I haven’t posted in awhile because I’ve been diligently working on projects in preparation for World Steam Expo 2012 in Dearborn, MI this coming weekend. Look for the Artsmith Craftworks booth and look for the DIY Airship panels where you can build your own little airship from a kit that I have available.
I hope to see you all there!
Usually I build a larger airship. At least larger in the sculpture sense…something in the neighborhood of 5 feet long, or so. In a room that is larger or when placed in a dedicated display area, they’re fantastic and formidable. In a small area though, they can be a bit tight.
This project, therefore, is much smaller. At about two and a half feet long, the Anastasia is about half the size of the Diabolus and the OTBP airship at Off the Beaten Path in Farmington, Michigan. Those of you who have seen one or both of those airships will be able to visualize the size better. At this size, Anastasia would be at home in even a very small house, apartment or office, (are you picturing a steampunk themed office? Very cool indeed!).
The Airship Anastasia
Anastasia from the starboard
The style is once again, more Victorian whimsey than copper and brass dreadnaught, but the Anastasia is not without her defenses. Small and nimble, the Anastasia would turn more quickly than most larger ships, allowing the bow-mounted plasma generator to take care of frontal and flanking assaults, while a crew member tail gunner moves to defend against attacks from the stern with an aether disruptor cannon.
Anastasia gondola close-up
Propulsion close-up
Next up is another larger airship; similar in style, but a bit heavier in the speed department and bit more armed to match. Watch for it!
I’d also love for you to subscribe to the blog if you haven’t already, and while you’re at it, please wander over to my Facebook Page here and give it a “like”. Thanks!
My daughter came hopping up the stairs tonight, bouncing off the walls with excitement at the Yahoo Real Estate article on a Manhattan loft that is steampunk from stem to stern. Complete with zeppelins, gears, portholes and countless other Victorian vintage, this Chelsea apartment is a steampunks dream. Functional levers, gadgets and gizmos in brass, copper and other materials make it interactive as well as charming.
Visually, the place is so stimulating that I think I’d have a hard time relaxing there, since I’d be too busy looking and playing with all the cool art. Perhaps though, the place could use one more airship piece…
What do you think?
Most of you reading this won’t know that along with being a Steampunk Airship Artist and Chiropractor, I’m also a non-denominational Wedding Officiant. Most of the ceremonies I do are the standard faire, but I do get the occasional opportunity to do something more fun. I’ve done weddings with an Aviation theme, Hawaiian theme and a couple Scotish Handfasting ceremonies, complete with Piper and kilts. I’ve even had an inquiry relating to a nudist wedding. Never, though, (and much to my dismay), have I had anyone request a Steampunk themed ceremony! Believe me, I would jump at the chance to perform a wedding with a Victorian or Steampunk theme!
What prompted this post was the blog post of a Steampunk friend in Washington state…Trial by Steam by Audelia Flint. In her latest post linked here, she cites another post by a wedding blog called OneWed’s Bridal Blog which talks about the latest trend, (click here). I think this trend holds enormous variation and excitement and I’d like to be one of the officiants to jump onboard and start providing services in this great genre!
Steampunk bouquet by FiftyFlowers.com
If you are a bride-to-be and also a Steampunk aficionado, feel free to contact me to discuss the possibility of a one-of-a-kind Steampunk wedding ceremony for you and your beloved!
So in case you were wondering how to make a cool and convincing steampunk vent tube that you would see on something mechanical, coal-fired, steam-powered or something lighter-than-air…say like…an AIRSHIP, here’s how I do it. I have a bunch of medical surplus tubing connectors. They use these to connect rubber hoses in ventilators and such. What I do is trim off any sharp edges, which there shouldn’t be too many of if it’s medical supply pieces. Rough it up a bit with a piece of fine sandpaper and then hit it with your favorite metallic brass or copper spray enamel. When it’s dry, add rivets with metallic puffy paint and then patina the piece with some green acrylic paint. What you wind up with is something like this…
Vent tubes
To add these to the Diabolus, I glued pieces of bamboo skewers into them with the sharp ends sticking out. I could then push them into the sides of the airship. Before I did that, I created a flat plate for effect using cardboard with puffy paint rivets as shown.
Flat plates
Once painted and patina antiqued, these become the bases that the vent tubes get pushed into for the final effect shown below.
