31 May 2008 | UNDERSEA UTOPIA | Comment
Here is one of the more peculiar entries in Conceptart.org’s Undersea Utopia challenge, submitted by a Mr Cole Eastburn who goes by the name of “Colepoopface.”
His artwork depicts two of the races which inhabite his Undersea Utopia: the “Engels,” a fearful race of gentle fish which dwell in poisenous coral reefs to shelter from the “Rausar,” who live amidst ancient underwater ruins and feed on the Engels and apparently pretty much everything else that comes along.
30 May 2008 | EASTERN TEMPLE | Comment
Added to our collection of Victoriental art on display in the COLONIAL CHAMBER have been two truly magnificent works by Chinese artist Ruan Jia, the first being of an eastern temple built upon the edge of a waterfall with flying sailing ships swarming about it; the second being the perfectly tranquil depiction on display here, of some desolate monastery situated atop a giant rock.
Please visit Mr Jia’s Website to appreciate more of his extraordinary artwork!
29 May 2008 | RETRO ALARM CLOCK | Comment
This wonderful steampunk’ed alarm clock should make for a perfect appearance indeed besides any steampunk enthusiasts’ sleeping accommodations, if not for its brass paintjob then definitely for the fine emerald coloring of its clockwork mechanics which evokes an agreeable sense of Victorian design.
This lovely little device is the possession of a Mr Ulrik Nielsen from Denmark, who maintains further photographic documentation of this clock in his Profile.
28 May 2008 | THE SULTAN’S ELEPHANT | Comment
The Artichoke company, which produced the Telectroscope spectacle on which we reported yesterday, previously staged an equally impressive show created by the Royal de Luxe theatre company: “The Sultan’s Elephant.”
The mechanical elephant as depicted here, was made mostly of wood and operated by a dozen puppeteers employing a mixture of hydraulics and motors. It weighed forty-two tons; as much as seven real Africa elephants! Learn more at the show’s Official Website.
27 May 2008 | THE TELECTROSCOPE | Comment
“Hardly anyone knows that a secret tunnel runs deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean. In May 2008 [...] the tunnel has finally been completed. An extraordinary optical device called a Telectroscope has been installed at both ends which miraculously allows people to see right through the Earth from London to New York and vice versa.”
This fantastic invention was built by a Mr Paul St George who maintains a most amusing website about his creation. Enter the amazing world of the Telectroscope...
26 May 2008 | LAND SKIMMER | Comment
Imagine the torrid desert plains of the Sudan, firmly under British rule since Lord Kitchener’s expeditions in the late nineteenth-century, where nowadays scientists and interested youngsters alike from Britain come to sight the latest invention of a Dr C.M. Wong: the “land skimmer,” racing across the desert sands at incredible speeds!
This imaginative depiction has been added to the Adventurers section of our COLONIAL CHAMBER. Be sure to also visit Dr Wong’s Sketchbook for more of his work.
25 May 2008 | UNDERSEA UTOPIA | Comment
Perhaps in light of the upcoming BioShock motion picture, Conceptart.org’s “community activities” bundle their forces to devise an elaborate epic Undersea Utopia.
Since all the different contests are involved in this grand endeavour, we shall see depictions of the Undersea Utopia itself, as well as the creatures which dwell within it, and all their technologies and inventions. The competition runs until the 30th of June, allowing all the artists of Conceptart.org to submit multiple entries!
24 May 2008 | JON MCCOY’S TRIPOD | Comment
Ever since H.G. Wells introduced the tripod as the three-legged walking machine by which the invading Martians moved about the Earth, numerous artists have crafted their own interpretations of its appearance. Thus they went from “boilers on stilts” to manta rays with invisible, electromagnetic legs in the 1953 film adaption.
Mr John McCoy’s version here is perfectly reminiscent of the tripod depicted on the album cover of Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds!
22 May 2008 | PERSIAN PALACE | Comment
Of the artist of this illustration too, we already feature an artwork, for Mr Mikko Kinnunen from Finland is the creator of a depiction of Gotham City on display in the DIESELPUNK PARLOR Galleries.
This new painting, supposedly of some Persian Palace though the architecture strikes the author as somewhat more Indian, has been added to our collection of Colonies on display in the COLONIAL CHAMBER. Please do visit Mr Mikko’s Website to enjoy more of his excellent art!
21 May 2008 | DESOLATE STREET | Comment
We already feature one of Mr Thomas E. Pringle’s artworks in our COLONIAL CHAMBER; a gloomy depiction of some London backstreet.
