8.5″x11″ dip pen and ink wash on watercolor paper
Steampunk artwork, created by first drawing with dip pen and ink, and then shading it using a wash of the same ink.
In a post-apocalyptic desert, a neo-bedouin warrior scouts the horizon in the early afternoon heat.
Project: On The Trail
8.5″x11″ ink on watercolor paper
The actual drawing is in dark brown ink, but I scanned it in black and white. Overall I like this rendition a lot more than the previous attempt. The only detail that’s bugging me are her eyes, which are a little too close-set.
On The Trail – Inked
Project: On The Trail
The first rendition of On The Trail ended up being ruined, so I had to start over. In doing so, I also decided to rearrange the composition a little. This is the pencil sketch before inking.
On The Trail – Sketch
8.5″x11″, pencil on watercolor paper
Project: On The Trail
8.5″x11″ dip pen and ink wash on watercolor paper
This is an illustration for an interview with The Vagabonds to be published in Steampunk Magazine‘s upcoming issue.
The prompt for the illustration was silhouette, but I wanted to do something a little more interesting than a plain, solid silhouette. This is the result. I used mostly photos from The Vagabonds’ FaceBook page for information on their costumes and relative sizes, but I don’t think 100% accuracy was a requirement. ;)
To me, steampunk is about creating a new future, independent from the industrial cog model of life. It is about doing things for ourselves, supporting the endeavors of other independent creators, freedom of information, and breaking away from cold efficiency to make things beautiful, even when that beauty serves no utilitarian function. It is about art, creativity, invention, education, history, and bringing joy back into the everyday things of life.
Steampunk stems out of a sub-genre of science fiction, but the subculture is so much more. It often harkens back to the Victorian for inspiration for fashion, decorative aesthetics, and devices, but not always. A steampunk and a Neo-Victorian may at times dress indistinguishably from each other, but Neo-Victorianism is its own thing, much the way goth and punk rock once ran the same circles and at the beginning of both the lines between the two were very blurry, especially to outsiders. I believe the key difference between steampunk and Neo-Victorian is that steampunk is not at all interested in recreating a version of the Victorian as it actually was. Steampunk wants to create a sometimes Victorian-like (or Victorian-descended post-apocalyptic) otherworld, otherfuture, otherlife, where we re-make the things that we see as being good about the Victorian and then take and abrupt turn down a path we wish history had taken. When we bring in the bad things about the Victorian, like imperialism, industrialization, racism, and misogyny, they serve as the foil, the evil, the villain, and allow us to make a game of showing what is wrong in the world so we can more clearly see what we would rather be. The post-apocalyptic mode of steampunk allows us to wipe the slate clean, have some adventure, and rebuild completely from scratch a society of our own making. Even when steampunk absorbs itself in apocalyptic themes, it builds something from the rubble. Apocalypse is not the end of all. It’s the end of what was, and the beginning of something different. Steampunk is that something different that isn’t exactly like anything which existed before.
And then there is cosplay. Cosplay is the neat label that allows grown men and women to don outlandish outfits, strap on bizarre accouterments, take new names, create characters, and act out other realities which don’t actually exist with a bunch of other grown men and women. Cosplay makes it OK, because we’re not alone in a crowd afraid of looking like a nut. Cosplay makes steampunk safe and fun, which is fantastic! Steampunk gets more public exposure and newcomers get an easy, uncomplicated introduction. It’s amazing how many people find steampunk because of the clothes, and get sucked in by all the other wondrous things. It’s the other wondrous things that make people stay in steampunk. Once we stay, some of us wear the clothes as a matter of course, but others never do.
When I say “steampunk lifestyle” I don’t mean fashion at all. When a steampunk takes off the goggles and top hat, that steampunk is still a steampunk. They may no longer be their characters, but they’re still steampunk. Fashion is for play, and it’s an identifier so steampunks can find one another by sight and distinguish themselves from the rest of society (goggles, anyone?). All subcultures use fashion in some way to identify themselves. Steampunk is just often much more elaborate about it, but then we tend to be more elaborate about most things. That’s part of what makes steampunk difficult to pin down. Too many people mistake the flourishes for the substance. Dig down under the adornments, and you’ll find workings more complex and functional than anyone can fully describe (although it’s fun to try).