Vent tube installed
Along with showing how I build Victorian steampunk airships, I like to post to ArtSmith CraftWorks about other cool steampunk art that I come across from time to time. Actually I run across cool steampunk stuff ALL the time and I’ll start posting about them more here. The latest cool thing I found was actually an “Instructable” that I grabbed the YouTube URL for. A guy who’s deviantArt username is “gogglerman” shows how to custom craft a very cool brass / copper steampunk wristwatch with a mechanical iris covering the face.
What kinds of awesome art have you created? Drop me a comment and let me know. I’d be happy to show it off on this blog!
Installing the observation turrets into the sides of the Diabolus first requires cutting a hole in the mâché. Due to the curving shape of the airship’s sides, the hole could not be just a simple circle, but rather a complicated ellipse. I had to hold the turret alongside the airship and lightly and carefully trace its contour into the side, allowing the pencil to follow not only the edge of the turret, but also the contour of the Diabolus. Once the hole was traced and cut, the turret slid in fairly easily and was glued into place.
Observation turret in place
With the turret in place, I bordered around it with brass trim and riveting for a strong finished look.
Turret from below
And with the “brass” trim applied, adding some patina with acrylic paint to the side of the airship gives it a weathered and aged look. Below is another view of the Diabolus showing both turrets and their position relative to the rest of the airship.
Both turrets in an inferior view
Stay tuned for the next installment!
Do you have any cool stuff you like to do with recycled or re-purposed materials?
Today, I’m going to show you how I put together the observation turrets that are on the sides of the Diabolus. Believe it or not, I used repurposed pieces for these as well 
Really, you say? I don’t believe it! Well, it’s true…read on to see more!
I started with the bottom of one of those 50 cent gumball machine toy bubbles as shown below…
Gumball toy bubble
In order to make it look like a paneled turret, I need something that not only looks like metal, specifically brass or copper, but also is thin and flexible. I could use thin sheet craft copper, but remember that I like to reuse materials or repurpose things. What I do is to paint tape, then cut it into strips. You’ll also notice that I added “rivets” and patina before peeling up the strips to apply to the bubble.
Painted tape cut into strips
Next, of course, I add the strips to the bubble in a fashion that is reminiscent of the gun turrets on a WWII bomber, or the bridge of the Millennium Falcon, whichever you prefer!
Finished turret
So this is how the finished turret looks. In order to add it to the side of the Diabolus, I need to build a “background”, and I’ll show you how next post!
Today I’m back to showing the progress of the Diabolus. You’ve all seen the finished product, as I displayed it at the World Steam Expo back at the end of May. I want to finish the progression so you see how it was constructed.
I left off at showing you the fin support construction. I’ll now show you the fin hub which ties all the fins together aft of the propeller. This hub starts with a couple of simple repurposed plastic pieces; in this case, a couple peanut butter jar lids.
Peanut butter jar lids
Followed by a spray paint can lid and a laundry detergent cap…
Lids and caps
Then put together…
Lids and caps assembled
And then painted bronze and patina painted…
Painted fin hub
Finally, put in place and trimmed with stabilizers.
Fin hub with stabilizers
So, once again, finished piece looking nothing like the original repurposed pieces! Next I’ll show how I constructed the observation turrets.
Would you be interested in seeing examples of how to choose items to repurpose?
This past Sunday – Father’s Day, I was treated to handmade cards by my kids… I like handmade cards the best… Don’t get me wrong, beautiful artwork on store-bought American Greetings or Hallmark cards are great because some fantastically talented illustrator had to paint the original. However, hand-drawn artwork by your own kids trumps them all. My middle daughter Hannah, who loves zombie movies, and is convinced that there is a “zombie apocalypse” in our not-too-distant future, also knows of my appreciation of all things steampunk. She also obviously knows that my focus is on airships.
Being Father’s Day and taking all of the above facts into consideration, the logical action as far as she was concerned, was to create a Father’s Day card that was a “zombie meets airship designer” novelette. Below are the 10 pages of her artwork that made up the book/card. Thank you Hannah… and thanks to Kayli and Noah for their handmade cards as well… I love you all!
The Amazing Adventure of Phineus J. Smythe
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
I hope all you fathers and fathers-to-be had a great Father’s Day!
My next post will be on how I finished the Diabolus, the airship seen at the World Steam Expo’11. Is there anyone whose kids drew them a Father’s Day card and would like to have it posted here?
Today, I’d like to interrupt my airship update to repost an interview that was done on me by Audelia Flint, who is the author of the Steampunk Blog: Trial by Steam. I’ve included the whole interview, but you can also view it in it’s entirety by clicking the headline link below.
