Here is a reorganized list of my recent Steamcon 2009 trip, October 23-25, 2009:
Steamcon 2009 - Prelude
Steamcon 2009 - Day 1
Steamcon 2009 - Day 2
Steamcon 2009 - Day 3
Photo and vendor links:
Monday, November 09, 2009
Friday, November 06, 2009
Steamcon 2009 - PART 3
The last day of Steamcon. I was a twinge sad donning my costume for the final time, also taking a little while to start packing as I looked over the panels I wanted to check out. I also wanted to go around and say good bye to people I met throughout the weekend and check out the rumor of advanced registration for Steamcon 2010!
The panel pictures included below are used from onewe [X] mb's Flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/onewe/
Sunday
10-11 a.m.
The Victorian Mind
Suzanne Jachim, Moderator
Tim Powers
Panel photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/onewe/4045803526/
This panel was rather informative and somber, at least in the way of how Tim and Suzanne described the Victorian world, its people, and how the Victorian mind had a notion of the universe. Tim, as was my experience Friday, is a gifted speaker who loves to think "what ifs" when delving into the fictional and real worlds of Victorian England. I respect the fact he does his homework first (which was part of the point of this panel) and then Tim really gets inside of the issues, the people, and the period events to come away with thoughtful alternative scenarios of what could have been...or a better understanding of a certain event. Great writers are like that I hear.
This was a first time listening to Suzanne Jachim, also a great speaker who loves history. Below are some of their comments and thoughts on the Victorian mind.
Some notable statements:
For a better understanding of the period, Suzanne and Tim both shared two good reading sources:
Two philosophies raged during this time: Darwin and Malthus
Tim Powers mentioned something near the end that stuck with me. After all the facts shared, Tim said something to the effect, "...People at the time thought they were doing the right thing, so do not be too quick to say this or that was wrong, given our modern perspectives. When you add it all together, some of their morals and ideals far outweigh what we now hold as moral-- although we would view ourselves as more civilized. Likewise, yes, many of the things allowed at the time were horrid (child labor, women as property, lack of proper sanitation practice in the early Victorian era, etc) according to our modern advancements. But all in all, the moral compass and innovations of each period pretty much balance each other out when you look at them side by side. All these things need to be understood if you want to write about, create, and truly depict the Victorian world.
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
The Spark of Invention
Phil Foglio, Moderator
Paul Guinan
Cherie Priest
Panel photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/onewe/4045803528/
I've always been fascinated with the dynamics--from events, to a person, to possible outside inspirations--of how creative ideas sort of coalesce in a person's mind and then how those creative ideas make their way to some media for others to experience. From personal experience as a musician, artist, writer, and even my extreme geek side (working in RF communications and computers), I respect the creative process that begins....when?
For this panel, Cherie, Paul, and Phil shared their experiences and thoughts on the Spark of Invention by citing recent accomplishments that had come out.
Cherie is a transplant to Seattle from Texas. Since she loves history, Cherie shared she had one time come up to see some friends and they took her to see Seattle's Underground tour. She went again and again, and finally fell in love with the city, its communities, and its people. She shared that many of her observations and research coming to Seattle, in addition to the subsequent (and very enjoyable) excursions back into Seattle's Underground and reading of its fascinating history gave her much of the inspiration for the recent Boneshaker book released in September, an alternative history/steampunk styled story.
Paul Guinan also is a big history buff. However he enjoys focusing on actual events. Some time ago, beyond his art work, he wanted to do a straight adventure (history) story and Paul realized "I needed a 'hook.'" At the time, Paul thought a good example would be similar to The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles - fictional characters integrated slightly into history, but those fictional characters do not change history. Paul then went briefly into how this creative approach--looking toward true historical periods and inserting a fictional character--helped him develop Boilerplate, which began as a graphic novel, then a website (2000), and finally a book, released this year.
For both Cherie and Paul, I made a note that it appears part of their initial creative process is to: 1) Observe, 2) Research, and 3) Reverse Engineer--a city, circumstances, or time period-- to help give context to their altered world.
Phil Foglio shared some insights to the recent Girl Genius projects (webisode graphic novels and radio theater).
Phil and Kaja sat down some time ago, listing out some preferences for a new project: Something with a strong female protagonist and it had to be funny. Phil--being more the drawing artistic force of the family--started off with some drawings, to which Kaja went through selecting certain ones to help refine the cast of characters they might try to explore. Phil and Kaja then took about seven years to write the stories.
Phil shared something really important about story telling: "If you want people to suspend their sense of belief, you need to first gain their respect/acceptance with your premise (most often based on facts or acceptance/notions)."
