Gothic Arch Challenge #10 - STEAMPUNK!

I thought it was time to do something a little more challenging with our 2010 Gothic Arch Challenge, so I chose Steampunk as the latest theme as I love the look and have always wanted to give it a go myself! This will give me a good excuse! LOL!

What is Steampunk?

Steampunk, as defined by Wikipedia is:

"A sub-genre of science fiction and speculative fiction, frequently featuring elements of fantasy, that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used — usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era Britain^{[citation needed]} — but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or digital mechanical computers (such as Charles Babbage's Analytical engine); these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality."


Apart from that longwinded and somewhat confusing definition, there seems to be no one definite  explanation of what "Steampunk" actually is. A google search of "Steampunk" will give you many different answers of what "Steampunk" means to different people. The definition also seems to change whether you are talking about Art, or Music, or Fashion etc. But for our purposes, we'll be focusing on the Steampunk movement in Art, where you see people altering modern day objects using the Steampunk style. Wikipedia says: "The goal of such redesigns is to employ appropriate materials (such as polished brass, iron, wood, and leather) with design elements and craftsmanship consistent with the Victorian era".

Here is an example of a laptop computer that has been altered using the Steampunk style by Richard Nagy of Datamancer.net:

See it's full awesomeness here.

Steampunk to me is a fusion of the Victorian Era, mechanical moving parts, where old meets new to create a fantasized reality. It's old fashioned, with a technological twist.

The very best way I've heard Steampunk described was in an article in the May/June 2009 Issue of Somerset Studio, in an article titled "Spirit of Steampunk" by Ramona Szcerba:

"Do you find yourself inexplicably drawn to old photographs, Victorian garb, dirigibles, steamships, unlikely mechanised contraptions and fantastical juxtapositions of worlds natural and industrial? If so, you may have a hidden passion for Steampunk, a stylistic genre which originally arose out of science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction".

A quick visit to Ramona's Etsy shop and you will find gorgeous Steampunk artworks to inspire you for this challenge!

Common elements in Steampunk design are:


* Cogs, and mechanical parts
* Metals
* Leather
* Wood
* Vintage images
* Glass apothecary jars

Here are some useful links to get you into the spirit of Steampunk:

* Datamancer.net.
* Steampunk Cakes @Cakewrecks
* The Steampunk Home
* Steampunk Magazine
* Steampunk Workshop
* Steampunk photos at Flickr
* Steampunk Inchies and Twinchies
* Art creations by Azirca

Now you know what Steampunk is, I bet you're just dying to see what our Guest Artist Sarah Fawcett has created for us to show us how it's done?! Well wait no longer! Behold, the awesomeness that is Sarah's Steampunk Gothic Arch Book:

Sarah says:

"The main technique I used for making my Steampunk Gothic Arch was metal etching using rubber stamps. With metal etching you need Staz on ink to stamp your image onto the metal. The stamped image will be the resist when immersing into the chemical Ferric Chloride-Etchant Solution. There are many instructions on Google and you tube about metal etching, so I would advise you to research plenty first before jumping in".

"With my Gothic Arch I used the 3 metals that you can etch - brass, copper and nickel. I used Collections Elements Chipboard Arches as a template for the metal and etched them using again Collections Elements and Tim Holtz stamps. Once they were etched, I used a black patina which makes the design of the stamps come alive".

"Inside the last arched door, I stamped my favourite Zettiology stamp onto a piece of transparency. Then layered behind another Collections Elements transparency from Julie's new collection to give the illusion of depth which you cant quite see in the photos but you can also see through to the etched copper behind the face".

"I used a variety of watch parts, and Tim Holtz findings to decorate the front, then I carved an old book in the shape of the arch to make my own Gothic arch steampunk mini book".

OMG! There are not enough superlatives in the english language to describe how much I love this piece!! Sarah has totally ROCKED the Steampunk theme!

But wait - there's MORE!!

Sarah also created a gorgeous Gothic Arch Steampunk necklace:

Sarah says:

"In my small jewellery piece, I again used the metal etching technique using Collection Elements rubber stamps and chipboard arches. I made a shadow box out of a stack of text paper from an old book. I carved out the shape and shadow, glued all paper together and decorated the inside of the arch".

"I used old watch parts and an image of a man. I glued on a sliver of mica to protect whats in the shadow box, then glued and screwed the front and back etched metal arches. Then I finished it off with Tim Holtz’s cogs and gears and chain".

Again - gobsmackingly awesome!!!!

So now it's your turn!!

Create a Steampunk themed Gothic Arch and upload it to our dedicated Flickr Group. Remember - your arch can be any size, and medium, any thing you like!! Challenge deadline is 31st December 2010, so you have plenty of time to play! See the full challenge details here. Don't forget to use at least 1 stamp!

I can't wait to see what you all do with this theme!!

A huge THANK YOU goes out to Sarah Fawcett for sharing her fabulous creations with us! Let her know how much you appreciate it by leaving her some love in the comments section. :) And don't forget to pop by her blog to see more of her fabulous creations!

Happy stamping!

~Sarah~