to have the dome overlap the perimeter tube along the sides and front of the head, or are your going to have it in parallel proximity to it? Both seemed to happen in the movie in various scenes (i want to say lack of oversight on the prop-masters part between takes) and in some promotional shots.

Which do you prefer and why?

Ingenious solution to the dome love it ! I have to ask though, how are you going to mold the dome so it does just that?

sterling archer said:

---

Ingenious solution to the dome love it ! I have to ask though, how are you going to mold the dome so it does just that?

My plan to build a vac forming buck, is to cast up a head & build up the shape for the dome directly onto the head casting in polyester.
Then I can trim away the excess head material below dome level & build up a supporting structure in its place.
If I can find a place, I'll get the dome vac formed.
Once its formed I'll trim it along the line that'll be left in so that it should be a good fit all round.
Thats the plan at the moment anyway
It'll mean I'll have to sacrifice one head casting but tbh I cant think of a better way to do it?
What do you think?

Leigh said:

---

There were 5 or 6 heads made for the film & they're all different in some way In one pic the dome wraps right over the rear & in others it stops half way & then theres that last image, like the one at the museum that's been blended & finished higher up with a rough texture to it? very strange??



I'm intending to have the dome on Bob clip over the tube but only just, & then paint the inside of the dome so that the tube can be seen through it. So it'll cover the tube like the Sano big chap. I personaly prefer that look
I'm not keen on the way most seem to do it, like dome on the HCG bust being on the inside of the tube so that the tube is fully exposed. I personally believe the tube should be covered but visible

Interesting can you post shots of these various heads, figures, and busts, so that we may see the differences in the dome shapes, constructions, and overlaps?

EDIT- Which photo or figure is going to be your reference for dome shape? Thats another inconsistent thing about the film and promo material and endless replicas... the dome tends to change shape and size with each new installment. Also, I think you may have answered this, but how is the dome going to look at the front of the skull? flush? overlapping? or like some where it extends about an inch off the face (poorly fitted instances in those certain models, methinks)?

Whats the end game with this? Are you molding it and selling copy's?

OMG Leigh! This is just crazy!..

Been following this thread for a couple of months now, and you keep amazing me. Each update is like christmas.
Your talent and eye for detail is just mind-blowing and very inspiring.

Giger's Alien design is such a perfect and beautiful one, my absolute favorite creature design ever, and to replicate that is not an easy task, but you have succeeded sir!

I like how you've been faithful to the original, but also adding some subtle detailing and texture allover to make it your own. Can't wait to see it all finished up, with the dome and everything..

Congrats on finishing the headsculpt and thanks for an awesome thread..


Here's my take on how he could look like with the dome and tendons applied..

Leigh I have been watching this from the begining and have to say alot of people start a project like this and run out of steam and never complete it. I'm glad you hung in there and saw it through this is just incredible work, your in the big leagues now!
Ray

Thank you Ray

SankaraRaider said:

---

OMG Leigh! This is just crazy!..

Been following this thread for a couple of months now, and you keep amazing me. Each update is like christmas.
Your talent and eye for detail is just mind-blowing and very inspiring.

Giger's Alien design is such a perfect and beautiful one, my absolute favorite creature design ever, and to replicate that is not an easy task, but you have succeeded sir!

I like how you've been faithful to the original, but also adding some subtle detailing and texture allover to make it your own. Can't wait to see it all finished up, with the dome and everything..

Congrats on finishing the headsculpt and thanks for an awesome thread..


Here's my take on how he could look like with the dome and tendons applied..

SankaraRaider,Thank you so much for taking the time to do that That is exactly how I want him to look!!
Its great to be able to confirm that the dome will look how I want it too before I've even made it. I've been struggling to visualise it & this is confirmation, I'm very
Your pic is now on my desktop


Clutch, It seems from reference that it did wrap right over the back at some point during filming. Theres that pic (I cant find it) of the Alien leaning out of he's hiding place on the Narcisus with his head upside down, it looks as though it wraps right round on that one.
The pic you've shown looks to me like it stops half way but its hard to tell with that particular pic.
H R Giger portrayed his Alien on the cover of his book 'Giger's Alien' with a wrap around dome & Sano also sculpted his Bigchap with it wrap right round.
To me it would seem thats how its meant to be & thats how I intend to do it
I dont think it'll be possible to vac form the entire dome in one peice due to the large undercut at the rear. Mine will have a join like Clutch's pic & a second peice that fits underneath the rear & the intention will be to blend the join so that it cant be seen.

Very nice. I'm digging the proposed shape. But dont you think the front end of the dome sticks out a little too far from the "nose"? seems to be a bit more extended than most shots Ive seen

JunkSabers1138 said:

---

Very nice. I'm digging the proposed shape. But dont you think the front end of the dome sticks out a little too far from the "nose"? seems to be a bit more extended than most shots Ive seen

Thanks

Your point about the front sticking out a bit far is something I have put a fair bit of thought into. My first thought was the same as yours & I considered moving the tube back a little. The lips shouldn't hug the gums tightly, they stick out a bit too. With the lips fitted the profile will line up nicely & will appear to flow from the front of the dome down to the tip of the chin.

Heres an example of how far the lips can stick out:



HTH

Leigh said:

---

SankaraRaider,Thank you so much for taking the time to do that That is exactly how I want him to look!!

And 2 of these from me

Fantastic !

Thanks Leigh!! Glad you liked it.

I'm just happy to be able to help visualise your vision

-

And yeah I believe the look Giger wanted was a dome that wraps all around the back of the skull. Thats how he painted it.
But production-wise it seems like a two-part dome was done, and then blended together - on most of them, it seems.

