Con Report: Comicpalooza 2013

I'm still recovering from this con (since I picked up a case of con crud), but it was totally worth it.

This year there was a big effort to promote and include steampunk at Comicpalooza.  Credit for that goes to the tireless J.R. Warren, who spent all year organizing a steampunk presence for this large comic con. 

My booth

One of the things that was introduced was a "Steampunk Alley" within the Artists Alley section.  Steam Ingenious had a booth in Steampunk Alley and we had a very successful weekend, sales-wise.  Steampunk Alley included both artists selling their wares and fan groups promoting their organizations.

There are a few ways this idea could be improved in the future, namely by making it a more defined area.  It wasn't really so much an alley as part of a row and then some more tables around the corner and a couple more within sight.  There was also no signage or other way for anyone to tell they were in Steampunk Alley other than "hey, there are a lot of steampunks here."  Having some nice signs at the entrance and exit of the row would be nice, as well as having a more cohesive space.  Also on the map the area was marked with the word "Harbor" and some gears.  I understand the intent, but seriously, it needed to say "Steampunk Alley" so people would understand what that meant.

There was also a real traffic flow problem in artist alley in general.  The crowds were easily half what they were in the dealer's area on the far side of the convention center.  It was nice having some extra space between each table.  I greatly appreciate it.  But having to walk 1/4 mile to get from the dealer's area to the artist area was way too much.   The total lack of signs didn't help.   The space was also so huge that the convention felt very underattended, even though it had higher attendance numbers than any I've been at in the last year.

There were a large number of steampunk panels on a wide variety of topics on the schedule, which I know was also at least partly thanks to J.R.   I wasn't able to attend many of them due to having to work my table, but I did get to a few.  I understand that some of the panels didn't have great attendance, most likely due to the fact that they were located very far from the main con floor and the panel rooms were also almost impossible to find.   They were located on the third floor of the convention center, in a MAZE of hallways and rooms.  I'm totally unclear on why the five panel rooms were so spread out among all the rooms up there, so that you really needed a GPS and a lot of luck to find them.  This needed better planning, better maps, MORE SIGNS, and more staff in the area helping to direct people.

It also didn't help that for several hours on Saturday, at the busiest time of the con there was a

Methodist graduation ceremony taking place in the middle of the panel rooms and they blocked off the main thoroughfare to con attendees.  There was one person telling you to "go around"  which mean go through the rabbit warren of halls with no guidance and no signs to help you get around the graduation.  Well I did go around and I still ended up walking into the middle of the graduation because I didn't see any other way to get where I was going.

But back to the steampunk panels.  As I said the variety of topics was awesome.  I heard good things about many of the panels.  I know some of them were presented by someone else at the last minute, so there was some difficulty there.  My favorite panel was the Steampunk Media Panel with all of the bands.  It was really entertaining and there were some great stories about how the bands got together and evolved over time.  There was even a great discussion of media piracy with reasoned debate on both sides of the issue and good points all around.  Oh, and I'm waiting for that all-Labyrinth covers steampunk album, guys.

The highlight of the weekend for steampunks was the Steampunk Ball on Saturday night.  The band line-up was amazing: Frenchy and the Punk, Professor Elemental, Marquis of Vaudeville, and Abney Park.  It was scheduled from 8-12 and I knew I would be exhausted by vending all day but I was determined to attend and enjoy, since seeing great bands is my favorite thing to do at cons.  Unfortunately, the doors didn't open until 8:45 and the first band didn't go on for quite a while after that.  I know there were some technical difficulties, but when you're having a late show after a whole day of con I think it's important to start on time.  I know one friend of mine just wanted to see one band because she had to leave soon, but that didn't work out because there was such a delay.   I suspect a few people showed up at the scheduled time and when they saw nothing much going on, left for other entertainments.

The bands themselves were amazing.  I've seen Marquis of Vaudeville and Abney Park multiple times,

Frenchy and the Punk

but had never seen Professor Elemental live and hadn't heard Frenchy and the Punk at all.  Frenchy and the Punk were first up and they had the crowd really fired up with their Punk Cabaret style.  I think they made a lot of fans, myself included.   Professor Elemental snuck a few songs in between bands, although he wasn't originally on the schedule.  He was lots of fun and the crowd was jumping around and having a great time.

Marquis of Vaudeville put on a great show.  Every time I see them I enjoy them more, I think.  I also have to say that their cd is really, really great and has become one of my favorites, so if you haven't heard them you should pick it up.  They brought a real dense rock experience to the evening.  Also they do the best cover of The Cure I've ever heard with the song "Burn" from The Crow.  (And The Cure is my favorite all-time band, so I should know.)