Stephan J. Smith is the artist behind Artsmith Craftworks, creates hand made airship models to decorate Steampunk homes and other beautiful works from paper and papier-mâché. I got the opportunity to pull him away from he preparations for the World Steam Expo to tell me a bit about his art.
How did you learn to craft your art?
I’ve been an artist at heart since I was a little kid, but I started formally as a graphic designer – went to Ferris State University in Michigan. Even though that was mainly related to advertising and marketing, I always loved the fine art field as well and have always been fascinated by paper.
How did you decide to craft model airships?
I was commissioned by an interior designer friend of mine, (Betsy Rackliffe), to construct one for a Steampunk bookstore, (Off the Beaten Path), she was designing the interior for. There was such a terrific response and interest that it was suggested that I do others and offer them for sale.
Tell me a bit about Artsmith Craftworks.
Artsmith Craftworks is the name I chose that both reflected my name and the “craft” of art that I do. As I mentioned, I love paper, so anything that involves paper interests me. I like cut paper sculpture, papier mache, hand-cast paper from recycled pulp, and many other paper media. I DO also have a great affinity for mosaic. Ceramic, glass, stone and even paper mosaic…such a beautiful art form! So I guess that’s what Artsmith Craftworks is about.
Tell me more about the importance you place on recycled and repurposed materials.
Well, my own personal “mission” is to create art using something that would have gotten thrown away otherwise. Like I said before, I like making hand-cast sheets of paper using old scrap that I have pulped, thereby making something beautiful and useful out of it again. Papier mache allows me to use scrap paper to built things with “junk” paper. I often do cut paper sculptures using scrap paper company swatch books. I use bottle lids, random plastic pieces, cut foam, wooden dowels, paper and plastic tubes, etc., and I cut them, paint them and they become something else. Most of the mosaics I do use broken tile or glass that was garbage bound and I do scrap paper mosaics as well. It just feels good to do something cool with discarded materials that would have gone into a landfill otherwise.
Any upcoming projects you’d like to tell people about?
I plan to be at the World Steam Expo in Dearborn, Michigan on Memorial Day weekend. I’ll have a couple new large airships as well as some Do-It-Yourself little airship kits. In fact, the plan is that I’ll be running a couple panels showing people how to construct the little airships with the kits I put together. True to form, these kits are made with recycled/repurposed materials! I’ve also been contacted by an independent filmaker who wants me to build an airship for a Steampunk film he’s currently working on. The airship will be shot against green screen with background dropped in during post production…very exciting stuff!
What is your favorite and least favorite medium/material with which to work? Why?
Of course, paper is my favorite and I like tile & stone in mosaic too. I think paper represents something renewable, very earthy and natural and is a very flexible and forgiving medium to work with. I don’t think I have a least favorite. I’ve worked with a lot of different materials, some not my favorites, but none that I dislike really.
What does Steampunk mean to you?
To me, Steampunk represents an exciting age when the possibilities of new materials, energies and knowledge were being discovered and utilized. To us, it represents an age of whimsical innocence, seemingly free of the hustle and bustle of modern life, but brimming with its own gadgets and wonder.
Where can people purchase your art?
Currently, my blog has a page with pieces for sale, but they are sparse at this point as I prepare for World Steam. I plan to have an Etsy store in the not-too-distant future.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Only that I appreciate the warm welcome and reception that I’ve gotten from the Steampunk community. Everyone has been very complimentary and excited when they’ve seen my pieces. And, Audelia, I’d like to invite you and anyone you’re connected with to visit my blog and have a look around and feel free to comment. I’d also like to thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed on your blog!
The next step in creating the large zeppelin fins is to add the appearance of rivets. This doesn’t need to be actual metal pierced through metal, but rather, just look like it. I experimented with a number of things before I realized that what I needed was already on my shelf and I’d had it for quite awhile. Puffy paint…
You just apply the paint dot-wise in areas that look like they should have rivets, then let it dry and paint it with whatever paint you want to make your steampunk airship look metallic. This ain’t your momma’s Victorian whimsy, that’s for sure!
Rib with puffy paint rivets applied
Puffy paint rivets detail
Next time, I’ll show you the painting process. It’s gonna be cool, so check back soon!
Well, I apologize for the delay in posting. Just a lot going on!