After some Q&A, I was able to get in a question that I wondered about for myself:
Question - (paraphrased) Each of you have shared your experiences how you create, write, and get the ball rolling with your work. Is there ever a time when the ideas are not clicking, you feel the creative well has run dry, and possibly you seek out trusted friends to discuss your work? What kind of social circles might you have to discuss your work?
Answers -
Phil answered that he often talks with his wife, since they collaborate on so many projects.
Paul also mentioned working collaboratively with his wife--who also helped in the production of Boilerplate. Paul shared how he would think something is great, but then submit it to his wife and she would make suggestions...that ended up improving the piece.
Cherie also mentions her husband...bouncing off ideas.
With that panel over, I made some final purchases, ate lunch and then headed to the airport for an afternoon departure. --But before I headed to the airport, I pre-registered for Steamcon 2010!!!
Epilogue
These posts attempt to capture a very small part of what I experienced during Steamcon 2009, mostly with the information I gleaned from the panels and some hastily jotted memories of meeting some very friendly people. To "Miss," Jen, Ken, Justin, Jake, Dave, Jeff and his two friends, Terri and Stanley, Sarah, and many other goggled and steam-head fans, thank you.
And as with a good story--something I had not shared earlier--this vacation comes full circle. On the flight coming up to Seattle, I sat beside a couple who were coming up in celebration of their daughter and son-in-law's one year wedding anniversary. I sat beside Oran, the father. We talked about everything making the trip breeze by in what seemed like a short amount of time. I was able to talk about Steamcon, part way as a trip/vacation, but also to do further research on my own steampunk-esque story coming out soon. Oran talked about his work. As we arrived in Seattle, we discovered we'd all be taking the same flight back to Sacramento on Sunday. I joked, "Well I'm going to ask you how the vacation went, then, if we see each other Sunday!" We both laughed.
Turns out we did see each other Sunday on the same flight, although we sat in separate areas. (I did ask how their vacation went and Oran said they all had a great time...and plenty of fresh seafood!) As a touching ending though, when we had arrived in Sacramento, I had departed the gate area and Oran was standing there smiling. We shook hands and hoped possibly we'd see each other for their daughter/son-in-law's second wedding anniversary NEXT year on the same date. I hope so.
Note: While putting these posts together, I discovered some great photos over on the Flickr photo site, tagged, Steamcon 2009 : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/steamcon2009/
Enjoy!
By the way, if you have any questions or interest about steampunk, feel free to comment or contact me.
 |
| From Steamcon 2009 |
The last day of Steamcon. I was a twinge sad donning my costume for the final time, also taking a little while to start packing as I looked over the panels I wanted to check out. I also wanted to go around and say good bye to people I met throughout the weekend and check out the rumor of advanced registration for Steamcon 2010!
The panel pictures included below are used from onewe [X] mb's Flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/onewe/
Sunday
10-11 a.m.
The Victorian Mind
Suzanne Jachim, Moderator
Tim Powers
Panel photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/onewe/4045803526/
This panel was rather informative and somber, at least in the way of how Tim and Suzanne described the Victorian world, its people, and how the Victorian mind had a notion of the universe. Tim, as was my experience Friday, is a gifted speaker who loves to think "what ifs" when delving into the fictional and real worlds of Victorian England. I respect the fact he does his homework first (which was part of the point of this panel) and then Tim really gets inside of the issues, the people, and the period events to come away with thoughtful alternative scenarios of what could have been...or a better understanding of a certain event. Great writers are like that I hear.
This was a first time listening to Suzanne Jachim, also a great speaker who loves history. Below are some of their comments and thoughts on the Victorian mind.
Some notable statements:
- London was the center of the Victorian world.
- Victorian ideals were the ultra extreme of the British society.
- Dore' Illustrations were cited as depicting much of the mood from that time period.
- "Everything is about how you present yourself."
- Britain is still a very stratified society. (Also, you do not go around challenging the status quo.) Example...
For a better understanding of the period, Suzanne and Tim both shared two good reading sources:
- Jack London "People of the Abyss" (1903)
- Upton Sinclare's "The Jungle" (1906) ...about London's East end.
Two philosophies raged during this time: Darwin and Malthus
Tim Powers mentioned something near the end that stuck with me. After all the facts shared, Tim said something to the effect, "...People at the time thought they were doing the right thing, so do not be too quick to say this or that was wrong, given our modern perspectives. When you add it all together, some of their morals and ideals far outweigh what we now hold as moral-- although we would view ourselves as more civilized. Likewise, yes, many of the things allowed at the time were horrid (child labor, women as property, lack of proper sanitation practice in the early Victorian era, etc) according to our modern advancements. But all in all, the moral compass and innovations of each period pretty much balance each other out when you look at them side by side. All these things need to be understood if you want to write about, create, and truly depict the Victorian world.