I have a couple of complaints on the Ball in general.  It was in the ballroom of the attached hotel, and it was a beautiful space, especially with a bunch of gorgeously dressed steampunks in it.  But it was pretty far from the rest of the convention activities and there needed to be more advertising to make sure people were aware of when and where it was.

A family of well-dressed steampunks at the Ball.

There was also a real problem with the sound, which is so often the case at conventions.  Hotel ballrooms aren't made for rock concerts and the sound engineers don't ever seem to know what they're doing.  The sound was far too loud and was reverberating in an unpleasant way throughout the room.  The bands were drowning themselves out in places.   I know several people left because they couldn't take the volume level or they got migraines.  I've been to lots and lots of rock shows, including the loudest punk shows in the grottiest clubs, and I found it unpleasant to sit through at times.

Finally there needed to be more chairs.  There were about 20? chairs in the room, along the edges and people were rushing for them and guarding them fiercely.  Much as we would all like to spend 4 hours of the Ball jumping up and down and dancing, most of us don't have that ability.  In my case, it's due to my disability, and I spent the whole night seated, at first on my seat-cane that I carry with me and then on a chair I managed to snag.  But after a day of con, with a steampunk crowd that tends to be older, there needed to be more chairs.  I would recommend generally having several rows of chairs at the back of the room.  There was plenty of room for dancing at the front.   The drink options available were limited and extremely expensive,

which was a bit annoying.  I paid $4 for a bottle of water because I didn't want a $9.50 glass of cheap wine.

I think all of these things led to the crowd dwindling as the evening went on.  Abney Park didn't take the stage until after midnight and the crowd was much reduced from what it had been earlier.  And those that were remaining were noticeably less energetic.  No more jumping up and down.  Personally I was really sad to have to leave a few songs into their set.  I hit the wall of exhaustion in a way I haven't for years.  After 17 hours of working and socializing, I had to leave.  I was having problems walking out of there, I was so tired.   And both my husband and I were starving, having eaten only a little bit of the convention center food 6 hours earlier.   Dear Comicpalooza: FOOD TRUCKS!

So if you noticed all the steampunks dragging ass on Sunday, you know why.  We might as well have had a steampunk zombie day on Sunday.  We were pretty much already in character.

All of this being said, it was a really good event.  Like I said, my booth was quite successful and I met a lot of new steampunks who were excited about the community and the genre.  The attendees, vendors, and panelists were top notch.  I applaud J.R. and everyone else who helped make this year's Comicpalooza a steampunk-friendly event.  I'm looking forward to doing it again!

Friday Finds: My Favorite Octopus Themed Products

My airship is called Airship Octavia.  It's pretty clear I'm a fan of octopuses.  And they have an interesting connection to the steampunk genre that's both widely acknowledged and little explained.   Is it just the Jules Verne connection?  Or is there just something OTHER about octopuses that appeals to our aesthetic sensibility.  Whatever the reason, steampunks can't get enough of the octopus.

I LUST after this Kraken Rum Umbrella.  It's the tentacle hand-grip that gets me.

I don't have the open wall space for these giant tentacle decals, but I wish I did.

For the octopus loving dapper gentleman (or tie-wearing lady), this is perfect gift.  Look how cute he is with his top hat and his moustache!

I adore the color in this shower curtain!

Out of all these items, the only one I own is this adorable Coolamari Octopus Ice Tray  I found one in a gift shop in the mountains of Maui, of all places, and HAD to have it.

I love this brass etched octopus wallet/cigarette holder.  The perfect item for carrying your cards or sundries while costumed.

This classic octopus is available on T-shirts and pillows in a range of colors.

Finally, an item that's been tempting me for a while now.  I just love this octopus ring.














That's it for today.  I'll be behind my booth at Comicpalooza in Houston all weekend, so come out and say hi if you can!

Free Steampunk Fonts Part Three

Nelson Old Newspaper - This is a neat, different font.  Apparently the lowercase letters are just background text.

Type Keys - This font includes a regular and filled in version.

Harting - A nice faded type.

Coffee Tin - Nice decorative lettering.

Rough Tuscan - I like this one because it's fairly simple, but also has ornate details.

Antique No. 14 - Readable but stylish.

Baketvalley Old Face - An all lowercase smudged type.

Ampad  - No such thing as too many flourishes.

Friday Finds: DIY Steampunk Decor

Last week I brought you some of my favorite steampunk decor creations.  This week, I'm sharing some projects that are a little more achievable for the average DIYer.

Cover a Cheap Shelf in Leather and Brass Tacks - This is a really great, detailed tutorial on upholstering a bookshelf with leather.  Step by step photographs included.  Personally I might not cover EVERY surface of a shelf, but I'm definitely considering covering the outside surfaces.

