Hot Steampunk R&D Posts

How To: 15 Tutorials for Steampunk Photoshopping

I'm not any good with Photoshop myself, but this article on Designer Daily has links to fifteen different steampunk-based Photoshop tutorials. Judging by the images of the finished products, they look really amazing!

News: The Top 10 Steampunk Music Videos

"Jef with one F" from the Houston Press compiled a list of the 10 best steampunk songs, but it's really a collection of the best steampunk music videos. There are some amazing videos in the collection, such as this one, "Brass Goggles" by Steam-Powered Giraffe. It's not the best-looking, but it's a great performance.

News: Was Edison Sexy? Hollywood Thinks So

The show doesn't have a name yet, but a TV show following a "sexy" Thomas Edison is developed by NBC. Edison is best known for being the inventor of the light bulb, but is the subject of much controversy in the Steampunk world due to his less-than-savory business practices and poor treatment of contemporary Nikola Tesla. Would you watch a TV show about a hip, sexy Edison? I would, but I wouldn't like it.

News: Steampunk Lara Croft Cosplay from Tomb Raider

Even most non-video gamers know who Lara Croft is, thanks to Angelina Jolie. The movies were pretty awful, but even I'd go see the next one if it looked like this: The photos are from LJinto. And the character design is from Tess Fowler.

The Anachronist: A Crowd-Funded Steampunk Film About Time Travel

I guess it's steampunk film night, because there's another film out there in the works, though this one is trying to raise money via Kickstarter. The promotional animation that they have up on their kickstarter page is pretty awesome, and from what the director had to say, it sounds like it would be a really cool film. Go over there and check it out, and if you like to contribute to the indie scene, give them some money!

News: Upcoming Steampunk Horror Film, the Mechanical Grave

We could use some more cool steampunk films, and this one looks like it has pretty high production values for an independent thing. So far as I'm concerned we can use more steampunk horror, too. I love that stuff.

News: Steampunk Gets Trashed by Two Broke Girls

Not two random broke girls, but the television show "Two Broke Girls". I think this show is hilarious, and I think Steampunk getting "dissed" by the show is sort of like a song getting parodied by Weird Al: it's a rite of passage for anyone who's famous.

News: Why Steampunks Shouldn't Buy iPhones

This may seem like an odd subject, because what do Steampunks and iPhones even have to do with each other? Actually, more than you might think!

H.G. Wells: World's First Game Master?

According to this article on Kotaku, H.G. Wells invented modern tabletop wargames. War games had been going on for a long time, but Wells was the first person to make them accessible for a casual, non-military audience with his game Little Wars.

Steampunk Music for the Masses: Electro-Swing

Swing music was later than the Victorian era, but electro-swing music can call that retrofuturistic era to mind. I recently saw this review of an electro-swing album, "Electro Swing For the Masses" by Good Co~, who features one of the musicians from the well-known Steampunk band Abney Park. Electro-swing is just what it sounds like: a fusion of electronic and swing music. For anyone who hasn't heard any of it, check it out!

News: World War 1 Body Armor Was Steampunk?

I came across a really cool article about armor that the Americans wanted to use in World War I. Since it was before kevlar and modern body armor but still needed to stop bullets, they designed it to be similar to medieval armor. It looks terribly uncomfortable and ineffective. Just look at this helmet design: The flaps could be opened when not in combat.

News: Curious About Steampunk? Check Out This Required Reading and Viewing List

Steampunk is a tremendously interesting phenomenon because of its reliance on science fiction, and fiction in general. Steampunk can arguably be broken down into two categories: the fiction, and the aesthetic. Sometimes these categories cross over, but they're often more distinct than most people suspect; that said, the aesthetic is firmly based in works of fiction.

News: Organic Armor for Steampunks?

Organic Armor is a company run by Paul Hersey which makes... organic armor. Their Facebook page is a really awesome place to get some steampunk inspiration. Check out some of their work:

News: Better Poses Make for Better Pictures

I came across this post, and while it's not specifically steampunk, I think it's still very applicable. Every steampunk wants to have cool pictures, but not every steampunk knows how to get them. A good photographer will help you pose, but not everyone has access to professional photographers. Since you can't rely on having posing advice during a shoot, you should familiarize yourself with some of the tips in this post. Maybe someone on this site can write a steampunk-specific guide to posing!

News: Steampunk Boba Fett Becomes a T-Shirt

Steampunk Boba Fett, aka John Strangeway, has become a fixture in the steampunk world. A quick Google search will turn up tons of images of him.

News: Steampunk Elevator Erupts from Underground

It's actually an art installation made to look like an elevator was erupting from the ground, or perhaps as though it had fallen from a great height.

News: Recycled Metal Made into Steampunk Sculptures

The Recycleart Facebook group frequently posts awesome pictures of steampunk-friendly sculptures. Not all of them look steampunk, but enough do that it's worth checking out.

News: Fashion Inspiration for Would-Be Steampunks

I came across this great article that features forgotten fashion trends from the past.

News: Steampunk Spider-Man and Villains

These are some really cool sketches of what Spider-man might look like if it was drawn in steampunk style. More pictures are available over at io9.

News: Awesome Steampunk Portal Gun

This Steampunk portal gun (from the game Portal) was recently featured on Kotaku, and is really, really beautiful. It's rare that you see such refined woodworking in steampunk props. Now if only it worked...

News: Transmitting Power... Tesla Style

Matthew Inman, who runs the popular web comic The Oatmeal, decided to test his new hand-held "Tesla Cannon" (which is essentially a small-scale Tesla coil) on one of his friends. His friend, Matt Harding, held a giant light bulb and allowed himself to be shot with the Tesla Cannon.

