Tea & Automatons

For longer than I can remember I’ve been fascinated with cloisonné pins.  There is just something about them that makes me smile.  I’ve been collecting them for a long time, from Disney parks, zoos and aquariums and many other sources.  Eventually I had to make rules to limit my collecting.  Like most hobbies it can begin to take over after a while.

As an artist I thought that designing pins would be fun.  I designed and helped produce a few pins back when I worked for MU Press and even thought about starting a pin company.  There were too many aspects of running a business that just did not appeal to me so I let it drop.

One of the places I like to get pins is the Hard Rock Café.  I got my first HRC guitar pin in Paris in 1992.  Since then I have been to HRCs in Yokohama, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and many US cities as well.  When one opened up in Seattle, I was thrilled.  I am by no means a completist, but I go in every other month and buy a pin and trade with the staff.  The trading is very fun and I always look forward to it.

One day when we were in, I mentioned to the retail manager that I thought it would be great to have an HRC pin commemorating our steampunk convention, Steamcon.   I knew that Dragoncon and Wondercon had done HRC pins and even the local Emerald City Comic Con had one.  She said it would take some doing and a lot of lead time, but it was possible.  I submitted a design, found a charity to benefit; the Historic Seattle Preservation Foundation and by Steamcon III we had an HRC pin.  As a pin aficionado I was quite proud.

By this point they had begun a Seattle HRC pin collector’s meetup every quarter or so.  I met some great folks and we traded and chatted.  They were extremely supportive of my Steamcon pin designs and commented on how different they were.  It was encouraging.  The retail manager decided to ask us fans what sort of pins we would like to see.  You could just write out a description or you could add a sketch.  There was no compensation or credit offered, but it was still pretty cool.  I submitted a set of six steampunk girls that I had been working on and a couple other sets as well.

When I was in Orlando, a manager there told me that corporate had decided all pins now had to have a musical component.  This complicated things a bit, but in the case of the Steamcon III pin, they added musical notes to the tail of the submarine.  On Steamcon IV’s mechanical bat, I didn’t see any changes at all.  When I submitted the steampunk girls I did not add any music, so I didn’t know if that meant they wouldn’t take them at all.  We weren’t told it was a requirement.  I did also do a set that is an anthropomorphic animal band, so I am hopeful that it will be produced.

Yesterday one of the pin collectors said that he heard that a set of three steampunk girls were coming out soon, but he didn’t know if they were my designs.  I then got an email from HRC asking if I had a preference about when they got released.  I said right away was good for me.  So, yes, they were mine!  Yay!  I still did not know which ones or what changes had been made.

My husband and I went to HRC Seattle the next night and sure enough, there they were.  They did add musical instruments and changed things, but for the most part I am pretty happy.  The staff was enthusiastic and supportive.  It feels great to be able to say “I designed those!”  A dream come true in a way.  Now to figure out how to design a Disney pin.  I am really not expecting that one to happen, but a girl can dream.

For anyone interested, the pins are currently available at the Hard Rock Café Seattle.  They are $12.00 each and are limited editions of 300.

Sorry for my prolonged absence.  Another Steamcon has come and gone and I needed a break after all the work of putting it on.  I think it was successful.  Everyone seemed to have a good time.  You can get a glimpse at the fun in our Flickr group pool.  We will begin work on the next one in January and I’ll be putting up the details as soon as we have them sorted.

I am also trying to work on some of the projects that I have neglected in the past year, so hopefully I’ll be linking to many new things in the next few months.

As many of you are getting ready for the holidays, I thought I might mention a few of my creations that would make good gifts.

 

This is a small book filled with pictures using the idea of archetypes to figure out some interesting and different steampunk costume ideas for the ladies.

 

 

 

 

This is a full color book of many of my whimsical animals in colorful costumes.

 

 

This is a design I made in response to some of the comments about  my quote “Steampunk needs historical accuracy like a dirigible needs a goldfish”.  You can get a mousepad, or several other things with this design.

 

 

 

And lastly a steampunk themed Christmas card with an old fashioned feeling for your favorite steampunk.