This artwork, another illustration of a near-deserted street, inspired by art nouveau style and drawn in the dark and depressing atmosphere those familiar with Mr Pringle’s work will recognize, might suit some dystopian metropolis perfectly and thus been added to the Galleries of our DIESELPUNK PARLOR.
20 May 2008 | KRAKEN AIRSHIPS | Comment
The artist of this depiction, a German gentleman who goes by the name of “Piecemaker,” has merged two features here particularly dear to steampunk enthusiasts: Air Krakens and Airships! Indeed, these dirigibles are mounted atop of Air Kraken creatures who keep them afloat whilst they besiege the fortress in the valley below and seek to repel the aerial cavalry of the enemy!
This image was created for an “Art Crusade” over at the ConceptArt.org Forums, found in this Thread.
19 May 2008 | WHAT’S BIOPUNK? | Comment
That biopunk should not be considered a separate genre is what we claim in the latest Article added to our DIESELPUNK PARLOR.
From tracing the cyberpunk roots of the genre, we discuss its characteristics and some of its defining works of fiction to answer the question, What’s Biopunk? Yet we quickly learn that it differs little from cyberpunk at all, and argue that it should not be considered a genre in its own right altogether. Read why and share your own views!
19 May 2008 | PINK ARMY | Comment
In spite of the sense of gaiety which this picture’s pink background might inspire, the soldier depicted certainly does not seem in for much fun.
The artist, a Mr Leonardo Floris from Denmark who maintains a selection of his work in a Gallery, describes the soldier’s gear as consiting of an altered MG-42 machine gun (which were in service with the German Army during World War II) and a gasmask to protect him from gun powder residue and “the occasional nerve gas attack.”
18 May 2008 | ALICE IN STEAMLAND | Comment
After Mr Frank Beddor reimagined Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland just a few years ago with the rather more dystopian The Looking Glass Wars, it was but a matter of time before some talented artist took on the challenge to depict Alice’s Adventures in steampunk style.
Thus a Mr David from the United States, who goes by the handle of “nghtmre,” presents this portrait of the Red Queen—hopefully not perpetuating the long-standing confusion between the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts!
17 May 2008 | RAPOZA’S ROBOT | Comment
As this automaton emerges from the darkness, while wielding a weapon half his size at least, his golden features shine proudly under the light, the bright radiant blazing from his goggles but reinforcing the aura of overpowering strength he seems to convey.
A Mr David Rapoza from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts created this particular depiction, which has been added to our collection of Robots on display in the TECHNOLOGY GALLERY.
15 May 2008 | BRASS AT THE BAR | Comment
If you believed that automatons could enter bars solely to service the clientele, we shan’t speak ill of your bias, for we were of similar mind. Fortunately, Mr Michael Pucciarelli disproves our prejudice with this fine depiction of a robot sipping of a beverage that might not be of the finest spirits, to the human tastes at least. Indeed, this “ethanol” seems to fill our mechanical man with green-colored fluid entirely!
We thank Mr Jarod20 for bringing the work of this fine artist to our attention over at The Steampunk Forum.
14 May 2008 | BIOSHOCK FILM | Comment
In further motion picture news, according to those-in-the-know over at Variety, BioShock, the perfect biopunk (if that is even a genre, of course) video game, will be made into a film! Furthermore, said film is to be directed by Mr Gore Verbinski, who also made the Pirates of the Caribbean series, while Aviator-scriptwriter Mr John Logan is said to be in talks to pen its screenplay.
So expect the underwater dystopia to unravel in all its pessimist, soaked glory at a cinema near you soon!
13 May 2008 | IRON SKY | Comment
Iron Sky is probably the most exciting dieselpunk-esque project under development right now. Its premise (“In 1945 the Nazis went to the Moon. In 2018, they are coming back.”) promises a pitch-black science fiction comedy that will combine the dry irony of Dr. Strangelove with the visual style of invasion films such as Independence Day!
An impressive trailer was released last month, available at the project’s Website—perfectly designed to fit the atmosphere of the film.
12 May 2008 | SCHEHERAZADE | Comment
Scheherazade was a Persian girl who volunteered to spend a night with the King in spite of his nasty habit to behead those with whom he shared his bed. Scheherazade, however, was no fool and, upon fulfilling the marital duties, enchanted the King with an extraordinary tale. Having listened with awe to her story, the King kept her alive to hear another the night thereafter and thus were born the chronicles of One Thousand and One Nights.
A Miss Nicole Cardiff created this lovely portrait of them.
11 May 2008 | MOUNTAIN MONASTERY | Comment
Here is a depiction which ought to appeal to the more whimsical daydreaming of steampunk enthusiasts: a secluded monastery built against one mountain of some all-but-forgotten valley, that is, judging from the high level of dirigible activity swarming about the place. Perhaps it might be more suited as a trading post of some kind, or a secret tavern for sky pirates and the like?