News: CustomMade Steampunk Bicycle

This bicycle was found through website CustomMade, which is sort of like an Etsy for people who will custom make things to your specifications rather than selling things they've already made. If only I had the money...

Steamdown: How I Made My Liquid-Cooled Steampunk Rifle Prop

I know, "Steamdown" conjures images of a hoedown, but "Steampunk prop breakdown" is a bit of a mouthful, I thought.

News: 8 Tips and Tricks Every Steampunk Writer Should Know

While I am a writer with a degree in Creative Writing, I haven't published any Steampunk fiction. However, as a panelist and track director, I've been on panels with many well-known Steampunk writers and have gleaned insight from the things they've said. I've compiled some of those things into this post, which will hopefully be helpful to all of the writers out there!

News: What Adventure Time Would Look Like if It Was Steampunk

Adventure Time is one of the best TV shows for kids that's currently on the air. It's so good that it has real appeal for adults, too. Just do a Google image search for "Adventure Time costume" and you'll see what I mean.

News: Why Andrew Jackson Was Terrifyingly Crazy

President Andrew Jackson was a pretty rough guy. He routinely fought in duels, and even used to beat people with a stick. That's not very funny.

News: A Grim Look at a Future That Will Hopefully Never Be: Remnant

Penny Dreadful Productions has made a series of short web videos to highlight their costume-making abilities, all of which take place in a world of their own creation, called "Remnant". These videos are amazing, with extremely high production values and great costuming. They're worth a look for anyone who likes steampunk.

News: Rings with Moving Gears Are Perfect for the Steampunk in Your Life

I've heard many steampunks look at a prop and say, "but does it work?"

News: Parisian Painted Postcards from the Past Picture the Present

Who doesn't love a good alliteration? These postcards were painted in Paris between 1899 and 1910 and were supposed to imagine what Paris would be like in the year 2000. I think they were all right on the money, don't you? I wish they had captions so that we could tell what each one is supposed to be. Some are so odd that I have no idea what's going on.

News: Anthrax and Watchmaking, Together at Last

Anthrax (the band, not the disease) remains one of my favorite bands, so I was really happy to see that Dan Spitz, the former guitarist of Anthrax, is now a master watchmaker, supposedly one of the best in the world. After all, there aren't too many things more steampunk than watchmaking, especially when he even makes some of his own parts. I never really thought about it, but as Spitz mentions in an interview, one of Anthrax's best songs, "Got The Time", is about time.

News: The Definitive Steampunk Guide to Sex Is in the Works

I guess it's a sex-themed night, but a few well-known people in the steampunk world are trying to put together a "Steampunk's Guide to Sex", including plain Victorian sexual practices as well as the sort of modern information one would want on a modern movement like steampunk.

News: Steampunk Shirts Abound at Threadless

Threadless is a great site for anyone who wants to buy some steampunk t-shirts. For example, this bizarre shirt: Or maybe this one is more your speed: You can browse their site and come across all kinds of goodies!

Arthrobots: Steampunk Insects on the Loose!

A man named Tom Hardwidge has taken it upon himself to create an army of steampunk insects from a bunch of different found materials, including bullets and pocket watches. He's made a ton of them—and they're really awesome. They're modeled after real insects, too, and aren't just fantasy creations. His website has them all categorized by species, with clever, robot-inspired names. His arthrobots are for sale, too, so if you're interested in owning your very own horde of steampunk insects, you...

How To: Print Your Emails in Style with This Steampunk Tape "Ticker Machine"

Last year, Instructables user Horatius.Steam created Dr. Brain, a small computer connected to a model brain that can tell stories and have Skype conversations. But one thing it couldn't do was print, so to solve that problem, he came up with this awesome Steampunk "Ticker Machine". A wooden base and glass dome make up the housing for a thermal printer, and the driver is hidden in a paper tube that's painted to look like wood. A slot at the bottom feeds the paper out from under the dome and a ...

News: Canada Honors Real Steam-Powered Vehicles Each Year

Every year in Ontario they have a festival to showcase and appreciative steam-based vehicles, called Steam-Era. Not a very original name but at least it's descriptive.

News: Maker Thomas Willeford Gets Turned into Steampunk Frankenstein

Thomas Willeford runs Brute Force Leather and is responsible for a lot of really cool steampunk things, like the mechanical arm that Nathan Fillion wore in the TV show Castle.

How To: Fill Out Your Steampunk Workshop with These Must-Have Tools of the Trade

Say whatever you want, but Steampunk is primarily a maker culture. Consider that Steampunk has existed since the 1960s and yet more or less languished in obscurity until approximately 2005, which is when it made the leap to costuming. That costuming was what provided the leap to the tangible, despite the fact that Steampunk art had also existed for years.

How To: Steampunk Your Next Party with the Elixirator, a Truly Exquisite DIY Robotic Bartender

So, you want to throw a steampunk party and you have almost everything in place—your steampunk persona and iPhone are ready to go, and you've even got your own steampunk straight razor. What's missing? The Elixirator, that's what. The Elixirator is a steampunk cocktail-making machine by Botronics that can hold four different ingredients and mix up to ten drinks. It has a Picaxe microcontroller for a brain and was built using a lot of pieces from thrift shops. It has a plasma globe at the top ...

News: The Past Was So Much Cooler Than the Present

I came across this article on Cracked, and everything used to look so much better than it does now. They used to know how to make people look good no matter what they were doing.

News: Rocketeer Reboot in the Works

I just saw that the Rocketeer is being rebooted. It's visually one of my favorite movies and it really doesn't need to be rebooted. It's a great steampunk movie, but still not as good as the comics. The full article is here if you want to see. It's not very far along yet but I'm sure it will be bad.