Steam punk droid

Firstly I want to direct you to a fascinating article called 'Towards a Steampunk Without Steam' by Amal El-Mothar over at Tor dot Com. It explores the values of the genre and challenges the concept that it is just brass, leather and goggles, worth a read and will get you thinking even if you don't agree with it.

Anyway after a week (it's been half term whoo hoo!) of fiddling and not getting to grips with anything that reall seemed to work or grab my enthusiasm I finally got an idea. I was sat at my desk staring at bits of junk and an old hat I'd made and not used for another figure when I realised they would make a great head and body for a robot. 24 hours later you can see the result.

Proves what Picasso said "Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working"

Typical that I get my inspiration just as I have to go back to work though!

mid term malaise

I'm at that point in the school term where my creative energy is at it's lowest, combine that with a piece that I just can't get to grips with means I haven't done much in my studio for a few weeks.

I remember an artist once saying that the best thing to do in these circumstances is just to do anything to get you going, stretch a canvas, anything. In my case I find just making the first thing that comes to mind helps, so here are the results of my art therapy!

I want my GCSE art class to make sketch book covers for a project on surrealism (the theme is strange materials, impractical objects, visual puns)

So we have a book with spines, a book made of stone,a sardine tin, a sliced loaf and a mouth. The result of an afternoons work to inspire year 10.

While researching images for Surrealism I came upon a sketch for a weird beast by Shaun Tan. If you don't know him he does amazing illustrated books, possibly for children)

Anyway it's a friends birthday soon so I thought they might appreciate a weird steam punkish creature. It will have legs and eyes soon.

Finally Mr Hyde, who is living up to his reputation as a troublemaker.