The “Hot Rod” Airship
16 Nov
A steampunk airship can take on many personalities and styles. I say this because steampunk itself embraces many sub-genres and styles and is very often blatantly anachronistic. The steampunk airships I have built have ranged in style from more classic Victorian to Grunge, and from Angry Warship to cannon-lined Pirate ship.
This airship that I built this past summer had yet a different look. I was inspired by a child’s toy to do an airship that was reminiscent of a 1950’s hot rod.
“Hot rod” Airship
The airship fins have a flame pattern and the gondola has a “boat/car” look with that 50’s feel. It must have been as desirable as I thought it was when I built it, because it sold in less than a week at The Artisan’s Bench in Brighton, where I have many of my works for sale.
Hot rod airship flame fins
Hot rod airship gondola
I currently have an airship in process that has a horn-shaped gondola suspended by a single pillar. I’m not sure what style I’d call THAT one, but it illustrates the variety possible within the basic shapes I often use. Other varieties possible include variations in the shape of the airship envelope itself, which I may do sometime soon. Funny thing is, the favorite seems to be the classic Victorian arrangement, with a ship-shaped gondola suspended with netting.
That’s OK…it’s a cool look…
I’d be happy to hear what ideas you have for airship configurations. Please comment with your ideas, and be sure to like my Facebook page!
Stephan J. Smith is the artist and sculptor at Artsmith Craftworks in Swartz Creek, MI. Using recycled and re-purposed materials, Stephan builds a myriad of sculpted wonders, including fantastic and whimsical steampunk airships that have amazed and delighted fans for years. A passion for reusing and up-cycling found items into beautiful and amazing art is what drives Stephan to make art that both teaches and inspires. Stephan also does commissioned work and is available to do talks and classes on re-purposing/up-cycling and may be reached at ArtSmithCraft@yahoo.com or at 810-516-7381.