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
The Spark of Invention
Phil Foglio, Moderator
Paul Guinan
Cherie Priest
Panel photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/onewe/4045803528/
I've always been fascinated with the dynamics--from events, to a person, to possible outside inspirations--of how creative ideas sort of coalesce in a person's mind and then how those creative ideas make their way to some media for others to experience. From personal experience as a musician, artist, writer, and even my extreme geek side (working in RF communications and computers), I respect the creative process that begins....when?
For this panel, Cherie, Paul, and Phil shared their experiences and thoughts on the Spark of Invention by citing recent accomplishments that had come out.
Cherie is a transplant to Seattle from Texas. Since she loves history, Cherie shared she had one time come up to see some friends and they took her to see Seattle's Underground tour. She went again and again, and finally fell in love with the city, its communities, and its people. She shared that many of her observations and research coming to Seattle, in addition to the subsequent (and very enjoyable) excursions back into Seattle's Underground and reading of its fascinating history gave her much of the inspiration for the recent Boneshaker book released in September, an alternative history/steampunk styled story.
Paul Guinan also is a big history buff. However he enjoys focusing on actual events. Some time ago, beyond his art work, he wanted to do a straight adventure (history) story and Paul realized "I needed a 'hook.'" At the time, Paul thought a good example would be similar to The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles - fictional characters integrated slightly into history, but those fictional characters do not change history. Paul then went briefly into how this creative approach--looking toward true historical periods and inserting a fictional character--helped him develop Boilerplate, which began as a graphic novel, then a website (2000), and finally a book, released this year.
For both Cherie and Paul, I made a note that it appears part of their initial creative process is to: 1) Observe, 2) Research, and 3) Reverse Engineer--a city, circumstances, or time period-- to help give context to their altered world.
Phil Foglio shared some insights to the recent Girl Genius projects (webisode graphic novels and radio theater).
Phil and Kaja sat down some time ago, listing out some preferences for a new project: Something with a strong female protagonist and it had to be funny. Phil--being more the drawing artistic force of the family--started off with some drawings, to which Kaja went through selecting certain ones to help refine the cast of characters they might try to explore. Phil and Kaja then took about seven years to write the stories.
Phil shared something really important about story telling: "If you want people to suspend their sense of belief, you need to first gain their respect/acceptance with your premise (most often based on facts or acceptance/notions)."
After some Q&A, I was able to get in a question that I wondered about for myself:
Question - (paraphrased) Each of you have shared your experiences how you create, write, and get the ball rolling with your work. Is there ever a time when the ideas are not clicking, you feel the creative well has run dry, and possibly you seek out trusted friends to discuss your work? What kind of social circles might you have to discuss your work?
Answers -
Phil answered that he often talks with his wife, since they collaborate on so many projects.
Paul also mentioned working collaboratively with his wife--who also helped in the production of Boilerplate. Paul shared how he would think something is great, but then submit it to his wife and she would make suggestions...that ended up improving the piece.
Cherie also mentions her husband...bouncing off ideas.
With that panel over, I made some final purchases, ate lunch and then headed to the airport for an afternoon departure. --But before I headed to the airport, I pre-registered for Steamcon 2010!!!
Epilogue
These posts attempt to capture a very small part of what I experienced during Steamcon 2009, mostly with the information I gleaned from the panels and some hastily jotted memories of meeting some very friendly people. To "Miss," Jen, Ken, Justin, Jake, Dave, Jeff and his two friends, Terri and Stanley, Sarah, and many other goggled and steam-head fans, thank you.
And as with a good story--something I had not shared earlier--this vacation comes full circle. On the flight coming up to Seattle, I sat beside a couple who were coming up in celebration of their daughter and son-in-law's one year wedding anniversary. I sat beside Oran, the father. We talked about everything making the trip breeze by in what seemed like a short amount of time. I was able to talk about Steamcon, part way as a trip/vacation, but also to do further research on my own steampunk-esque story coming out soon. Oran talked about his work. As we arrived in Seattle, we discovered we'd all be taking the same flight back to Sacramento on Sunday. I joked, "Well I'm going to ask you how the vacation went, then, if we see each other Sunday!" We both laughed.
Turns out we did see each other Sunday on the same flight, although we sat in separate areas. (I did ask how their vacation went and Oran said they all had a great time...and plenty of fresh seafood!) As a touching ending though, when we had arrived in Sacramento, I had departed the gate area and Oran was standing there smiling. We shook hands and hoped possibly we'd see each other for their daughter/son-in-law's second wedding anniversary NEXT year on the same date. I hope so.
Note: While putting these posts together, I discovered some great photos over on the Flickr photo site, tagged, Steamcon 2009 : http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/steamcon2009/
Enjoy!