Using tin tiles or faux tin tiles to cover a dishwasher, fridge, or other appliance.   -This link isn't a tutorial, but just a couple of examples.  In a related idea, check out the use of foam ceiling tiles that look like tin tiles in this Epbot post.

Add feet, fabric, and paint to a boring bookcase.  -This is a great way to add class and flair to your home.  Plus, I found the actual original post for this image, not the fake blog that was pinned so many times.

Cheap DIY Apothecary Jars - Great steamy detail, easy and cheap to make.

Soda Bottle Bell Jars - Now this is SUPER cheap DIY decor, but they look really good!

DIY Orb Chandelier - A great and surprisingly easy way to update an existing chandelier with cheap hanging baskets.

Bedspring Pendant Lights - These lights are made using a simple pendant lamp with Edison bulb and old bedsprings.  But it would be pretty easy to use any kind of heavy gauge wire to do something similar.

Thrift store frames+wood boxes=gorgeous storage - This is one of my favorite ideas.  I have a couple of plain, ugly display boxes designed to hang on the wall and I need to find the right size frames to go over them to make them stunning.

This Campaign Style Makeover of a cheap Ikea Dresser shows what can be done to furniture just by adding the right hardware.













For more ideas and inspiration, check out my Steampunk Home Decor and Furniture Finishing Pinterest Boards.

Upcoming Events for Steam Ingenious

As we enter summer I have a few events to tell you about.

On Memorial Day Weekend, May 24-26th, I will be at Comicpalooza in Houston, TX.  Steam Ingenious will have a booth in the newly created Steampunk Alley section of Artist Alley.  I will be selling my normal costume wares, corsets, jewelry, hats, and some exciting new secret items.

The steampunk line-up is exceptional, with a wealth of panels and guests, in particular a great line-up of steampunk musical guests: Abney Park, Frenchy and the Punk, Professor Elemental, Marquis of Vaudeville, and Addisyn Madd.   So you don't want to miss the Steampunk Ball on Saturday evening.

If you do make it out, stop by my booth and say hi!

I was pleased to be contacted by the Dallas Fort-Worth Costumers Guild and asked if I would be a panel presenter at this year's Costumer's Lost Weekend.  I've had two panels accepted for the con: my "Intro to Corsetmaking" panel and a new panel called "Steampunk for Historical Costumers."   I'm really excited about the event because I always learn so much when I attend costuming-oriented cons.   The con is in Addison, TX (Dallas area) on June 29-30.








After that I'm taking a little time off from events to work on pattern development and commissions.  I am planning to vend at the Carnival Menagerie in Dallas, TX on Sept 13-14, but details for that event aren't yet finalized.

Friday Finds: Steampunk Home Decor

Today on Friday Finds, my favorite steampunk home decor creations.

First up we have the greatest steampunk door ever.  Not only is it gorgeous, but it's amazingly function.  Watch the videos of the iris aperture peephole and locking mechanism.  Creating this kind of functional art obvious takes major skills and time.  Unfortunately, my home won't feature one of these anytime soon.

This is the CTS or Cat Transit System, created by Because We Can.   Any steampunk home with cat residents could use this.  I know my cats would love me forever if I could build them one of these.

I adore this posable light fixture/robot handmade by cutshopguy on Instructables.  In my dream steampunk home, all the lights are individual works of art like this.  Check out all the detail shots at the site, they're great.

This incredible steampunk desk started out life as a boring old particleboard desk before being modded into this incredible piece.  I find it really inspiring what can be done with some simple wood and paint. The only source I have for this is a Brass Goggles forum thread by Capt. James Salt.

Need a clock?  How about this amazing piece by Klockworks.  It's the Jules Verne Type 290, but to be honest picking just one of their spectacular clocks is difficult.  You really have to see all of their one-of-a-kind pieces.

Finally how about the whole package?  This is the interior of a restaurant in India.  It's incredible, especially all the detail work and the design of the walls. Thanks to Epbot for linking to this one.



























Next week I'll bring you some simpler DIY ideas for steampunk home decor that the less ambitious among us can try out for ourselves.

Tutorial: Painting a Steampunk Gun with Textured Paint

There are a lot of ways to turn a toy gun into a steampunk weapon.  I presented one method in my last gun painting tutorial.  But I've been thinking for a while about a way to really make a gun look cool without needing too much inherent artistic ability.  Which led me to the following experiment.

Materials:
Gun to paint
Primer spray paint, preferably black  ( I prefer this one. You can also use Krylon Fusion for Plastic)
Stone Texture spray paint, any color (Unless you can find all black.  I used Krylon Make-It-Stone paint)
Black spray paint (you can use primer again, or just regular paint)
Rub n' Buff in an assortment of metal colors (I used antique gold, silver leaf, autumn gold, and Spanish copper)
Acrylic spray clear sealant (I prefer satin finish.)

