Bob the Alien (Giger inspired Alien)

Good LORD, Leigh. I take my eyes off this thread for a week and you make three week's worth of progress. I thought you said you wouldn't be doing anything for a while!??! :lol

I made myself quite a bit extra work leaning him forward like that but hopefully it'll be worth it in the end.

Absolutely. I loved that lean from the beginning. Pure art, man - your own contribution to an already great design.

I can't help thinking they will spoil the overall look of him. They seem to make him look a little cluttered & uneven, awkward maybe :confused Its hard to explain...

I LOVE the tubes, but I do know what you mean.

I've thrown this next pic together as an idea, I'd really like some opinions on this possible slight change in direction.

Oh damn, curse you! :) I was really liking the added height and solidity of the bust, but it's hard to argue with your conceptual approach there. Stunning, and it will definitely be easier to cast. It's beautiful. Definitely more artsy, and I mean that in a good way. :lol

Speaking of the difficulty of casting, you really are going to use an absolute TON of rubber with this thing. I think at this point we're all pretty much expecting this to be a high-end piece though; guys am I right there? It sure looks like something that should be considered in that bracket to me, assuming you can cast it effectively.

I am not really sure what I'm trying to say...don't skimp, I guess. Do the piece justice; spend what it takes to get good results.
 
looking fantastic leigh. I love seeing the tubes, but that suspended bust idea is very pretty to look at too. :)

Dave
 
WOW! so its a nod towards the artsy bust look then.....:cool
I'm happy with that :D
I was half expecting a resounding NO leave it alone :lol

It will reduce the moulding/casting costs slightly, it also means its going to be slightly easier from a sculpting point of view.
He will gain another six inches in height making him about 29 inches high overall with the base.
I wont shorten his front at all so the sculpting work I've done so far on his rib's etc will stay, I'll just carve away the back to flow into the underside of the fin. From the front he'll be more like the traditional head n shoulders bust.
As I mentioned already the convoluted pipe that runs down the center of his chest will extend about 6 inches below the rest of the torso into the base & there will be a steel tube hidden inside it to support Bob's weight.
I could also add some more convoluted pipework in a Giger style to the carved away area behind to help the shape flow into the base, if you get me :)

As far as the moulding goes, yeh I'm beginning to realise this things going eat silicone like its going out of fashion but, I do want it to be a high quality peice, So when it comes to the moulding/casting it'll cost what it costs to do it as right as I can :)
 
Good.. don't skimp out! This is going to be amazing when finished.

You should just turn it into a 1:1 full body, arms, legs, tail etc. haha

Love the direction you chose to go. I was going to vote on the same choice.
 
Love the updates...beautiful work bud!!!

OK, now on the back tubes...I vote do not remove them. Yes, the front propped up tube display is killer looking...no question but the back tubes just fit with this piece. Removing them makes this lean towards the ALIENS look for some reason when clearly...it's Giger's original beast, and a wonderful replica this is shaping up to be bud. :thumbsup

I vote keep the tubes, and still prop it up on the front like your concept. Maybe a little lower in the chest area to allow for the back length for the tubes?
That back shot up above with the one tube in it is just awesome. Once both are in it'll gain that proper perspective and look sooo intimidating.

Don't get me wrong, your concept is still awesome...but this ALIEN is as bad ass looking as you can get, so I'm for keeping them bud.

David
 
I have to say, there are alot of people who try to capture the "Biomechanical" look. In art work, sculpture's, and Alien copy's, but this
by far meets and exceeds H.R. Giger's style. It's beautiful, scary, and very detailed, to say the least. I love It!
The tubes look fine! Keep at it! can't wait to see this finished!
 
Sort of like this....please forgive the quick and dirty Photoshop work.

8bd964c4.jpg


Maybe make the back come to a V shape so there's room for the tubes and something dynamic with the display as well.

In any case, I love this thing. You're doing a fantastic job bud.