By the way, if you have any questions or interest about steampunk, feel free to comment or contact me.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Steamcon 2009 - PART 2
Woke up, grabbed some breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and then headed to Saturday's first panel...
Saturday
9-10 a.m.
Gentle Art of Modding
Anthony Jon Hicks, (artist) Moderator
Jake Von Slatt
Anthony and Jake traded a mixed slide presentation of their work. A lot of Anthony's examples included modified candle stick holders, merged with incense holders, and ringed metal bearing sets (called a runner) to make stylish weapons.
Jake shared some details into a modded Strat guitar, going through the copper plating process he used. He also displayed a tricked out tube guitar amp, a project for violinist Nathaniel Johnstone of Abney Park. (Nathan was in attendance to listen in on the panel...I think to also make sure the amp got safely back to the band's equipment stash, probably under lock and key on some high atmospheric zeppelin station set to make their Air Invasion on Seattle that evening!)
Jake also went into some topics surrounding:
- Use of copper sulfate solution
- Green art, Electro chemical tools
- Etching
- Using Boing Boing to distribute information and pictures
- And some supply/sources , mentioning Sequential Glass, Crylon Paint (color Crystal Clear) for aging, Tomiya models/paints, E6000 Adhesive, and Homer Formby's products.
10-11 a.m.
Girl Genius Radio Theatre (on the web at girlgeniusonline.com)
with Phil and Kaja Foglio, Cheyenne Wright, and five audience volunteer cast members
Cast
(also see their web page of full cast members, here)
Girl Volunteer #1 - Zola "Heterodyne"
Kaja Foglio - Agatha Heterodyne, "SCIENCE!"
Cheyenne Wright - Othar Tryggvassen, "Gentleman Adventurer!"
Girl Volunteer #2 - ...can't recall her name I was laughing so much.
Girl Volunteer #3 - Vocal special effects person. Gotta have FX!
Guy Volunteer #1 - Krosp I--Emperor of all Cats
Guy Volunteer #2 (Dave from Ontario) - Narrator
Phil Foglio - Various and sundry monster rabbits and killer robots "Bizzzzt" (Robot sound)
This panel session was probably the most fun portion of the Con, due to its lively format--the audience participating and listening in to a simulated radio broadcast series of skits--complete with eight voice actors and special effects.
At the beginning of the panel, Phil, Kaja, and Cheyenne worked with the packed room audience to employee a handful of voice voluteers to come up front and participate in the Girl Genius Radio Theatre. Reading scripts were provided. A Narrator was initially chosen from our audience and the guy was absolutely fantastic. (Later that evening I had a chance to chat for a few minutes with the person, Dave, and he explained he did a lot of radio in college, up in Ontario, Canada.)
During the panel session, the radio troupe performed two full episodes from the series. The thing I found hilarious was every time Agatha Heterodyne (voiced by Kaja Foglio) was mentioned by name, Kaja would passionately ball her fist and evoke the word, "SCIENCE!" And whenever Othar Tryggvassen's (voiced by Cheyenne Wright) name was stated, the whole audience would voice out, "Gentleman Adventurer!"
Episodes performed:
1. *Some episode that (to me) introduced the characters, me not being familiar with the story at all!
2. Revenge of the Weasel Queen
I highly recommend taking some time to go check out GirlGeniusOnline.com. You can listen to recorded podcasts (audio recordings) of these shows by going to the Radio Theatre link, here.
After recovering from so much laughing, I grabbed some lunch and spent the afternoon browsing the vendor and art display areas, finally settling on some items to buy for some friends.
A few vendors I bought some items from:
Velvet Garden (see their necklaces)
Studio Foglio
Sarah Dungan
- - - As the sun went down - - -
Later on, after a short nap and dinner, I headed over (about 8 PM) to the lo-o-o-o-ng line awaiting the doors to open for the Airship Invasion concert, featuring Unwoman, Vernian Process, and Abney Park. Directly behind me, I struck up what turned out to be an all evening long chat/conversation with three folks from the Washington and Idaho states. (You must understand when people can get together and talk about Dungeons & Dragons, Society for Creative Anachronisms, period costume designs, and sling out Monty Python/Star Trek/Blade Runner/ and other notable cult classic quotes, you get a sense you are part of the world-wide tribe of the profound.)
A clip from the concert, from Capt. Robert's blog pointed to Youtube. "The Wrong Side"
Two of my favorite songs Abney Park performed are: Airship Pirate and Stigmata Martyr. (links go to Youtube.)
Called it a day around 1 a.m. (Sunday)
Woke up, grabbed some breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and then headed to Saturday's first panel...
Saturday
9-10 a.m.