“Lifestyle” is about incorporating the subculture into your everyday life, appreciating creativity and art, learning new things, education, reading, experimenting. It often involves having some manners and courtesy in your dealings with other people (unless they give you a good reason to open a can of whoop-ass), being honest, having integrity (not everyone does, but when they don’t it gets around), and generally trying to make the world a better place by not contributing to the crap. It’s about taking those things that steampunk “is”, and particularly what it means for you, and bringing them into the way you go about your day to day life, regardless of the trappings. Of course it’s awesome when someone steampunks out their entire wardrobe and home decor, but unless you have a shit-ton of free time or a very large budget this usually isn’t practical. Most of us settle for a few outfits and a few household items that grow to quite a few over time as we purchase pieces, mod things, and make new items for ourselves.
A lot of steampunks are very interested in the DIY/Maker movement, environmental responsibility, and other politics, but since policitcal issues are not unanimous many forums choose to keep such subjects for in person discussion. However, I think anyone who makes efforts to steampunk their lives will agree that politics are important and have strong opinions on the subject. I don’t think I’ve met a single wilting flower, racist, or misogynist who had more than a passing interest in the genre or subculture. I find it truly wondrous how many people who stick with steampunk discover that they aren’t actually wilting flowers, and that they actually are the kinds of artists they never thought they could be.
In the end we will each have a little different definition of what steampunk is, and only you can decide whether or not you are a steampunk. If you have a creative heart, an appreciation for life, and a genuine desire to be a good person, I hope you’ll come play with us.
Post-Apocalyptic Garden
8.5″x11″ watercolor paper
Today I have been working on a drawing featuring a post-apocalyptic neo-bedouin steampunk woman. At least, that’s my main inspiration personally. I could see her in any near-eastern or multicultural steampunk world. Her outfit is inspired by Renaissance faire tribal fusion belly dance wear, with the addition of a few re-purposed machine parts, moccasins, Native American style warrior feathers, and a really big knife.
The line art version scan is black and white, but the real drawing is in dark brown ink, applied with a dip pen nib.
Project: On The Trail
I honestly couldn’t say exactly when I learned the term “steampunk”, but I would guess sometime in the 90′s. I first became aware of steampunk as a subcultural movement in the fall of 2008, when a friend who is into anime and cosplay mentioned offhand that there was a steampunk convention happening in two weeks. She was indifferent to going, but I couldn’t have been more excited, and my closest friend was as exuberant about the idea as I was. The convention was Steam Powered, later renamed Nova Albion.
We threw together costumes as quickly as we could. They were really half-assed, but I hadn’t done much sewing in years and had less than two weeks to prepare mine and three other friends’ costumes. I was lucky that I didn’t need to search for the “how” or “what” because I was familiar with the aesthetic from post-apocolyptic fantasy anime and video games like Final Fantasy, as well as from science fiction. Thanks to re-enactment and prior study of the creation of garments like corsets, I was also equipped to incorporate some Victorian aesthetic.
One of the friends we drug along came reluctantly, completely baffled as to why Diana and I were so excited by the idea of a steampunk subculture. I’ll never forget the delighted wonder on her face one hour into the convention when she grabbed Diana by the shirt and declared, “I get it!” She’s the one on the very left in this picture ( http://sidneyeileen.deviantart.com/art/ID-Nova-Albion-2011-202841904 ) in the eyelet lace and corset “sari”. Diana is in the orange. I’m in the kimono and kame make-up. Elizabeth, the cosplay friend who told us about Steam Powered, is in the right in a wa-loli outfit I made for her.
The convention was a font of resources and information on how steampunk was in bed with the DIY movement, sustainability, creativity, and artistry. My friends and I soaked up all of it and met a lot of other people we’ve stayed in touch with ever since.
I was a very socially awkward, introverted, hide in the library kind of nerd as a teenager. I made the conscious decision to become a punk rocker when I was 21. However, I never liked the nihilistic vein that runs through the movement. In the steampunk movement I saw all the cultural ideas that I love about punk rock, but without the self-destruction and nihilism. I still love punk rock, and incorporate it heavily into my steampunk (you can ‘punk anything and you can steam’ anything), but steampunk has more potential for sustainable action and activism, as well as being more approachable (or at least less frightening) to average people. After all, if you want to affect genuine social change, you have to get average people on board with your ideas. You can’t just scream into the storm and expect any outcome other than being hit in the head by flying debris.
