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Aliens Art Book

A 35th Anniversary Celebration of the Sci-Fi Classic

Portrait of the Xenomorph warrior from Aliens.

Illustration of the Xenomorph Warrior 

Aliens is a 1986 science fiction film directed by James Cameron and is the sequel to the 1979 film Alien. The film stars Sigourney Weaver reprising her role as Ellen Ripley, the sole survivor of the first film, as well as a cast of new characters, including Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, and Bill Paxton.

The film is set 57 years after the events of the first film. Ellen Ripley is rescued by a deep salvage team after drifting through space in hypersleep for 57 years. She is suffering from nightmares and trauma from the alien attack on the Nostromo and is not believed when she tells of the alien threat. 

Licensed illustration of the Xenomorph face hugger hatching from an egg.

Illustration of the Xenomorph Facehugger hatching from its egg. 

The premise of the film is that Ripley is recruited by a corporation to return to the planet where the Nostromo crew encountered the Alien, now colonized, to investigate the loss of communication with the colony. Once there, the team finds that the colony has been overrun by the Alien Xenomorphs, and must fight for survival against the deadly creatures. The film also explores themes of motherhood, the military-industrial complex, and the nature of humanity’s relationship with technology.

The film was a commercial and critical success, and received several Academy Award nominations, it also cemented Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley as one of the most iconic and powerful female characters in science fiction and film history. It has also become a cult classic and has spawned multiple sequels, spin-offs and merchandise.

These pieces were created for the Aliens Artbook: A 35th Anniversary Celebration of the Sci-Fi Classic, available at Titan Books now. 

Rejected concept portrait of Private Hudson (Bill Paxton) for the Printed in Blood's Aliens artbook.
Rejected concept portrait of Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) for the Printed in Blood's Aliens artbook.
Rejected concept portrait of Private Hudson (Bill Paxton) for the Printed in Blood's Aliens artbook.
Rejected concept portrait of Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) for the Printed in Blood's Aliens artbook.

As with several of these projects, I submitted multiple pieces for inclusion. The Warrior and Facehugger Xenomorphs were appoved but the portraits of Bill Paxton as Hudson and Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley were both rejected. 

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