Steampunk character creation.

Definition of steam punk: A genre of science fiction that typically features steam powered machinery rather than advanced technology 

Where did it come from 
Although many works now considered contribution to the genre were published in the late 1960 and 1970, the term steam punk originated in the late 1980s as a variation of the genre cyberpunk   
steam punk is science fiction from an Edwardian or Victorian  point of view what a Victorian person with the current technology would generate as futuristic technological  development.
an example of steam punk literature is h.g wells the time machine .

Different variations of steam punk

American western a variation of Victorian styled steam punk mixed with the theme of the American wild west.

Victorian a style of steam punk set i the 1800 industrial revolution Victorian Britain this is typically the most well known type of steam punk 

Fantasy and horror usually set like a Sherlock Holmes jack the ripper type horror. also can introduce supernatural elements. stream punk is a very diverse science fiction genre because it can cover a huge range of aspect much like science fiction it self i should research these aspects to find type of steam punk that that not as comely know such as apocalyptic steam punk or alternate steam punk 

Some examples of steam punk designs for characters  





an example of an Victorian styled outfit combined with steampunk elements from the prosthetic arm
i am looking at this example because it shows interesting composition of the angle the photo was taken an the use of warm colour between the metal of the arm and the blues of the clothing.





Another example of steampunk is metal in this specific case  armour I think that this is not suitable reference point for a steampunk design because the face is obscured that overall the idea of taking a item of clothing that already exists and giving it a steampunk theme.

most of the metal used in the steampunk genre are brass,copper and iron these elements can be incorporated into the concept piece in the form of attire such as the metal on a artificial limb or a piece of augmentation like scouters.
It is therefore important to have practise with the tone and texture of metal if we are going to place it into our final concept. 

An example of a aviation styled steampunk which is more relevant to look at because of the context of the project that we have to create a steampunk concept character that is a pilot for a steampunk airship. this picture also tells me about steampunk it tells me that steampunk do not always have to be prosthetic limbs and scouters in order to be a successful representation of steampunk.


I have begun practising the different proportions and human shapes to find one suitable for my character a average proportion of a human being is 8 heads that's 8 times the size of an human head i the average size of an adult here are some of my early work i am currently working on.

This are pictures of me practising and developing my skill in body shaping trying different poses and stances as well as facial expressions thee are key skills when creating my concept.

also i am trying different genders and ages to see where there are variations.

I think that i can improve on the various proportions of the human form such as the hips and legs i should work on these so i can improve.

This is a picture is from  my scrapbooks showing me trying humans with limbs that are missing and replaces with steam punk styled limps such as stream powered arms.

Here is a mind map i have created taken different types of leather to see which one would best git any leather parts of m character. 

I am now creating different styles of clothing seeing what people wore at the time of the Victorian and Edwardian periods comparing materials and colour and textures after researching i should start taking colour pallets from these clothes when I begin replicating and practising then. 

Here are some examples of pallets of colours i have researched by taking mid range colours from different cloth pieces that are period accurate to steam-punk 

the top left picture also show me taking those colour palettes and applying them to various forms to create 3d effects i am very satisfied from this aspect of my research.

Here is an example from my work of a mood board i have created taking different shades of colour to see different modes that created emotion.

different shades of colour can invoke different kinds of emotion such as red dark colour can have a warming felling while a light yellow can give of a more uplifting aura.

I have now begun creating some concepts for my character I have taken key aspects from the human form and applied then to various faces and body here are some examples taken from my scrapbook  

Here are various shapes and sizes and heads as well as poses these two pictures are what i want my character to look like young male with long hair the outfit will also be similar a waist coat blue or grey coloured with rolled up sleeves I should take different types of blue and grey to find the best shade and contrast or my character.

Here are some pictures of applying colour to part of a body to replicate the colour of human skin the colour was taken from a skin colour pallet. 

coming close to producing my final concept i am creating thumbnails these are small renditions of my concept to check composition which what angle the character is shot at the height of the camera the position of the eyes and face the angles of the limbs here are some example that i have created.

Composition is a key point to considering when creating our final concept piece where everything is positioned why at what angle is the head and where the eyes are looking all of these point are relevant to this project we also need to combine different elements such as shape colour depth texture  in order to ford a successful concept piece. 

I have decided for a upper body shot that contains the head torso and arms and angle is a bit off to the right.i have decided on this composition because of example of Victorian portraits from  that time period that shows something i want to create.

i am now ready to create my final concept on Photoshop.

here are my results.

 

my evaluation of my final concept is that I planned out my model with enough detail that was needed the clothing was planning and colours taken from my pallets to give it as much realism as possible I have blended the colour of the skin to create definition then the shadows are on the face arms and clothing well I have also used colour theory with the opposing colours of the skin colour and the blue clothes with a combination of the warm colours of the fire in the furnace and I am satisfied with the correct proportions of the arms shoulders neck and head however I think that with practise I can make ever more realistic concept pieces I am also used composition rules such as having a light source so it creates a more realistic look and using simple yet effective background pieces to draw the eye of the onlooker with the red of the shirt down the body then towards the light colours of the fire in the furnace back towards the head ending up at the table I also am insure about the position of the eyes I think they are too high on the face they should be in the middle of the face rather on the upper half it am pleased with the outcome of my final concept work. I have also composed the object in the room in the shape of a triangle to get the onlooker to take in the various aspects of the concept piece such as the warm colour of the fire the cool colour of the book on the table.

In terms of is this a concept piece that is steampunk I think I have successfully portrayed the genre I have included attire relevant to the time frame of steampunk I have included common features of steampunk such as welders goggles and   pieces of popular items common to the victorian or edwardian time for example facial hair.