How to Think About Steam Punk In Your Digital Art

Working With Steam Punk in Digital Art

I love Steam Punk as an artist. There is the versatility of some modern conveniences, yet you are constrained with what you can use in your imaginative art pieces. It is easier, in some ways, to create within boundaries. It steers your ideas along a cohesive path. However, there is room to “be you”. For example, Steam Punk colors tend to be subdued, but when I created this composition, I allowed color to take a more prominent role. How do I know when it is OK to bend the “rules” and when it’s not the best idea? When working on this piece called “Steam Punk Diva”, I thought about it using these techniques:

3 Tips to Help You Create Within Genres

Steal From The Masters. Seriously. If you think that you can do something truly original, think again. There is no such thing. It is best to just get that idea out of your head. In his book Steal Like An Artist, Austin Kleon forces you to accept this. Once you are free from this, and I do mean free, you will find that ideas come pouring in at you right and left.

In this piece, I stole the formal portrait look from Rembrandt as well as his lighting, half of her environment from Mad Max Films, and the other half from British TV series set in 19th Century London.

Collect Cool Stuff. When I set out to create a piece, I never just stare at a blank notebook page. There may be artists who can do this, but I have not met one. Nothing curbs creativity more than staring at emptiness. Ideas have to come from somewhere. Allow them to. Help them.

The best way to encourage ideas to billow forth is to have a collection of things you like. There is no reason to justify why you like them. As you grow as an artist, you may like to explore this question. But to get started, just collect things you like. I used Pinterest to make a few boards. Portraits, clothing, technology , Steam Punk and more are the subjects of my collections. It’s a lot of fun going around and gathering bits and pieces of interesting things that intrigue you.

Be A Problem Solver. Many artists become frustrated when their ideas do not emerge easily. I learned early on that every step along to way is a series of problems to be solved. Something not quite have the look you want? Try not to become exasperated. Instead, troubleshoot. Start with what is working for you. Then, go back to your collections of things you like and see if you can pinpoint a difference between those things and your work in progress.

Try fiddling with colors, composition etc. Sometimes, the model image you are using is great by itself, but not the best for a particular composition. Don’t be afraid to toss out major elements and start over.

Are you a Steam Punk fan? It is one of those things where you are really into it, or nah. I like the ideas and the visions I get when I look at artwork in this genre. I was inspired by steam punk in general, but also by elaborate indoor garden space.

Enjoy. What do you think of the iguana that has "escaped"?