If you are going to Steamcon IV, get your hotel reservation now!  Our great rates will end on September 24th!

https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=5730428

So a quick report on Dragoncon 2012.   It was exhilarating, exhausting, colorful, costumed, and such fun.  I had seven outfits, but I seem to have only gotten pics of half of them.  This seems to happen even when I have my husband along to take pictures, so I guess I can’t complain too much.  The two most popular ones were Copernia and the Bride of Frankensteam, although my Bride outfit got downgraded due to the difficulty of it, so I hope to do a full version for Steamcon.  As always Big Baby got lots of attention and I am glad I made an effort to bring it.

Thanks to Q and his staff, the Alternate History track ran well.  My panels ran smoothly.  I really enjoyed the Gadgeteer’s Showcase.  The amount of creativity there was just amazing.  The Mechanical Masquerade was also fun. I got dragged off to the photo booth by Veronique Chevalier, for which I am grateful because I always forget to do things like that.  I got to catch the Lantern City panel, which looks intriguing and I got my workers card and key chain for being in line early.

Thursday night while buying shoe inserts (the most popular/essential item in the store) The girls in CVS Pharmacy asked what I was from and when I said the outfit was from my imagination, they told me no.  It was definitely from a movie.  Finally one of them gets very excited and shouts “Lemony Snicket!”  They all agreed, and whenever I would drop in to buy a snack, they would call out “Lemony Snicket!”  So, I guess I am codename: Lemony Snicket.  Who knew?

I almost ran over Felicia Day twice.  I got petted by a Fraggle.  Talked up Steamcon.  I mostly lost my voice from all the talking.  Got to hang out with friends I rarely see and meet lots of new folks.  Had my picture taken a lot, but of course have only found a few of them online.  Basically, it was a Dragoncon.  Huge.  Bustling.  Fun.

My small Dragoncon 2012 Gallery

 

I was asked to be on a few panels at Dragoncon in Atlanta this year, so I am busy planning outfits and packing like a madwoman.   Dragoncon is a very costume heavy event, so it’s a lot of fun to wander and people watch.  They have an Alternate History Track that has a lot of steampunk content like the Mechanical Masquerade.

Panels that I am on at Dragoncon. If you happen to be going, please drop in:

• Everyone’s a Captain: Finding a Fresh Persona in an Alt. History World – Fri. 2:30p in Intl BC (Main Room)

• Tesla and Edison: The Men, The Myths – Sun. 5:30 pm in Intl A (Roundtable Room)

• Organizing Your Steampunks: Airships, Clubs, and Others – Mon. 2:30 pm in Intl A (Roundtable Room)

Go check out some of the past Dragoncon Steam pics.

2010

2009

2008

 

 

In response to the many questions and requests we got, we began Steampunk University back in 2008.  Despite it’s lofty name, the aim of SU is really just to introduce people to the literary genre of steampunk and it’s subsequent subculture and help them figure a few things out, like what to wear to Steamcon and how to make cool stuff.  It’s pretty basic, intended for beginners but can be a lot of fun.  We also run a store at the same time, so you can get some fun items to wear and meet some of the many merchants that will be at Steamcon IV in October.  This year we aren’t even charging tuition or admission, so it’s the best opportunity to come and learn a little about our passion, steampunk.

CLASSES:

12:00 – 1:00 – Intro to Steampunk: Diana Vick will give you an overview of how it all began and her take on the genre, subculture and aesthetic of steampunk.

1:00 – 2:00 – How to Dress Steampunk: Liz Spain says that your perfect steampunk outfit may be hiding in your closet! Learn how to find and alter easy-to-find inexpensive clothing to create sartorial fabulousness for all genders.

2:00 – 3:00 – Prop making:  Tony Hicks aka Shamus Tinplate and Sean Forbes will show you their fabulous gadgets and talk to you about their process.

3:00 – 4:00 – Leather working & Goggle making: Mac McGowan of SteamBaby has been doing leather work of various kinds for many years. In this talk he will cover some basic leatherworking ideas and show some tips and hints for goggle construction as well

4:00 – 5:00 – Steampunk Music: Jordan Block of Sepiachord, one of the leading steampunk musicologists in the world will talk about what he finds to be steampunk music.

The Steampunk University Store will be open from noon to 6:00 PM for your shopping enjoyment.