Gentle Art of Modding
Anthony Jon Hicks, (artist) Moderator
Jake Von Slatt
Anthony and Jake traded a mixed slide presentation of their work. A lot of Anthony's examples included modified candle stick holders, merged with incense holders, and ringed metal bearing sets (called a runner) to make stylish weapons.
Jake shared some details into a modded Strat guitar, going through the copper plating process he used. He also displayed a tricked out tube guitar amp, a project for violinist Nathaniel Johnstone of Abney Park. (Nathan was in attendance to listen in on the panel...I think to also make sure the amp got safely back to the band's equipment stash, probably under lock and key on some high atmospheric zeppelin station set to make their Air Invasion on Seattle that evening!)
Jake also went into some topics surrounding:
- Use of copper sulfate solution
- Green art, Electro chemical tools
- Etching
- Using Boing Boing to distribute information and pictures
- And some supply/sources , mentioning Sequential Glass, Crylon Paint (color Crystal Clear) for aging, Tomiya models/paints, E6000 Adhesive, and Homer Formby's products.
10-11 a.m.
Girl Genius Radio Theatre (on the web at girlgeniusonline.com)
with Phil and Kaja Foglio, Cheyenne Wright, and five audience volunteer cast members
Cast
(also see their web page of full cast members, here)
Girl Volunteer #1 - Zola "Heterodyne"
Kaja Foglio - Agatha Heterodyne, "SCIENCE!"
Cheyenne Wright - Othar Tryggvassen, "Gentleman Adventurer!"
Girl Volunteer #2 - ...can't recall her name I was laughing so much.
Girl Volunteer #3 - Vocal special effects person. Gotta have FX!
Guy Volunteer #1 - Krosp I--Emperor of all Cats
Guy Volunteer #2 (Dave from Ontario) - Narrator
Phil Foglio - Various and sundry monster rabbits and killer robots "Bizzzzt" (Robot sound)
This panel session was probably the most fun portion of the Con, due to its lively format--the audience participating and listening in to a simulated radio broadcast series of skits--complete with eight voice actors and special effects.
At the beginning of the panel, Phil, Kaja, and Cheyenne worked with the packed room audience to employee a handful of voice voluteers to come up front and participate in the Girl Genius Radio Theatre. Reading scripts were provided. A Narrator was initially chosen from our audience and the guy was absolutely fantastic. (Later that evening I had a chance to chat for a few minutes with the person, Dave, and he explained he did a lot of radio in college, up in Ontario, Canada.)
During the panel session, the radio troupe performed two full episodes from the series. The thing I found hilarious was every time Agatha Heterodyne (voiced by Kaja Foglio) was mentioned by name, Kaja would passionately ball her fist and evoke the word, "SCIENCE!" And whenever Othar Tryggvassen's (voiced by Cheyenne Wright) name was stated, the whole audience would voice out, "Gentleman Adventurer!"
Episodes performed:
1. *Some episode that (to me) introduced the characters, me not being familiar with the story at all!
2. Revenge of the Weasel Queen
I highly recommend taking some time to go check out GirlGeniusOnline.com. You can listen to recorded podcasts (audio recordings) of these shows by going to the Radio Theatre link, here.
After recovering from so much laughing, I grabbed some lunch and spent the afternoon browsing the vendor and art display areas, finally settling on some items to buy for some friends.
A few vendors I bought some items from:
Velvet Garden (see their necklaces)
Studio Foglio
Sarah Dungan
- - - As the sun went down - - -
Later on, after a short nap and dinner, I headed over (about 8 PM) to the lo-o-o-o-ng line awaiting the doors to open for the Airship Invasion concert, featuring Unwoman, Vernian Process, and Abney Park. Directly behind me, I struck up what turned out to be an all evening long chat/conversation with three folks from the Washington and Idaho states. (You must understand when people can get together and talk about Dungeons & Dragons, Society for Creative Anachronisms, period costume designs, and sling out Monty Python/Star Trek/Blade Runner/ and other notable cult classic quotes, you get a sense you are part of the world-wide tribe of the profound.)
A clip from the concert, from Capt. Robert's blog pointed to Youtube. "The Wrong Side"
Two of my favorite songs Abney Park performed are: Airship Pirate and Stigmata Martyr. (links go to Youtube.)
Called it a day around 1 a.m. (Sunday)
Monday, November 02, 2009
Steamcon 2009 - DAY 1
After a great flight heading out of a sun shiny Sacramento, our aircraft arrived at an overcast, with light showers, Seattle/Tacoma International Airport. A little turned around, not seeing an exit, I walked over to an attendant at an Enterprise Rent a Car and asked, "Um, this sounds silly, but how do I get out of the airport?" She helped me with my directions, said the Marriott hotel was nearby where I planned to go. So instead of taking a shuttle I decided to walk the distance to the hotel, to breath the Seattle air and (childishly) have an excuse to walk in the rain--with an umbrella.