A Mr Goran Delic created this imaginative depiction; more of his art is available at a rather steampunk-esque Website.
10 May 2008 | SCAVENGER | Comment
This scavenger is partly augmented with mechanical bodyparts and equipped with protective headgear (steam-powered of course!) presumably to ward off the poluted air of the post-apocalyptic world in which he dwells.
A Mr Tony Timperi from Finland created this somber portrait and he provides further depictions of post-apocalyptic vision in his Profile. Some of his work might be slightly too dark and disturbing to be of favor to the steampunk enthusiast, but it deserves a glance still!
9 May 2008 | STEAM CITY | Comment
The latest addition to our collection of depictions of Victorian Britain, available in the COLONIAL CHAMBER, was created by a Mr Jan Ditlev Christensen from Denmark.
His “Steam City” is a metropolis where citizens move about in brass walking robots and steam-powered automatons have replaced horses to draw the carriages which must carefully maneuver through the streets otherwise filled with automobiles! Be sure to visit Mr Christensen’s Website to see more of his work!
7 May 2008 | EVENING LOOKOUT | Comment
We featured one of Mr Andy W’s artworks before (a portrait of a “Steampunk Assassin” on the 4th of March, to be precise); his latest artwork, entitled “Evening Lookout,” depicts the dirigible of Steampunk Pirates, apparently.
This creation is actually a photoshop of different pictures, the dirigible itself being originally a submarine! Mr W, who goes by the name of Conceptbloke, combines these different elements in perfect harmony and we are looking forward to the next installment in the series!
REMOVED PER ARTIST’S REQUEST.
6 May 2008 | EASTERN TEMPLE | Comment
Of the latest artworks posted by one “Mikki”—an anonymous artist from China—in this Thread at the Conceptart.org Forums, we wish to display this remarkable digital painting. The extraordinary nature of the structure depicted makes it difficult to describe it, for it appears an usual agglomeration of two titanic monstrosities frozen in time between which a temple has been erected!
The artist provides further work at a Profile; the text is in Chinese, but the quality of the art speaks for itself!
5 May 2008 | COSMONAUT | Comment
The latest addition to our DIESELPUNK PARLOR is this portrait by a Mr Craig Sellars of what might be a Russian cosmonaut, equipped with sufficient headgear to shield himself from the hazardous vacuum of space (including goggles!) but strangely enough wearing no further protection. Perhaps this adventurer dwells not in outer space after all then, but his depiction has been added to the Galleries under “Space” nonetheless.
Mr Sellars maintains a gallery of his work at his Website.
4 May 2008 | MYSTERIES OF THE ORIENT | Comment
This enchanting depiction of some Near Eastern realm, named “Babahoud” by its creator, was drawn by concept artist and digital illustrator, Mr Geoffroy Thoorens from France, who maintains a comprehensive portfolio of his work at a website, DjahalLand.
This particular vision of a city built upon canals shining brilliantly in the afternoon sun and crowned with domes and minarets, had been added to our depictions of Colonies on display in the COLONIAL CHAMBER.
3 May 2008 | AMOK’S ROBOT | Comment
This chaming depiction of a steam-powered robot of monstrous proportion, equipped with gatling guns instead of hands, has been added to our collection of Robots on display in the TECHNOLOGY GALLERY.
Someone called “Amok” imagined this leviathan yet unfortunately for those not particularly fluent in Russian, his Website is presented exclusively in said language. We are quite unable thus to extract further information about “Amok” for the reader. Thanks to Retrostacja for the link!
2 May 2008 | STEAMPUNK SPACE HELMET | Comment
Those who frequent The Steampunk Forum might have already enjoyed a peek at Herr Döktor’s latest creation, still under construction as we speak: a space helmet that seems straight out of a Lost Space adventure!
The contraption was apparently devised out of a large polyprphylene planter and an acrylic Victorian cloche style propagator; supplemented with air tanks and brass rivets, it makes for a truly awe-inspiring piece of work! Head over to this Thread to follow the good Döktor’s progress.
1 May 2008 | CHINESE AIRSHIP | Comment
According to Gavin Menzies, in 1421 Chinese ships set out to discover the world. Had medieval China possessed crafts such as the dirigible depicted here, it might well have roamed the Earth in the fashion Mr Menzies would like us to believe!
This depiction was drawn by a Mr James Ng, born in Hong Kong but traveled to the New World presumably not in pursuit of his ambiguous ancestors. Mr Ng maintains a Website where more of his work is on display.