 

July 16th 2012

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Diana Vick, Steamcon Vice chair, info@steamcon.org

STEAMCON IV: VICTORIAN MONSTERS

Each year Steamcon draws several thousand fans to its Steampunk convention, one of the longest running in the world. This year’s theme is “Victorian Monsters,” a weekend long Halloween party featuring all the classic monsters of the Victorian era. Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Spring Heeled Jack, the Invisible Man, Jack the Ripper and many more were born in the foggy streets of Victorian London. With participants dressing as monsters and monster-hunters, this year’s event is the perfect setting for Steampunk intrigue, ghoulish frights and ghastly delights.

Kim Newman, the man who penned the thrilling alternate history tale Anno Dracula, will be the Author Guest of Honor. Joe Benitez, illustrator and creator of the gorgeous comic book Lady Mechanika is this year’s Artist Guest of Honor. The Monster Hunters of Honor will be the ever popular and outrageous League of S.T.E.A.M.

Headlining the Saturday Night Concert will be Musical Guests of Honor the cello ensemble Rasputina. The concert will also feature a performance by the fabulous Nathaniel Johnstone Band and the theatrical Eric Stern of Vagabond Opera.

Taking place indoors at the lovely Hyatt Regency hotel in Bellevue on October 26^th -28^th, Steamcon IV will feature three days of lively panel discussions, demonstrations, and talks about the literary genre/music genre/fashion/do-it-yourselfers dream that is Steampunk. The Convention will host an art exhibition, a huge merchant’s room, several games rooms, a high tea, dances, a concert and much, much more. Speakers, fans and Steampunk aficionados from around the world will attend this international renowned event.

Special events:

Friday night will be the third annual Airship Awards Banquet, an evening to honor the most outstanding creators in the steampunk community. On Saturday there will be the Sanatorium Tea featuring a best monster costume competition, and on Sunday there will be the “Wayfarer’s Brunch,” an event to honor multiculturalism in steampunk.

Who: Steampunk Conventions Inc.

What: Steamcon IV: Victorian Monsters

Where: Bellevue Hyatt Regency Hotel, 900 Bellevue Way Northeast, Bellevue, (425) 462-1234

When: October 26-28, 2012

How Much: Adults $45.00 and youths $40 if bought in advance.  Higher at the door.  Tickets available online or at the door.  http://registration.steamcon.org/

For more information, go to www.steamcon.org or drop us an email at info@steamcon.org.

Other articles on Steamcon IV: Steampunk Chronicles

 

 

On Saturday my husband and I made the trek, and ferry ride out to the lovely waterfront hamlet of Port Townsend, WA for their first steampunk festival, the Brass Screw Confederacy.  It is the brainchild of Nathan Barnett, owner of the Old Consulate Inn, natty dresser and long time Steamcon supporter.  Having injected a bit of steampunk into the town’s long standing Victorian festival, he then managed to convince the populace that they might enjoy a more fully fledged dose of steampunk.    Judging by the number of store fronts with steampunk displays, they were certainly eager to get into the spirit of things.

We arrived and got situated in time to attend a reading by Neal Stephenson from his book The Diamond Age at the Brass Screw Cabaret.  By my definitions, it is not so much steampunk as Neo-Victorian science fiction and perhaps cyberpunk, but it is still a wonderful book.  I read it a long time ago, but after listening to him, I may need to give it another reading.  His vivid descriptive prose is quite fascinating.  Neil himself was dressed in a very appropriate Victorian or perhaps Edwardian suit (I am no men’s fashion expert, by any means) and during the Q&A I asked him about it.  He confessed that he finds the style quite comfortable and will be acquiring more in the future.  Because my talk was immediately afterwards, I didn’t get a chance to speak to him at more length, but I certainly would have liked to.

I had been asked to give a talk about how to dress in steampunk attire.  I only had about a half an hour, so I tried to keep it to the basics, but during the question and answer portion it was obvious the audience really wanted more information on what steampunk really is.  I try to tailor my talks to my audience so I happily obliged.  They seemed to  both  entertained and educated, so I think I did my job.  I gave out flyers for my blog, shop and book at the end.  Denise Winters who is in charge of the Key City Public Theatre and the “cabaret” as it was called, appeared to be quite happy with me and asked me to return next year and possibly do my gun mod talk.