After making it to the Marriott, checking in, and heading to my room to briefly look around, I went to get my registration items at the hotel's atrium.
(Note: This photo was taken Sunday. Friday, the place the filled with people!)
After getting my convention materials, I headed back to my room to layout my costume--a severally altered and conservative version from what I envisioned swashbuckling down the hallways as an Airship Pirate.
Next up I went to explore, checking out the various rooms, halls, and vendor/art areas I'd spend more time in during the next three-odd days. Close to famished, I grabbed some food, and then headed to the first panel...that had just started. (The panel notes are from scribbled descriptions I wrote during the actual events.)
Friday
5-6 p.m.
Discarded Science
Kit Heinrichs, Moderator
Tim Powers
Tim and Kit talked about various pre-1900s science efforts, generally dismissed by the majority of inventors, scientists and medical practitioners of the time, citing Newton, Telsa, Babbage, and other alchemists and philosophers (of natural sciences). Specific examples included discussions around the Voynich Manuscript, Fads and fallacies of science, and Cerulean Waves. Tim gave an imaginative talk on how the Victorian thinkers tried to come to terms with an Ether concept and ghosts, how they may interact with gears and machines.
After panel discussion, I was looking over tour pamphlets of Seattle's Underground and artist, Sarah Dungan, came over to look over the tours. We chatted for a bit and I found out she lives in San Francisco. She also had a display in the Art Gallery. I promised to stop by and look at her work. (I later bought one of the signed prints, "The Naturalist.")
7-8 p.m.
Introduction to Steampunk Art
Phil Folgio, Moderator
Kaja Foglio
Cheyenne Wright
The Foglio's and Cheyenne discussed some of their thoughts on Steampunk (also called Gaslight and Steam lamp) genre art. Cheyenne talked a little about his involvement as a colorist for the Foglio's penciled and inked art work. They all mentioned several highly referenced material sources for ideas/gizmo inspirations. Sources: Lindsay Catalog and Dover Publications.
Cheyenne also talked about how he uses Photoshop to build custom palates for each character. That way when he needs to color a certain character, Cheyenne only need bring up that custom palate (with specific colors and brushes used for the computer input line drawing).
Throughout this panel session I fought really hard to quit smiling (inside) because I had admired Phil Foglio since the early 80's when I played Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. (I liked painting the figurines mostly. I remember living pay check to pay check buying everything I could afford: games, grid paper, multi-sided dice, magazines, Ral Partha Miniatures, paints, brushes, and of course the Dragon magazine often featuring illustrations by Phil Foglio.). After the panel, I went up and thanked Phil for being at the Con. I also shared I had admired his work since Dragon magazine. :-)
Later...needing a boost of something caffeinated...stopped by and grabbed some coffee at a small shop on the way to the DJ dance. Met a photographer (Jen) who lives in the area and she enjoys taking photos of Herons and other water fowl.
9 p.m.
DJ Dance featuring DJ Infamous (not related to the popular myspace person) and DJ Eternal Darkness
A great chance to listen to some never heard before goth, trance, metal, and choral inspired steampunk music, including some familiar Enigma pieces. One set segued into an awesome bag pipe song that shook the room. YES! I finally went over to someone to ask who was playing the song? The group, Corvus Corax, performing "Filii Neidhardi."
Jake Von Slatt popped in for a little bit before heading out with some friends to a late dinner. I stopped by and welcomed him, briefly wishing he had a safe trip from the Boston area that had recently got a "powdering" --in his words--of snow heralding the beginning of the cold season.
Called it a day around 11 p.m.
After a great flight heading out of a sun shiny Sacramento, our aircraft arrived at an overcast, with light showers, Seattle/Tacoma International Airport. A little turned around, not seeing an exit, I walked over to an attendant at an Enterprise Rent a Car and asked, "Um, this sounds silly, but how do I get out of the airport?" She helped me with my directions, said the Marriott hotel was nearby where I planned to go. So instead of taking a shuttle I decided to walk the distance to the hotel, to breath the Seattle air and (childishly) have an excuse to walk in the rain--with an umbrella.
After making it to the Marriott, checking in, and heading to my room to briefly look around, I went to get my registration items at the hotel's atrium.
 |
| From Steamcon 2009 |
After getting my convention materials, I headed back to my room to layout my costume--a severally altered and conservative version from what I envisioned swashbuckling down the hallways as an Airship Pirate.
 |
| From Steamcon 2009 |
Next up I went to explore, checking out the various rooms, halls, and vendor/art areas I'd spend more time in during the next three-odd days. Close to famished, I grabbed some food, and then headed to the first panel...that had just started. (The panel notes are from scribbled descriptions I wrote during the actual events.)
