I was in Steampunk withdrawal, so this composite came about while I was looking through various images. I started with the blimp (Original 1), but I thought it was much too sleek looking, so I isolated it and then squished it width-wise to make it chunkier and more rotund. Then I placed a photo of a riveted metal wall over it at 100% opacity in Multiply blending mode. The sky was then added behind it (Original 2). Compass roses and travel themes are common in Steampunk art, so I took a photo of one in an old book and added it over the sky at 51% opacity in Overlay mode. Then it was a matter of adding the bits and pieces to the airship. The propeller and wings are from a toy airplane, the gears and spring (behind the blimp) are clock parts. The brown "tail" of the blimp is the decorative bottom of a wood barometer. A couple of pressure gauges, refrigerator coils, a hot air balloon basket, and an old flashlight were added, and then a Steampunk gentleman and lady were provided to steer the airship (Original 3). I was satisfied with the composition at this point, but the various photos didn't look consistent with each other. I flattened the image and applied a Poster Edges filter in PS to give the feel of an ink or pencil drawing to everything. Next I took it into On1 for Vintage, Glow, and Vignette filters. Lastly, back in PS I duplicated the layer and applied an Oil Paint filter at 73% opacity in order to make all the elements have the same "look." Ahhh, I feel better now; my withdrawal symptoms have subsided.
This round’s discussion is now closed! 10 comments posted
Helen Sweet
Jan, I love this! This month you are certainly the most imaginative and creative among us. The original concept and the execution with all the found bits and pieces: charming and whimsical. Then the filters to tie it all together. And each month you challenge yourself with something entirely different. Wonderful!
Posted: 05/01/2019 01:04:19
Jan Handman
Very kind words Helen; thanks so much. Posted: 05/01/2019 20:54:22
Steve Estill
What a breath of fresh air (or hydrogen). You've lifted my spirits higher than an airship!
I can only echo Helen's comments. It's well composed and well processed, with that touch of the eccentric - superb!
As an aside - I saw one of the original airships at Cardington airfield in Bedfordshire while I was on a refrigeration course which was run in the old workshops in the late 1980's. They were still flying them then and produced hydrogen on site.
Thanks for another amazing image.
Posted: 05/03/2019 16:29:05
Jan Handman
Thanks Steve. Very cool that you got up close and personal with one of the original airships. They carry a certain nostalgia by their very nature. Did your refrigeration course have something to do with the fact that they were producing hydrogen on site, or just a coincidence? Posted: 05/04/2019 09:33:53
Steve Estill
Just a coincidence - the course was about commercial refrigeration plants (like the ones we were using offshore for meat rooms and freezer rooms)
The airships were quite amazing and so BIG. Posted: 05/04/2019 12:12:45
Candy Childrey
Jan, what a fun image you have created. Reshaping the blimp and using all the textures gives the whimsical look that was needed to put it all together. All the parts on the airship give it such a nice antique feel. Wonderful image and excellent work. Posted: 05/12/2019 21:49:01
Alan Kaplan
(Group 54)
Your Steampunk images all seem to have a delightful soft color that merges the boundary of whimsy and serious art. One of Picasso's frequently quoted definitions of art is captured in your Steampunk composites: "I was born knowing how to paint like Raphael, but I've spent my whole life trying to paint like a child." Your Steampunk composites see the world with the spontaneity of a child and conceal the tremendous effort that goes into making it look easy. Posted: 05/13/2019 19:18:10
Georgianne Giese
(Group 77)
You have caused me to fall in love with Steampunk, even more than my casual appreciation of it before seeing your images. This image is amazing and my favorite this month. Your composition, texture and coloring in this image are inspirational. Please keep up your work in this venue, at least part of the time! Posted: 05/19/2019 07:00:05
Jan Handman
Thanks Georgianne. Steampunk is such a fun and flexible genre and I'm glad to have a fellow convert! Posted: 05/27/2019 23:47:07
I only have positive comments about this image, I love everything about it, especially the tones, well done. Posted: 05/31/2019 03:54:13
