Derby #92 CyberPub- Atomic Punk

I am a victim of the science age
A child of the storm. Whoa, yes
Van Halen / ATOMIC PUNK:

I can’t remember when I was your age
For me! It says no more, no more
Nobody rules these streets at night but me
The Atomic Punk
Oh, yeah. Ah-ah!

I am the ruler of these netherworlds
The underground. Whoa, yes
On every wall and place my fearsome name is hung
Just look around. Whoa, yes

Nobody rules these streets at night but me
The Atomic Punk!
Ahhah!

Theme: Steampunk

Bolt on your finest iron top hat, strap yourself into your personal gyrocopter, and soar clanking and hissing into the steampunk yesteryear. The Victorian sci-fi aesthetic has proven to be a fertile and enduring source of inspiration for subculture weirdos everywhere. But if you have no idea what we’re talking about, start with the Steampunk article on good old Wikipedia, especially the technology section. Show us what a 21st-century mind can do with 19th-century machines.

Incidental text is OK, with an emphasis on incidental. Numbers on a dial or directions on a lever are probably OK. But if the concept of your design is dependent on text, we will reject it. This has always been the rule; we’re going to be stricter about enforcing it.

0MG! 0MG! I got it!

I did a mechanical bird once, and liked it so much it’s the back page of my Ph.D. thesis. If I can put that into illustrator, and replace the gradient fills with hatching, I just may have something worthy of the derby… hold on while I take a pic of it and put it in the computer…

http://shirt.amakihi.org/graphics/mechan001.jpg

This is going to be an expensive derby. Good thing I can’t draw :wink:

Could be. I think this is a great opportunity for those detail-oriented folks to wow us. I have a long series of what I call “Mechanart” that is not exactly Steampunk, but close. Animals composed of chrome and metallic parts… like my Roboraptor from the Line art derby.

This is what I’ve done so far… still much more work to be done… thoughts?

That is excellent, sir. Back page of your Ph.D. thesis… crazy.

Also, I keep on forgetting that all you guys are like doctors and stuff. Scary.

I posted in the other thread, but thought I might as well post here, too. Here is where I’m at for this derby. I’m by far no steampunk artist. It is just a fun challenge to see what I can do.

college boys. hmph.

Oh wow… this has SERIOUS potential… You’d challenge Draxxx! :slight_smile: You need some steam though.

I like it. I’d curve the front legs the other way though, if you can do that to the individual elements. IE, they kinda look like the legs go out, then down, when most cats they go down first then out.

But it is a neat concept… Need to add some gears too.

I had a couple people question that, but I said that it fit (it was a thesis on the physiology of birdsong) and it kinda put my artistic side in the science.

A lot of us here aren’t artists as our first profession, yes. In my case, that might be a good thing :wink: I am the first person in my family ever to get past a Bachelor’s degree (and my dad was the first ever to go to college). Most people I work with are from academic families though.

Oh no, that’s very kind of you but I’m no where near Draxxx! There will definitely be steam, just haven’t gotten that far yet. I had to break tonight for a softball game but I’m getting back to it now.

Thankfully our softball doesn’t start for another week…

Ouchies. I’ve been working on my design for the last two hours, and I’ve been using the pen tool for most of it. So much my hand’s cramping up…

Oh thanks skektek… just saw your reply, somehow forgot to check back here. I’m confused though… could you explain more what you mean with the legs? I drew them the way I’ve observed my cat’s legs, but maybe they’re not coming across the right way.

Also… do you think it has to have gears?
And if so, any idea where to put them?

Here’s my continuation… any and all suggestions/feedback/color preferences appreciated, thanks!
navy or royal?

I like the navy. The other comments were more nitpicks. I tend to do that when the design is overall pretty set. I don’t think it has to have gears or changes in the legs. If I had to pick a particular area, I’d put them on the ears, but I think it’s fine as is.

Okay, here’s my design as it is now. I still need to do a bunch of work, and decide what color scheme I want on the bird (thinking cardinal-like reds to contrast the brass parts like the whistle). And add some additional light shadings on the tops of the parts. Also the clouds are pretty cartoony compared to the rest of the design, which needs to be made more consistent. But what do people think?

http://shirt.amakihi.org/graphics/Mechabird.jpg

Thanks. Ok phew on the gears, because I didn’t plan for them.
I want to change the legs if they look off though… I’m just not sure what you mean. So please feel free to explain what you meant, thanks!

I guess the thing that makes the forelegs look weird is that it looks like the legs emerge from the neck, not lower down. Therefore, the angles around the sides are accentuated. Perhaps either make the neck collar area go in front of the foreleg tops (so they disappear up into the neck collar), or change the curve of the forelegs so it is in the same curve as the neck plate would do it. I dunno. My advice is to think about it, and if it’s worth doing then try it. IF you are happy, leave it be. I believe the designer has the best eye when it comes to design details (and I have no cats handy ^_^)

Skek - Ok I think I know what you mean… maybe;) Perhaps the legs start a little too high? Is that the jist? I think I can agree with that, if that’s what you mean?

Also…your cat gear idea was good…I decided to try it what do you think?


Regarding your design - so far I think it looks great! I especially like the inside stomach area, all those detailed parts. You already addressed most of the other things I would have pointed out (cartoony clouds, etc)

Ditto on the hand cramping! I love the bird, but the steam definitely doesn’t fit with it. Maybe more “delicate” steam bursts and wisps?

Yeah, that’s a good idea. Also, I need to add some sort of background grunge or halftone or splatter or shadow to make it look less like a bird on a shirt and more like an integrated concept.

…also a perch would be nice, but I love the feet. OR make the feet flat as if the bird is standing instead of perching…