Friday
5-6 p.m.
Discarded Science
Kit Heinrichs, Moderator
Tim Powers
Tim and Kit talked about various pre-1900s science efforts, generally dismissed by the majority of inventors, scientists and medical practitioners of the time, citing Newton, Telsa, Babbage, and other alchemists and philosophers (of natural sciences). Specific examples included discussions around the Voynich Manuscript, Fads and fallacies of science, and Cerulean Waves. Tim gave an imaginative talk on how the Victorian thinkers tried to come to terms with an Ether concept and ghosts, how they may interact with gears and machines.
After panel discussion, I was looking over tour pamphlets of Seattle's Underground and artist, Sarah Dungan, came over to look over the tours. We chatted for a bit and I found out she lives in San Francisco. She also had a display in the Art Gallery. I promised to stop by and look at her work. (I later bought one of the signed prints, "The Naturalist.")
7-8 p.m.
Introduction to Steampunk Art
Phil Folgio, Moderator
Kaja Foglio
Cheyenne Wright
The Foglio's and Cheyenne discussed some of their thoughts on Steampunk (also called Gaslight and Steam lamp) genre art. Cheyenne talked a little about his involvement as a colorist for the Foglio's penciled and inked art work. They all mentioned several highly referenced material sources for ideas/gizmo inspirations. Sources: Lindsay Catalog and Dover Publications.
Cheyenne also talked about how he uses Photoshop to build custom palates for each character. That way when he needs to color a certain character, Cheyenne only need bring up that custom palate (with specific colors and brushes used for the computer input line drawing).
Throughout this panel session I fought really hard to quit smiling (inside) because I had admired Phil Foglio since the early 80's when I played Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. (I liked painting the figurines mostly. I remember living pay check to pay check buying everything I could afford: games, grid paper, multi-sided dice, magazines, Ral Partha Miniatures, paints, brushes, and of course the Dragon magazine often featuring illustrations by Phil Foglio.). After the panel, I went up and thanked Phil for being at the Con. I also shared I had admired his work since Dragon magazine. :-)
Later...needing a boost of something caffeinated...stopped by and grabbed some coffee at a small shop on the way to the DJ dance. Met a photographer (Jen) who lives in the area and she enjoys taking photos of Herons and other water fowl.
9 p.m.
DJ Dance featuring DJ Infamous (not related to the popular myspace person) and DJ Eternal Darkness
 |
| From Steamcon 2009 |
A great chance to listen to some never heard before goth, trance, metal, and choral inspired steampunk music, including some familiar Enigma pieces. One set segued into an awesome bag pipe song that shook the room. YES! I finally went over to someone to ask who was playing the song? The group, Corvus Corax, performing "Filii Neidhardi."
Jake Von Slatt popped in for a little bit before heading out with some friends to a late dinner. I stopped by and welcomed him, briefly wishing he had a safe trip from the Boston area that had recently got a "powdering" --in his words--of snow heralding the beginning of the cold season.
Called it a day around 11 p.m.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Steamcon 2009 - Prelude
One of the best convention attending choices in recent memory was in deciding to head up north for the first annual Steamcon 2009 in Seattle, Washington. In the past, I've gone to several fan type conventions including ComicCon in San Diego, Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco, and GenCon at Lake Geneva, WI, so I had a small inkling about what I was getting into for the weekend.
This blog post is split up into four pieces (this post plus one part for each of the three days), mainly because I want to share as much of the fun, information, and experience I can with the reader. For the simply curious, I'll share many creative people of whom I listened to and spoke with during the con. I highly suggest taking a little time to research further their websites for some additional enjoyment. I include links sprinkled here and there throughout the postings to make the exploration a bit easier. For those who want to go all out and dig into these topics, have at it and let me know if you have any questions. I'll share with you what I know.
To start out, for me attending any genre based convention, it is best to know a little about the field, the media (movies, books, characters, etc) and the history behind the movement. For Steamcon, Steampunk was the major theme of the convention. Never heard of steampunk? That's okay. The term was only coined back in the 80's--at least according to Wikipedia--by science fiction writer K. W. Jeter--when he sought to name a genre for some stories written around the time by various writers. What had helped fire the imagination of these modern writers were fellow writers, inventors, and visionaries from another time: writers like Jules Vern and H.G. Wells; inventors like Tesla, Babbage, and Edison; and even the first computer programmer, Lady Ada Lovelace. These people and others helped define and embody the Do It Yourself attitude, along with all the innovative hand-crafted inventions they dreamed up and often made piece by piece. Ever see some of the cool inventions used in the original Wild, Wild West TV show (the small derringer gun that springs out from underneath James West's coat sleeve) or have you ever wowed at the undersea ship, The Nautilus, from Jules Vern's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea?" Then you begin to understand the attraction to Steampunk and the coolness of its aesthetic look.
