Mechanical Menagerie: Under the Sea
Automatons need not be confined to human-shaped robots when the whole animal kingdom is out there for mad scientists to toy with! I absolutely love the combination of the organic with the constructed so I am always collecting cool images of “mechanimals.” If you have an image to share or you see something that has been mis-attributed please let me know by leaving a comment below.
Click on any thumbnail to open a gallery of larger images. You can also see lots of Steampunk octopus and squid in my Steampunk Sourcebook: Cephlapods post.
Check out this amazing video by Pes Film, whose 2013 “Fresh Guacamole” was nominated for an oscar. .
Be Still My Clockwork Heart
For the most part, I find the valentine heart shape to be overused and cliche in the same way putting the word “dream” on everything is super lame. But, I had faith that there were Steampunk artists out there that would give me some interesting, evocative and beautiful heart-themed art and jewelry to enjoy so in honor of the impending feast of St. Valentine I created this gallery of Steampunk hearts. Most of these lovelies are available for purchase. Click on the thumbnails to open a larger gallery or hover over the them to get the artists’ names (most are from Etsy).
Steampunk-inspired Assemblage Clocks by Yours Truly
Irene Adler clock
I started making Steampunk-inspired clocks about a month ago using mixed metals, fabric and scrapbook paper. This one is definitely my favorite so far and the only one I have kept for myself. The rose in the center of the clock mechanism acts as the second hand and rotates as the clock ticks. (You can see my posts about Steampunk scrapbook paper by Graphic 45 and Die Cuts with a View by clicking on the links.)
This clock was a gift for my sister-in-law because she collects vintage maps and loves to travel. (Please forgive the image quality. I’ve been messing with the camera settings for a while and I can’t get it to cooperate, but it is high time I got to post some of my own art!)
Around the World in 80 Days Clock
This last and most recent clock was a wedding gift for a friend.
Time Stands Still Clock by ForWhomTheGearTurns
Any feedback or questions are very welcome, feel free to leave me a comment below.
Wheels Whir and Away You Go!
There is no end to the creative ways cars, bikes, motorcycles and everything in between can be re-imagined in the Steampunk aesthetic. I created this gallery of steamy vehicles via pinterest, and when possible I listed the artist’s name. If you see something without a credit but you know the source please leave me a comment below. Also, if you have a steamy vehicle you created or have drawn please send me a pic at ForWhomTheGearTurns <at> gmail.com.
Click on the thumbnails for larger images.
There are also tons of awesome Steampunk vehicles that were part of the 2012 Paralympics closing ceremony, the Festival of Flame. Check out the video below or my gallery of images here.
Victorian Fairy Spotters
Victorian Fairy Spotters by James M. Bordeau
by James M. Bordeau
I was strolling around downtown Ann Arbor, MI yesterday and I ran across a series of whimsical and beautiful pieces by James (Jim) M. Bordeau in the WSG gallery on Main Street. He has created several brass and glass contraptions which he calls “Victorian Fairy Spotters,” as well as one “Steampunk Wand” (the curly one in the corner). I love the notion of a special tool just for finding fairies, and it made me think of one of my all time favorite books, Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book. I would have loved to handle them but it was an art gallery, not a store, so I resisted the urge to touch. The lighting made it difficult to take photos of the ones lying flat without casting shadows so I could only get a detail of the one above. The spotters were between approximately 8-14 inches in length. I haven’t been able to find much more information about the artist, but there is a very limited profile here.
Steampunk Stitchery from Urban Threads
I was doing some Pinterest trawling for inspiration for a Steampunk mask and I ran across a tutorial for a beautiful Venetian-style lace mask at http://www.UrbanThreads.com (pictured above). I don’t have the equipment to machine stitch the lace myself, but I started to poke around the site and found a plethora of hand-stitchable design packs for as little as $4. You can check out the whole sets of hand-stitching designs here and machine-stitching designs here.
There are a variety of tutorials for DIY Steampunk on the site, many of which could be adapted for the non-embroiderer. Here are pics of some of my favorites, but you can find all of their tutorials here.
Steampunk Scrapbook Paper by Graphic 45
I found these Steapunk Spells papers by Graphic 45 listed under Halloween while I was surfing the web. I like that the pallete has the warm gold and orange colors because I find many of the steamy papers and embellishments to be very dark or sepia toned and its always nice to add a spot of color.
Alphabet stickers to match Steampunk Spells
Cardstock to match Steampunk Spells
Are you looking for some projects you could try with scrap paper? Check out my Steampunk cage ornament tutorial and Steampunk-inspired Assemblage clocks I have done.
Cog Couture: The Jewelry Designs of Angela Venable
The first place I ran across Angela Venable’s work was on YouTube. She has posted a video tutorial about how she creates her Steampunk statement necklaces. I recognized many of the findings and paper from my own sojourns to Michael’s and I think we share a similar aesthetic. I’ll start posting some of my own art soon (the pesky camera is acting up on me) but until then I hope you enjoy this sampling of Angela’s jewelry and paper arts.
You can see more of Angela’s jewelry designs as well as the tutorial I mentioned here.
For Whom the Gear Turns 