I don’t know why, but the more I work with watch gears, compasses, and maps, the more I fall in love with all things steampunk. There’s just something about the mix of vintage victorian and industrial that fascinates me, and of course the perfect way to keep being inspired and try new ways of incorporating steampunk elements is to work on a few mini’s.
I got a new batch of watch gears this week, and I decided to use more of the odd shaped pieces in my work, instead of just the gears. I layered some gears on top, and tried putting groups of them close together so give the impression of working cogs that can actually rotate. Maybe someday I’ll figure out how to actually have rotating cogs in my pieces. That would be pretty sweet!
These canvases were so much fun to create, and so easy really. Here are my basic steps-
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I created backgrounds for each one with different techniques- stamping and washi tape for one. On two others I used patterned tissue wrap with chunks of acrylic paint on top and sprayed with water to allow the colors to blend and drip. On the larger one I used different roughed up pieces of paper to collage the background, using sandpaper to age them and adding metal corners to the canvas. I even used some chipboard and rub on elements. The sky is the limit as far as background goes!
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Once the backgrounds were dry, I was ready to add the gears! I used Matte Gel Medium to adhere each piece to the canvas. Some gears come with long, thin pieces sticking out, and sometimes I would use those parts to pierce the canvas, making sure that the main part of the gear was as close to the canvas surface as possible.
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Once the gel dries, you can go over the piece and see if you want to add any more gears- sometimes I would layer several gears on top of each other to add more dimension. It’s easier to do this once the bottom gears have dried.
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Now you’re finished! Unless of course you want to add a few more splashes of paint or ink.
I hope you all have as much fun creating these little steampunk mini canvases as I did. I’d love to see what you create!! And don’t forget to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments- I love being inspired by you.
These are a delight, Anjuli–I especially like the blue, for some reason it seems a great contrast to the gears and watch face.
:)
Thanks Trisha! I’m so happy you like them. :)
The first and second ones are my favorite. I think you really nailed the composition of that first one- just enough empty space, and the use of lines help keep the clumps of gears from looking stuck. I love those corner pieces on the second one. Great work!! Loving the steampunk.
I was pretty happy with the first one too… I’m quickly becoming unhealthily obsessed with steampunk stuff… :)