Today, beyond the mere word, a growing number of fans and creators (writers, artists, modders/makers and musicians) made Steampunk and the success of Steamcon their own drawing from early to neo Victorian, industrial to post apocalyptic, Gothic, and even basic historical (1800-1900) influences. All these periods allowed the doors wide open for costume design, decoration options, performed music, and topics to cover during the panel sessions that went throughout the weekend.
Here's a small glimpse of the main creative people I knew who would be attending:
Tim Powers, writer (Anubis Gates, et. al.)
Phil and Kaja Foglio, Comics artists and story creators I've admired since reading their fantasy comics during my Dungeons and Dragons days (early 80's). Meeting them in person was a highlight of the Con.
Cheyenne Wright, Artist and colorist for Studio Foglio (Phil mostly who provides the penciled and line drawing pieces for Girl Genius).
Jake Von Slatt, a sort of mechanical hacker, garnering a humble celebrity status for all his steampunk styled contraptions and modded equipment.
Paul Guinan, artist and creator of BOILERPLATE: History of a Victorian Era Robot
Cherie Priest, American novelist (incl. Boneshaker)
Next up, we'll dive into the three days of Steamcon split into three parts for this posting. I'll share my experiences including some music events and panels for Discarded Science, Introduction to Steampunk Art, Gentle Art of Modding, Girl Genius Radio Theatre, The Victorian Mind, and The Spark of Invention.
One of the best convention attending choices in recent memory was in deciding to head up north for the first annual Steamcon 2009 in Seattle, Washington. In the past, I've gone to several fan type conventions including ComicCon in San Diego, Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco, and GenCon at Lake Geneva, WI, so I had a small inkling about what I was getting into for the weekend.
This blog post is split up into four pieces (this post plus one part for each of the three days), mainly because I want to share as much of the fun, information, and experience I can with the reader. For the simply curious, I'll share many creative people of whom I listened to and spoke with during the con. I highly suggest taking a little time to research further their websites for some additional enjoyment. I include links sprinkled here and there throughout the postings to make the exploration a bit easier. For those who want to go all out and dig into these topics, have at it and let me know if you have any questions. I'll share with you what I know.
To start out, for me attending any genre based convention, it is best to know a little about the field, the media (movies, books, characters, etc) and the history behind the movement. For Steamcon, Steampunk was the major theme of the convention. Never heard of steampunk? That's okay. The term was only coined back in the 80's--at least according to Wikipedia--by science fiction writer K. W. Jeter--when he sought to name a genre for some stories written around the time by various writers. What had helped fire the imagination of these modern writers were fellow writers, inventors, and visionaries from another time: writers like Jules Vern and H.G. Wells; inventors like Tesla, Babbage, and Edison; and even the first computer programmer, Lady Ada Lovelace. These people and others helped define and embody the Do It Yourself attitude, along with all the innovative hand-crafted inventions they dreamed up and often made piece by piece. Ever see some of the cool inventions used in the original Wild, Wild West TV show (the small derringer gun that springs out from underneath James West's coat sleeve) or have you ever wowed at the undersea ship, The Nautilus, from Jules Vern's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea?" Then you begin to understand the attraction to Steampunk and the coolness of its aesthetic look.
Today, beyond the mere word, a growing number of fans and creators (writers, artists, modders/makers and musicians) made Steampunk and the success of Steamcon their own drawing from early to neo Victorian, industrial to post apocalyptic, Gothic, and even basic historical (1800-1900) influences. All these periods allowed the doors wide open for costume design, decoration options, performed music, and topics to cover during the panel sessions that went throughout the weekend.
Here's a small glimpse of the main creative people I knew who would be attending:
Tim Powers, writer (Anubis Gates, et. al.)
Phil and Kaja Foglio, Comics artists and story creators I've admired since reading their fantasy comics during my Dungeons and Dragons days (early 80's). Meeting them in person was a highlight of the Con.
Cheyenne Wright, Artist and colorist for Studio Foglio (Phil mostly who provides the penciled and line drawing pieces for Girl Genius).
Jake Von Slatt, a sort of mechanical hacker, garnering a humble celebrity status for all his steampunk styled contraptions and modded equipment.
Paul Guinan, artist and creator of BOILERPLATE: History of a Victorian Era Robot
Cherie Priest, American novelist (incl. Boneshaker)
Next up, we'll dive into the three days of Steamcon split into three parts for this posting. I'll share my experiences including some music events and panels for Discarded Science, Introduction to Steampunk Art, Gentle Art of Modding, Girl Genius Radio Theatre, The Victorian Mind, and The Spark of Invention.
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