I'll be using two different guns as examples in this tutorial.  The small one is a Buzzbee gun I got brand new at a yard sale, the shotgun is a very beat-up gun I paid $0.25 for at another yard sale.

1. The first step is to prepare your gun for painting.  What this entails is going to depend on your gun.  You need to clean any visible dirt off it and then wipe it down with alcohol to remove any oils or coating from manufacturing.

You may also wish to remove any large, bold writing from the gun, either by sanding (by hand or with a dremel tool) or by melting it away with a sautering iron.  But one of the benefits of this method is that it WILL cover any small printing on the gun, like safety warnings or "Made in China" labels.

You can disassemble the gun at this point if you wish.  You may wish to apply this style of paint job only to certain parts, but be careful if you go this route. Adding the texture to some parts may affect the functioning of the gun.  It's also easier to get a solid base coat everywhere if some guns are taking apart.

2. Spray your gun with a layer of primer.  Neatness of this isn't essential, but make sure you get good coverage of the bright colors, and get into all the nooks and crannies.  If there are any parts of the gun that slide or pull out, make sure you get some paint under there, or else it will show when the gun is used.   Let this layer dry.

3. Once the gun is primed and dry, now comes the interesting part. If you took your gun apart at all, reassemble it now.  You don't want to spray individual parts with the textured paint because they might not go back together correctly later.  For the small gun I primed it in pieces, but then put it back together for the texturing.  The shotgun was in such rough shape it wasn't coming apart.

Spray the gun with the Stone Texture paint.  This stuff is weird and it comes out a bit like silly string.  Avoid getting too much of this paint on any moving parts of the gun, but try to get a good solid layer.  You can spray more or less depending on how you think it looks.

This paint takes a long time to dry due to its thickness so be careful.

4. When the stone paint is dry, cover it with another layer of black paint.  I originally didn't think I would need this, as my stone paint was black with white flecks, but the white flecks were really noticeable.  I don't know if they make all black stone paint, so just buy whatever and then paint it black.  Primer is nice for this because you get good coverage really quickly, but you can use any black paint.

5.  Now comes the artistic part.  You're going to paint the gun using mostly or all Rub N' Buff paint.  Decide which areas are going to be which color and start by getting some Rub N' Buff on your fingers.  You don't want too much, so I will usually rub my forefinger and thumb together to get rid of some of the wetness of the paint.

Then you want to apply the Rub N' Buff lightly across the textured surface of the gun. Start very lightly, without too much pressure.  It takes a while to get a feel for it, and how much paint is transferred will depend on how wet or dry the paint is.  You can decide what areas you want more metallic color on and which you want the minimum coverage.  It's all a judgement call.  You might want to start by doing a very light coat of color and then going back to make it heavier if you want in places.  Don't try to fill in any cracks with paint, leave them black.

You could also fill in certain areas with a solid color acrylic with a brush and then add some Rub N' Buff on top.  I did this for the butt of the shotgun.  I painted it solid brown with some acrylic paint and then went over it with Spanish Copper so that just the raised parts were darker and a bit metallic.  I also did this on the small gun in a couple places with some Liquid Leaf paint in brass, which I covered with the Spanish Copper to give a tarnished brass look.  I also painted the circle on the shotgun with solid metallic green paint to give it some sci-fi style.

6. When you're satisfied with your paint job, it's time to seal it.  Spray it with a few coats of your sealant to ensure your paint-job doesn't rub off over time.  I used a couple of coats of glossy acrylic sealant and then finished with a coat of clear satin sealant. You can also add further embellishments to the gun at this point: gears, wire, bolts, whatever.  I added a vacuum tube to the end of the small gun, but haven't found the right add-ons for the other one yet.

And you're done!

I'm pretty happy with how my experiment turned out.  It really looks like very old, weathered, beaten metal.  It probably works better with a post-apocalyptic style of steampunk than a very Victorian one, but that's a matter of personal taste.

The advantages of this method is that it doesn't take a lot of artistic skill, there's no intricate hand-painting or any real knowledge required.  It's also very fast.  Yes there's a lot of spray-painting and waiting for coats to dry, but as far as hands on work, you can paint a whole gun in a night.  In fact I think I finished the little gun from beginning to the finished paint job in one Saturday.  (The sealant coats were another day.)  So for the person who doesn't want to labor for weeks painting a gun, this is a great method.

What do you guys think?  This has just been my own little idea and project, and no one has seen these guns yet.  So give me your honest opinion.