My awareness of the steampunk movement came at a time when I was feeling oppressed by my day job, generally depressed, and also starting to have issues with my health (a fact I was mostly able to hide until this time last year). Creating art is a happy thing for me, and when I’m depressed I don’t do much with it, so as I created less and less art I focused instead on my sewing and corset making. I was involved in a couple different local steampunk groups (the Sacramento Steampunk Society and The League of Proper Villains), and online mostly involved with other corset makers.
About a year ago my chronic pain and mobility became bad enough that I could no longer hide it, and could no longer physically spend massive hours sewing. I floundered, dropped off the steampunk radar almost entirely, and grew more and more depressed until the day job and I parted ways at the end of last September.
Losing that job is one of the best things that could have happened. I have hope in my life again, and have returned to what I love doing most – creating art.
I’m one of those people who had a pencil in hand constantly from when I was a small child. I used to steal printer paper from my parents and pencils from school so I could draw. Even cheap art supplies were treasures to me. I also always strove for the greatest amount of detail and realism I could achieve. Since pencils and paper were the cheapest art supplies available I used them the most, and was wary of trying painting because of the expense. However, I am also easily bored and always interested in trying new things. Once I was able to achieve true photo-realism in pencil, I wanted to try other mediums and started experimenting more with style and composition.
If you are curious about the progression of my art, I have kept an almost complete archive of my art since 2006 on DeviantArt. http://sidneyeileen.deviantart.com/gallery/?catpath=/
I knew for a fact I didn’t like acrylic painting, so when I decided to take the leap and learn oil painting (spring of 2009) I took a class at the local community college. I didn’t learn a whole lot in the class (the instructor was an acrylic artist who admitted he didn’t know much about oils), but the structured environment forced me to create paintings that taught me a lot.
I’ve always loved realism, and my greatest inspirations are from the Dutch Masters, especially Rembrandt. He created a lot of his concept sketches in ink, so after the painting class I took an ink drawing class. It was my experience with the inks, and especially making a copy of one of Rembrandt’s ink drawings ( http://sidneyeileen.deviantart.com/gallery/?catpath=scraps#/d324pip ), that inspired the style in which I am now creating steampunk art.
I love oil painting, but turnaround time is extensive, and I lack space for drying canvases. Instead I am focusing on creating drawings reminiscent of a bygone age (albeit the 18′th century instead of the 19′th), using the kinds of materials and tools available pre-industrialization. The steampunk drawings in my portfolio are made entirely with dip pen nibs, inks, and watercolor paper. I am also planning to incorporate watercolor when I want art which is not monochromatic. The one completely modern material I want to use is Aquabord, because it provides a ground that is easily framed, won’t warp from moisture, and can be varnished to protect the art.
Women will likely be a much more frequent subject than men, just because I find it more interesting to draw women and women’s fashions. I have always been fascinated by the variety in the human race and in human culture, and fully plan to incorporate that fascination into my steampunk art, drawing upon inspirations other than just Victorian Europe. It also helps that most of my real-life friends (including the three women in the first photo) are anthropologists. When we’re talking about anachronism and fantasy, I’d much rather break the rules and explore new aspects than stick to a tired mold.
When I have enough interest and support for my steampunk art I plan to start working on aquabord rather than watercolor paper, and make limited edition prints of each piece so I can make them available for a price that’s attainable to most people. In the meantime I’m making the images available to online and in print steampunk publications like Steampunk Chronicle, and saving the line art stage of each piece so I can create a children’s steampunk coloring book. Long term I also want to organize at least one steampunk art group gallery show.
Despite all the problems in my life, I’m happy and hopeful for the first time in a long time, and I look forward to seeing where I can take my art in the years to come.
8.5″x11″ dip pen and ink wash on watercolor paper
Steampunk artwork, created by first drawing with dip pen and ink, and then shading it using a wash of the same ink. A steampunk woman is getting ready, but she seems to have forgotten her shoes…
This is a revision of an earlier drawing. I kept looking at the artwork, and the longer it sat the less finished it felt to me. I added some shading in the background, and unfortunately had to repair some lift on the skirt which is a result of using masking fluid. Despite the slight repair, I am much happier with the artwork as it is now, than as it was before.
Reference: 
by ~xXtimeless-stockXx
Project: Almost Ready
I have created two new minimalist octopus drawings. Each is drawn with a brush marker on 7″x10″ paper.
Today I had a chance to get dressed up and take some photos of the corset I made to illustrate my section of Steampunk Projects from the Gaslamp Garage. This corset is a lightweight underbust, with a single layer of coutil, rich brown herringbone cover material, a lacing panel, and a split metal busk.
