The Art of Steampunk by Art Donovan

Title:  The Art of Steampunk

Sub Title:  Extraordinary Devices and Ingenious Contagions from th

Author:  Art Donovan

Publisher:  Fox Chapel Publishing

Publication Date:  29/6/2011

Source:  NetGalley

Pages:  128

My Rating: I loved it!

From Goodreads:









The Art of Steampunk seeks to celebrate the world of Steampunk: a world filled with beauty and innovation. A world in which steam power and technology intertwine to create machines that are not only functional and practical, but unique and striking.
Inside, you will find the fantastical and stunning artwork of Steampunk artists from around the world. The 17 artists featured on these pages, among the frontrunners of the Steampunk genre, have had their work displayed at an exhibition at The Museum of History of Science at the University of Oxford, UK and have attracted the media attention of BoingBoing, one of the world’s largest blogs. Their artwork consists of everything from clocks and watches to light fixtures and jewelry, but every piece demonstrates hours of painstaking work and devotion from its creator. You will find that the artists themselves are just as unique and colorful as their masterpieces. Fully embracing Steampunk ideology, many have adopted a Victorian alter ego—a mad scientist persona to match the complicated intricacies of their artwork.
The Art of Steampunk brings the vision of the Steampunk artist alive on the page, providing a unique insight into the captivating and dynamic world of a vastly underground genre.e Leading Artists of the Steampunk Movement.

My Review:

The Art of Steampunk is rooted in the Aesthetics of Victorian Technology.  Steampunk can be described as Victorian Sci fi because authors such as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells opened peoples imaginations like no one else had ever done before. But, it was not until the late 1980's that it got the name, "Steampunk".  The term was used by K.W. Jeter during the Cyberpunk era  to describe the stories written during the Victorian period, and it has stuck ever since. 

This Victorian period and the writing that ocurred during that period has provided inspiration for artists of today.  The inspiration for this book was due to a Steampunk exhibition at the University Museum of History and Science in the UK.  This exhibition occurred because of Art Donovans encouragement for doing the exhibition and thank goodness he was persistant.  Otherwise, these wonderful artists may have been overlooked.  The artists that participated in the exhibition came from all over the world.  For your viewing pleasure, please visit http://steampunkmuseumexhibition.blogspot.com/   But beware, because this stuff will make you drool!   Surely, after seeing this, you will become a fan of this Art!

Here are a few photo's of the art in this book, but please visit Art's website to see the Art as I believe it showcases the Art much better than the pictures provided here.





Playing With Books by Jason Thompson

This is a perfect book for book lovers! It is about creating art with books. You will not believe the beautiful things that can be created with a book.  There are a few things that are way out of my abilities range, but the are wonderful to look at for inspiration.  But, most of the projects can be created by anyone with a little time and determination.  My favorite project is making a beautiful wreath from old book pages I am also inspired by the Book Bag that is created from decorative book pages and a sewing machine.  It even includes directions for a woven basket made with book pages.  All of the projects have great photographs to guide you through the process. There are at least 20 projects in this book!  If you love books as much as I do, then  the next step after reading them is to turn them into a piece of art!

Read on!

Artist Trading Card Workshop by Bernie Berlin

A beautiful technique book dedicated to making artist trading cards.  Artist trading cards, most often referred to as ATC's are little works of art that are usually only 2 1/2" X 3 1/2".  They can be painted, sewn, stamped, embossed, fused, etc., really there is no limit to what can be incorporated into these tiny bits of art.  This book covers most of the popular techniques.  It will ell you what you need for each project, and take you step by step in the process, and it shows photographs of most of the steps.  It covers a wide range of techniques, including, but not limited to the following:  Paint on Paper Towels, Watercolor on Baby Wipes, Leafing Pen Resist, Stencils, Magazine Paper, Phone Book Paper, Transfers, Resin, Stitching, and Digital.  There are many more techniques included that I have not listed here.  If you have an interest in this style of art, you will not be disappointed with this book!

Gothic Arches Challenge-Hearts

The poem says: Love is anterior to life

Posterior to death,

Initial of creation, and

The exponent of breath.

It is a little late, but at least I got it up before the end of February.  I used the arch template from Inky Fingers, K& Co paper, vintage lace and button, and the image came from the internet.  I am working on the new one for Butterflies and hope to have it up soon.  Thanks for looking!

Gothic Arches Challenge-Queen

The images are from Paper Whimsy.

Being Creative and Altered Mona Lisa

Being creative is a great way to add a bit of happy to your life.  I find that when I am working on a project, I think about it all of the time when I am not actually working on it. I look forward to getting back to it.  If I am planning a new project, I constantly go over it in my head.  This process is a good way to think about something positive.  Also, you can even incorporate a bothersome idea or whatever is going on in your life into your art.  This is a great way to release negative feelings and thoughts.  For the first time, I have joined an art challenge with the Sunday Postcard Art group.  This weeks challenge wast to alter a picture of Mona Lisa.