September 2008

30 September 2008 | SKY TRAIN | Comment

A little while ago, the gifted artists gathered at Conceptart.org organized another one of their “Environment of the Week” contests with the theme, “Sky Train.” Suffice to say, some extraordinary artworks were submitted, though our favorite was entered somewhat too late! Hopefully, us featuring it will make up for that.

The artist of this fantastic depiction goes by the name of “Fjooner” and he or she shares much more artwork in a large Sketchbook.

29 September 2008 | DARK WARLORD | Comment

Not often do we find artwork that may be considered “Victoriental” steampunk, and though this particular depiction has a touch of horror to it, it has been added to the gallery of our COLONIAL CHAMBER nonetheless.

The artist in question, a Mr Daniel Conway, who maintains a fine selection of his work on display in a Profile, entitled this one, “Shen Ku Dark Warlord,” refering presumably to the one leading this army of enraged samurai against whatever foe deprived them of sake.

28 September 2008 | STEAMPUNK POCKET WATCH | Comment

A gentleman’s outfit cannot do without, and in a steampunk world, all its tiny gears and clockwork must obviously be visible when watching the time. This one of Mr Alexander Draven’s creations then, should make a perfect addition to any steampunk enthusiast’s wardrobe!

Mr Draven maintains a selection of his artwork and creations, including jewelry and a steampunk’ed iPod, on display and sometimes even for sale at his website, Exquisite Corpse Boutique.

27 September 2008 | STEAMPUNK BATMAN | Comment

Steampunk enthusiasts who are also fond of comic books (or “graphic novels” as we like to call them) should be familiar with Brian Augustyn’s Gotham by Gaslight stories, the first of which was illustrated by Michael Mignola; the second, by Eduardo Barreto.

This “Steampunk Batman,” standing proud in brass armor with mechanical wings, was drawn by a Mr Glen Fernández from Venezuela who maintains a portfolio of his work on display in a Profile.

26 September 2008 | METROPOLIS | Comment

Few people may be aware that Fritz Lang’s 1927 film was co-written by a Thea von Harbou in 1924, who novelized their screenplay a year before the film was produced. The book has been in print for years, and in 1988, a special, limited edition was published by The Donning Company, with illustrations by a Mr Michael W. Kaluta.

Mr Kaluta’s illustrations are a perfect mix of deco and dystopia, and perfectly dieselpunk therefore. See for yourself, over at the Golden Age Comic Book Stories blog.

25 September 2008 | FASTER THAN FOGG | Comment

Jules Verne’s hero in Around the World in Eighty Days took exactly that many days to circumnavigate the globe in the nineteenth-century. According to the author of Strange Maps, nowadays, such a journey would take only half that time, forty-two days to be exact, when traveling by boat and train alone—just as Fogg did, without airplanes or airships, starting at and ending in New York.

For a precise itinerary of such a journey, be sure to read the post, “Around the World at Twice the Speed of Fogg.”

24 September 2008 | ARCTIC HUNTER | Comment

Remember the stories about the secret Nazi base at Antarctica? Here is another artist’s take on that premise, depicting an advanced jet fighter apparently based upon the flying wings designs of the Horten brothers, stationed at a hidden base at the Pole.

Concept artist, illustrator and texturer, Mr Marek Hlavaty from Slovakia created this depiction and he maintains an excellent portfolio of his artwork at a Website—including a painting of Nazis landing on another world!

23 September 2008 | TYPEWRITER SCULPTURE | Comment

Who would have thought that such an elegant automaton can be devised out of old typewriter parts? A Mr Jeremy Mayer proves it possible, with lots of extraordinary creations on display at his Website. Not all are so graceful though—Mr Mayer also makes typewriter sculptures the shape of beats, of sometimes scary appearance and proportion. But all are equally fascinating nonetheless.

We thank The Steampunk Librarian for sharing this excellent find!

22 September 2008 | TEMPEST | Comment

We already featured an artwork by Mr Christian Alzmann, early last month, and this latest depiction of his may be equally disturbing.

The title of this work, “Tempest,” may refer to either great agitation on part of the automaton depicted (and a gargantuan automaton with that!) or to the havoc he wrecks to the otherwise tranquil countryside—both, we presume. Be sure to visit Mr Alzmann’s Website to appreciate more of his artwork!

21 September 2008 | DEEP SEA MINER | Comment

We have featured artwork by Mr “Vlado” from Slovakia before, and this latest creation is as intriguing and original as all of his work.

Depicted is a huge spider-shaped mining platform, that hangs on a chain from some kind of surface vessel, drilling “valuable raw materials from [the] floor,” according to Mr Vlado, “or something like that...” Whatever its purpose, the machine looks fascinating, and you definitely ought to see the rest of the artist’s work, on display in his Profile.

20 September 2008 | CITY OF TITANS | Comment

This awe-inspiring panorama depicts a city scattered over three hills and watched over by two enormous statues and dozens of dirigibles and birds roaming the skies.

A Mr Humza Khan created this “City of Titans,” as, by lack of title, we have chosen to label this depiction. He maintains, among many other equally outstanding artworks, a second view of this city on display at his Website, which reveals that the two statues are actually part of a huge bridge that connects the different parts of the city.

19 September 2008 | DECO POSTERS | Comment

An almost entirely new gallery of DIESELPUNK posters has been added to that section’s Galleries.

Ranging from period advertisements to newly-made deco posters, we present a selection of artworks that should perfectly be able to grace a dieselpunk world! The image on display here, entitled “Metropolis Heights,” was created by a Mr Eka Abdul Jabar who goes by the handle of “Ekster” and maintains an elaborate portfolio of his excellent artwork in a Profile.

18 September 2008 | MECHANICAL WOMB | Comment

Supposedly built by a woman who could bear no children of her own, this mechanical womb seems to grow an automaton within its beautiful capsule! In reality, it was built by a Miss Molly Friedrich who maintains a gallery of her many steampunk contraptions at a Profile.

This piece is on display at the Suite100 Gallery in Seattle since 12 September and until 5 October under the banner of the “Anachrotechnofetishism” exhibition. See this Website to find out what other artists will be there!

17 September 2008 | DIESELPUNK ARCHITECTURE | Comment

A separate, and much more extensive page about “Dieselpunk Architecture” has been added to the Galleries of our DIESELPUNK pages.

Being in the Galleries section, this page obviously features a collection of depictions of dieselpunk architecture, though along with a brief overview of the styles that form the dieselpunk aesthetic (including Art Deco and the works of Hugh Ferriss) and about how they appear in works of dieselpunk fiction.

17 September 2008 | SPACE: 1889 | Comment

Set in an alternate history in which Thomas Edison invented an “ether propeller,” the Space: 1889 role-playing game featured a universe conquered by the imperial powers of the Earth, with British and French and German colonies on Mars, Venus, and even Mercury!

Particularly wonderful about the game were the excellent cover artworks, of which Mr elShoggotho has shared with us a collection over at the SMOKING LOUNGE. Click the “Comment” button to go to the thread in question.

16 September 2008 | LOCOMOBOT | Comment

Behold a “robot designed with old train parts,” making rather weary mechanical sounds as deep within its metal being, water boils heavily to power the steam engine that makes this automaton move. It is equipped with rather painful-looking devices and a bright searchlight, yet the artist maintains that it is not supposed to look like a “killer action robot”.

That artist is a Mr Jaime Jasso from the United States of whom you can see much more work in his Profile.