This post, I’ll show some of the external elements that will be added to the new airship. Like I said before, this airship is not the Victorian whimsical variety that you’ve seen before, but rather one that is more gritty and “heavy” looking. It will have four large fins that resemble brass/metal girders. Like the rest of the pieces, I constructed these out of scrap cardboard and then I covered them with scrap file folder paper to give them a smooth, paintable surface. Of course, this is also the way I stay close to my heart and use recycled and repurposed materials. While the fins aren’t papier mache like the body of the airship, they are old boxes that were pretty much junk.
In the next post, I will simulate rivets, so watch for it!
Cardboard ribs cut out
Scrap green file folders
Fins covered in file folder cardboard
Last post, I talked about doing a patina on the new airship, including the copper accents on the ridges. I decided to add rivets, then apply a heavier green patina to them and the results are…well, fantastic!
Rivets and patina added
Below is a bit closer look to show the details.
Rivet and patina detail
In keeping with my tradition of using stuff that is just sitting around or was going to be thrown away, these accent stripes are nothing more than cloth coach tape, painted with copper paint, cut into strips and patina painted with green paint. The rivets are just puffy paint, applied in dots. MAGIC!
The next step will be to start adding some external elements. (I know…I said that last time, but an artist DOES change things on the fly if need be!).
What ideas do you have for details? Let me know!
The next step in the building of the new airship was to make it look a bit aged and to add some tint. I did this by airbrushing a dark green color on the “envelope” and the copper edging.
Green patina aging
Patina detail
Next, I’ll start showing the pieces that will make this look like a lean and mean airship! Stay tuned!
OK, so I have to admit that I’ve been holding out on you guys a bit. I have several airships in process, but I’ve mainly been showing you one particular design that I’m making progress on. This design is much like the one that is in Off the Beaten Path in Farmington, Michigan…you know, this one…
Up, up and away!
Truth is, there’s another design that I’ve been spending most of my time on, but I haven’t shown you that one. Wait… you may have seen it from afar, but didn’t realize it was special.
The new design has a much more hardcore steampunk look than the previous model, which was more Victorian whimsical, I think. This airship is going to look mean and aged and battlescarred.
The next photo is of the “balloon” portion of the airship when I first painted it.
Gray basecoated airship "envelope"
I then added copper ribbing for effect…
Copper ribbing added
Next time, I’ll show the ship with some patina aging…stay tuned!
In order to give the appearance that these airships could really navigate the aether, we must also add fins, or vertical and horizontal stabilizers if you’re more aviation engineering minded. These fins are also created using a papier mache process. Although I’ve entertained using something different because doing mache to the fins is so tedious, it still remains a strong, yet light-weight medium with which to accomplish the task, so I stick with it.
I start by cutting out a fin-shaped piece of corrugated cardboard, then I glue ridges onto them, corresponding to the scalloped edge shape. The ridges are really the leftover curved strips that I saved which came from between the airship ribs when I cut them out. In keeping with my recycle/repurpose philosophy, I try not to waste much and I try not to have to cut something again or go out and buy something that I probably already have if I just think about it a little bit!
Once that is done, I use a wide masking tape to cover and seal the cardboard against the mache moisture, then I go over the entire surface of the fin…both sides and around all edges, with papier mache strips. It’s very important to do this step as smoothly and without wrinkles as possible.
I then paint the fins after the mache is dry and accent them in whatever colors and textures are appropriate for the airship I’m working on. The finished fin is shown below.
What colors or patterns would you use on an airship?
Finished fin
OK…last post, I said that I’d be showing you painting of the airships. This takes the nicely yellowed paper on the ships and further accents it so that it takes on that parchment feel. While this technique wouldn’t be used on all my airships, (some look much more metallic and heavy), it gives these particular models a feel of Victorian whimsy…don’t you think?
Airship one with a drybrush technique
Drybrush detail
Airship two with sponged antique technique
Sponged detail
Now that the airships have this antiquing applied, the next step will be to start adding some of the other external details, such as the fins, nose cones, propeller assemblies, etc.
Stay tuned…it just gets better and better!
Here’s a cool commercial with a band of rather Victorian old timers…too bad they aren’t just a bit more Steampunk outfitted. If only the car had wings!
"When trash meets vision, art happens!!"
Our modern life creates a constant stream of refuse; some is recycled, some is buried in landfills, some sits at the bottom of the ocean. And some, the truly lucky bits, are re-purposed into new things: things of usefulness, beauty and inspiration. This is what I love to do.
Please enjoy my blog, and be sure to visit my gallery. Drop me a note, or email me pictures of your own inspired creations. And remember, it’s not always what meets the eye!
