Steampunk Automaton- mixed media assemblage

I love it when I’m walking through a craft store and I see something I don’t normally use, but inspiration strikes and I wind up with an awesome idea and somehow, I’m able to recreate the image in my head. I’ll be honest, it doesn’t happen very often, but it happened with this project and I was so happy about it!!

I’m such a steampunk fan. Any idea where I get to use watch parts, clocks and vintage papers and I’m on happy artist. That was definitely the goal with this little steampunk automaton, so I started with a few blocks of whittling wood I found at Michael’s and some patterned paper from Prima Marketing’s Archivist line, and got to work.

I don’t know if this guy really counts as an automaton, since the gears don’t move and he doesn’t have a function, really. His arms and legs are posable, though, so I went ahead and gave him the title. I hope no one minds.

Here is a rundown of my process. You can also check out my video below and hit subscribe after you watch it, so you don’t miss any of my future videos. I always have some new steampunk project up my sleeve!

First, I painted each of the wooden blocks with brown acrylic paint.
I cut the paper to size and adhered it to each side of each block with gel medium, then sanded the corners.
I glued the two blocks that make up the body together, and began to attach a few watch gears.
I used an awl to make holes in the wood for the neck, legs, arms and ears. I added two sizes of beads to transition the thin wire to the thick, wooden body and head.
Twine suspenders laced from the two large gears on his pants give him a whimsical, innocent look.
Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paste added on top of all the elements makes this little guy look old and worn, like he’s been sitting in a garage or old workshop for years, forgotten and alone. Somehow, though, he still has a smile on his face. :)
I added some brown india ink over the crackle paste to age him even more.
As a final touch, I used gel medium that I had thinned a little with water to seal everything, since I had laid on the crackle paste a little thick in areas and I didn’t want it to start flaking off.

I love all the found items I was able to use for this piece. Watch gears, electrical parts, jewelry findings, etc. I was such a fun process and so different from anything I’ve done before. What kind of things do you have in your collection that you could use on a piece like this?

Supply List- (This list contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through one of them, I will receive a commission. Your price will not be affected.)