David
 
That does look great with the tub there. I do see the point of it looking cleaner with out it. but I think you just proved it would look amazing with it. My vote is for the tube :thumbsup
 
I also agree with David,keep the back tubes.You've invested to much time at this point to leave out any details.The thought of having the base be an organic part of the bust is something Giger himself would have concidered.It's kind of like the microphone and stand Giger designed for Jonathan Davis of Korn.Form and Function at work.Keep it up :thumbsup! BTW everytime I see this it's getting harder for me to think of a way to talk the wife into letting me spend the money on getting a copy for myself:lol
 
Many Many Thanks for the replies on this :)

I'm still undecided though :confused

I'm still swaying towards the 'no tubes' idea at the moment, my reasoning being:
The simplicity of the shape,
Cleaner lines,
Symmetry,
Production costs,
Easier to produce.

This is my first sculpting/moulding/casting project, as he gets bigger & more complicated he's getting more & more of a worry with regard to the moulding/casting stage.

Maybe after I have moulds made for him without tubes I could look into producing a full upper body option ie with all 4 tubes & a complete torso & maybe even arms in an interesting pose but, at this stage I feel all that's just a bit too much to take on at my level of experience if you get me.

I admit, I think I've gotten a bit carried away with Bob. when I first started this it was just going to be the head, from there he's got bigger & bigger & more complicated & I need to draw a line somewhere. Having made a tube & positioned it to see how it looks I personaly feel that its a bit too much at the moment & I'd like to have an artistic/dramatic look to him. The way the body just stops on the table top (how it is at the moment) to me seems to lack something.
To add the tubes & the stand would mean making him even bigger by extending the front of the torso another 5-6 inches & then the stand would need to be longer to be in proportion with the torso & he would end up being 35+ inches high.

As I've mentioned, if I make him without the tubes at this stage & the moulds & casting come out fine I will have gained a bit more confidence & the experience to then think about adding to Bob even maybe to the extent of making him a full body with leg's & everything.

I think that just about covers my argument for the non-tube route :) but as I say I'm still a bit undecided, I'll have to sleep on it I think.
Thanks again for the feedback :)
 
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Could you not leave the spaces for the tubes to be added later if you decide to? That way it could be cast and the tubes could be cast separately and added.

Just a thought.
 
sskunky, I'd happily purchase this with or without tubes, but if I bought a tubeless version I'd want it to look good that way, not incomplete. I think Leigh's concept art of the tubeless version is elegant as hell. :)
 
Could you not leave the spaces for the tubes to be added later if you decide to? That way it could be cast and the tubes could be cast separately and added.

Just a thought.

The tubes were going to be cast separately from the body anyway. If I leave the area where the tubes mount it'll look unfinished & will also be fairly uninteresting & untidy to look at from the rear, the main features on the back are the tubes, the fin & the spine detail. If I loose the tubes I'll carve away the back from just below the fin & take it down concave to just behind the ribs at the front. I could blend the spine detail using convoluted pipe from the fin into the chest pipe that will support it & I could continue the spine bone detail all the way down to the base.

The area the tubes mount to is approximately 17x6 inches, adding the tubes to that makes up for alot of extra material to cast, plus the extra moulding material all add's up.
 
Point taken. I'm sure you know what you're doing. I Too actually like the look of it without... Cleaner more elegant.

Just throwing ideas out there.....
 
I think the tubes look cool, but I see what you mean about the cluttered look when he's on the stand. Either way he looks amazing! Can't wait to see him finished. :D
 
Only on the rpf can we get away with calling this slimy nightmare "elegant" haha gotta love this place.

It is turning out to be amazing, you might have a future in this. If this is your first sculpt i shudder to think what lies ahead...great work.
 
The tubes have been done on the Sideshow Aliens bust. I had to remove one just to get him to fit in the corner. I say go with the artistic rendering of the bust sans tubes. Without four, they just kind of stick out like a sore thumb. My question is how do you plan on suspending all that weight on what looks to be one small point on the base?
 
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