Working with Matt Rhodes

If you've never checked out the art of Matt Rhodes, you're missing out. While his current blog contains only one steampunk influenced image, his earlier sites contained more. Matt was doing steampunk style back before Treasure Planet came out, before Steampunk Star Wars images showed up all over the 'Net, basically, back before steampunk was all the rage.

In preparation for Steam Con in Seattle (I'll be presenting three sessions that weekend, but more about that in a forthcoming post), I've commissioned Matt to draw his take on me as the Steampunk Scholar. We went for sushi this past Tuesday to discuss it, and Matt has already sent me some concept sketches as we look for a direction for the image, which will be available to purchase through CafePress when it's done. To whet all our appetites, here's that singular steampunk image from Matt's blog. He describes his take on Steampunk as "taking place in the year 3000," with skyships featuring billowing sails. This image definitely captures that feel. Further, it captures the steampunk aesthetic I somewhat crassly term "chicks with guns," but referred to as "Damsels without Distress" in my paper on Steampunk Star Wars images (currently submitted to Neo-Victorian Studies). Mind you, these ladies could be steampunk Betty and Veronica. Notice there's no Archie anywhere to be seen.