Oz does Alien

This stunning Alien painting is on sale now from Art You Grew Up With, the work of Paul Oz, who's also known, perhaps bizarrely, for his Mr Men paintings!

He's also much in demand for his Formula 1 inspired art.

This stunning rendition of Science Fiction's most terrifying creature in oils  is a beauty in black.

A 36" x 48" piece of signed art it's not cheap - £3200 unframed, £4000 framed  - but it's certainly eye catching.

Officially licensed artist to the Bruce Lee family, Denis the Menace, Ali, Mr Men and Star Trek, well known recipients of his work include Sir Alex Ferguson, Radio1’s Chris Moyles and Theo Paphitis – who he's also working with on Comic Relief fundraising projects.

"I was alright at school if I remember correctly, being able to replicate Monet's style reasonably, and won a prize for something as a wee sprog," he says of how he came to be a commercial artist. "But - thankfully to be honest - I was persuaded to follow a more academic route. As it panned out, that meant that 15 years later when I started throwing paint around our initially spotless kitchen, that I could practice, learn and develop my style unpressured - to gradually build up to the point it's become now, of being my passion, and livelihood all in one.

"I'm not a textbook artist, you don't have to understand my artwork; my entire focus is to create visual impact - with the impression of explosive energy, movement and expression, and to illicit a response a pointed finger and something along the lines of and 'woooohhhhaaa!'."

Regarding his actual artwork he reveals every piece is "around 2cm thick oil paint in places (yes, I get through a fair amount of the stuff) and pretty large scale, usually on board for a completely flat background so that the texture of the subject really comes out at you - several other techniques combine for the maximum 3D effect possible.

"I'm fascinated with how perceptions change with distance - the biggest unintentional compliment I’ve had was that my work looks like porridge close up!

"I was once told by a gallery to paint tall narrow pieces that anyone could find space for in a corner. That’s why I now paint even bigger...! "

• Check out more of Paul Oz art for sale on ArtYouGrewUpWith

How to Engage Prospective Art Directors: Bill McConkey's Film Quiz

Art © 2011 Bill McConkey. Used with his full permission

Ever mindful of the need to stimulate the interest of prospective employers, SciFi Art Now contributor Bill McConkey mailed me a postcard using the nostalgic 1980s inspired image above - and a fab film challenge.

"Usually in February/March/April I've already sent out my mail outs to existing and prospective clients," he explains via his blog. "Last year, that was my 20 page booklet Kaleidoscope and I had every intention of producing a second volume for this year. However since before Christmas up until now I've been too busy with actual jobs, in fact almost with a guarantee every time I've tried to start this booklet I've had an email or a phone call from a client."

Some familiar characters used for an article for
Men's Health: Broccoli verus Spinach.
Art by Bill McConkey

Despite his workload - Bill's recent credits include work for Accountancy Age, Men's Health and Nuts - he found time to mail out his postcard challenge, aimed at reming Art Directors up and down the land he was available for work.

"This, as you can hopefully see, is an 80's movie themed tribute to Da Vinci's Last Supper," he explains. "I'm inviting anyone who got hold of the card to tell me the films that each of the characters appear in and they'll get a prize... also bonus points for anyone who can name the film posters in the background. Some of those are a bit tricky!"

There are 16 characters at the tables - see if you can name all the films - and the posters on the walls, too.

Of course, I'm pleased to report (or maybe that should be confess!) that I've already sent Bill my entry and he's told me I got every one right. I'm also quite chuffed that I did it without resorting to the Internet for all but one of the posters, although I will admit that I had some help from the ROK Comics art director on a couple of those, who's an even bigger SF film fan than I am.

You'll notice that the artwork above includes a little copyright stamp at the bottom. Usually Bill don't feel a need to do this, but this is one of those images that goes walk-about online, and then it ends up on all manner of websites etc that he haven't given the thumbs up to: so please respect his copyright and contact Bill if you want to use it.

• Bill's Official web site: www.billmcconkey.co.uk 

• Bill's official blog: www.billmcconkey.blogspot.com

• Bill McConkey's Last Film Supper © 2011 Bill McConkey