Would love to see a wrap-around dome Leigh, but as you say, that doesn't seem possible with the vac form-method. I'm sure it will look great anyway.

Leigh said:

---

Thank you Ray



SankaraRaider,Thank you so much for taking the time to do that That is exactly how I want him to look!!
Its great to be able to confirm that the dome will look how I want it too before I've even made it. I've been struggling to visualise it & this is confirmation, I'm very
Your pic is now on my desktop


Clutch, It seems from reference that it did wrap right over the back at some point during filming. Theres that pic (I cant find it) of the Alien leaning out of he's hiding place on the Narcisus with his head upside down, it looks as though it wraps right round on that one.
The pic you've shown looks to me like it stops half way but its hard to tell with that particular pic.
H R Giger portrayed his Alien on the cover of his book 'Giger's Alien' with a wrap around dome & Sano also sculpted his Bigchap with it wrap right round.
To me it would seem thats how its meant to be & thats how I intend to do it
I dont think it'll be possible to vac form the entire dome in one peice due to the large undercut at the rear. Mine will have a join like Clutch's pic & a second peice that fits underneath the rear & the intention will be to blend the join so that it cant be seen.

JunkSabers1138 said:

---

Very nice. I'm digging the proposed shape. But dont you think the front end of the dome sticks out a little too far from the "nose"? seems to be a bit more extended than most shots Ive seen

Thanks Ian,

Yeah after I looked at it, it seems the dome sticks out a little bit further than it should, not much though.

I've tweaked it a bit, but it can't really be shorter than this, because of the tube, which it now wraps tightly around. I've also tweaked the lips, just to see how everything lines up.

Leigh said:

---

Thanks

Your point about the front sticking out a bit far is something I have put a fair bit of thought into. My first thought was the same as yours & I considered moving the tube back a little. The lips shouldn't hug the gums tightly, they stick out a bit too. With the lips fitted the profile will line up nicely & will appear to flow from the front of the dome down to the tip of the chin.

Heres an example of how far the lips can stick out:

Leigh, I think you're right. And I think the profile will line up perfectly as you say, when everything is added to the area. Can't wait to see the real dome get made!

Alan Castillo said:

---

Leigh said:

---

SankaraRaider,Thank you so much for taking the time to do that That is exactly how I want him to look!!

And 2 of these from me

Fantastic !

Thanks!!

Thanks again SankaraRaider Awesomeness!
Yeh it would hug that tube at front very tightly

The reason I believe the dome wraps in my pic is because the small hose that runs around the skull is covered.



The only thing that really sticks out on yours now is there is the skull is taller now due to the spines?

This is kinda what I was talking about Usually when I think of Gigers Alien, I think of the head appearing as it did in the Brett Death/Reveal scene and the shot of it approaching Lambert after killing Parker, and a few other scenes. Here the dome was flush with the lips and continued on smoothly. Looking at the original suit and his artwork, this is how I have always pictured him imagining it to be.









However, there is a tendency for some to have the most frontal area of the dome poke out a bit and create an obvious "lump" where the dome meets the lips:





You can even see the original suit having deteriorated over the years showing the dome a little off the lips. (about 9:25 and forward in this video, contrasting it with the scenes where the dome was smoothly incorporated into the heads shape)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q1RwOeVP1Q

So thats kinda what I meant. maybe a tiny bit is ok given that you are choosing to go over the tube, but dont make it stand out as a "bump" on the aliens face

EDIT: Sankara, your second version looks MUUUUUCH better very close to the original B&W prop photos in others' posts. Leigh, if you pick any shape, go with that one! Though I must also agree that the spines may be a little "tall" for the correct dome shape. maybe a little trimming would be in order?

I love the rendering, but when you sculpt the real thing, don't leave the hump in the center when viewed from profile. It should be a nice even curve from the face all the way to the very back of the head. The clear dome is literally touching the tops of the spines and that will fix most of the hump

Clutch said:

---

The reason I believe the dome wraps in my pic is because the small hose that runs around the skull is covered.

Look at the front nose/lips area in that pic too; if the dome *doesn't* wrap over the tube, I'm a monkey's uncle. I have never ever noticed this before. Huh! Always thought it was trimmed to rest on top of the tube but at least this head wasn't. And if it *can* wrap around that tube it must have been intended to, even if not all of them were trimmed that way.

Leigh, a quick thought about moulding. How strong is your sculpt? When you clay up (or whatever) and start adding silicone you will be adding a fair bit of weight. Support it well!

It's so easy to sculpt in Photoshop. This is close to what I think it should look like. Most people put dip in the dome behind the eyes that follows the shape of the skull. I do not believe this is correct and it should be 'flat' in that area, not dip in or curve out.

Here, I've lowered the spines a little and pushed the dome out a bit in that area behind the eyes and on top. There are also some 'flat' looking areas in front where the dome pushes out just a bit from the face starting from the lip and then angles back across the eyes.

Clutch said:

---

It's so easy to sculpt in Photoshop. This is close to what I think it should look like. Most people put dip in the dome behind the eyes that follows the shape of the skull. I do not believe this is correct and it should be 'flat' in that area, not dip in or curve out.

Here, I've lowered the spines a little and pushed the dome out a bit in that area behind the eyes and on top. There are also some 'flat' looking areas in front where the dome pushes out just a bit from the face starting from the lip and then angles back across the eyes.

Oh my god.... that is PERFECT!!! Just gets better and better

oh u mad genius u!!! this is insane!!

WOW, just picked up this thread tonight, after watching Alien again (been a long time), all i can say is (and to echo numerous comments already) this is incredible!