We wandered over to the Bazaar of the Bizarre  at the American Legion Hall next.  Most of the merchants were quite familiar, but it was a good variety of wares and the locals as well as tourists enjoyed looking at all the peculiar things.

A woman came up and asked if I was Diana Vick and I said yes.  She beamed and told me that her two daughters were big fans of mine and asked to take a picture of me with them.  They found my work in 1,000 Steampunk Creations.  I was quite tickled.  Several people who were at my talk came by with more questions throughout the day as well.   We also wandered the outdoor merchants, watched some artisans creating their wares and got some wickedly delicious doughnuts.  My purple outfit got a lot of attention and I used it to hand out Steamcon postcards.

We then strolled off to check out the quaint main street, which was marred slightly by all the construction work being done.  We found a pub that had gotten good recommendations so we had an early dinner.  The sun made an appearance so now the ensemble I chose was a bit too warm.  It is always difficult to decide what type of outfit to wear for events that have both indoor and outdoor components and a chance of showers.  It had been breezy all day, so my jacket and layers had been just about perfect up until now.   Due to budgetary constraints and far too many things to do this year, we had to make this a day trip only.  We said our goodbyes and made our tired way back home.  Hopefully next year we will be able to do more than just a day trip and partake of the evening festivities as well.

I think that the BSC has a lot of potential.  The town is charming and the inhabitants are friendly and open to the genre.  The organizers were calling this year zero, but that does this event a disservice.  You don’t really get to have a trial run for this sort of thing.  It’s jump in with both feet and hope.  I suppose if steampunk rewrites history then so can they, but for better or worse, it did happen.   Folks seemed to be having fun.  It will most likely get bigger and better over the years.

My photographer didn’t take many shots this time, but they are found here.

Recently,  I had the privilege of attending the first Clockwork Alchemy as their Fan Guest of Honor.  It was even more special because it was my birthday on Monday, a very nice way to spend one’s birthday.  It was slightly lessened by the fact I had a very mild cold and was on decongestants, but I didn’t let it slow me down much.  Clockwork was held in San Jose over the Memorial Day weekend in conjunction with Fanime, a large and long standing anime convention.

My husband and I arrived Thursday so that we would be ready for Friday’s festivities.  We are very well acquainted with the Doubletree hotel where CA was held because it had housed several fannish conventions in the past including Baycon and Further Confusion.  There was a meet and greet going on that night but since it was rather loud, we chose to sit in the bar and chat with folks instead. The bar in this hotel is centrally located and open to the lobby so people can easily find you and join in the conversation.  You’ll note a trend in behavior beginning here.

Friday morning, we attended opening ceremonies.   Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett, the Author and Artist Guests of Honor were introduced and spoke briefly.  Kory the con co-chair said some very complimentary things about my role in west coast steampunk fandom.  I was touched and truly appreciated the recognition.  Erica “Unwoman” Mulkey, the Music Guest of Honor performed with her strap-on cello, which got a lot of buzz.

Martin and I set up our promo table for Steamcon and chatted with the few folks who came by.  Attendance was light, but it was only Friday.  I did a talk called “Modding for Wimps” that was not well attended, but still enjoyable.  I did it as a Powerpoint presentation since bringing all my props down from Seattle on a plane is too difficult.

That night we took the opportunity to head over to Fanime at the convention center to check things out and do a little shopping.  The folks at Xcentricities have a fabric with a gear pattern that I had asked about getting it in purple with copper gears.  They made it as a waist cincher and my husband graciously bought it for me as an early birthday present.  My friend Margaret gave me some gorgeous purple lace and feathers to deck out a hat I had bought from her at another show.  I bought a curly purple wig to go with all the purple.  We met up with Paul, Anina and two more friends and headed off to dinner.  After food, we went to a private club and had cocktails.  The other patrons were completely enamored of the steampunk look and I think we made some new converts.  One gentleman offered to buy my goggles, and since they were a pair that I made, I was very flattered.

Saturday after breakfast I was booked on a large block of programming.  From 11:00 – 1:00 Jean Martin did a group interview of the Guests of Honor.  Kathy and Shannon O’Hare from Neverwas Haul were the Maker Guests of Honor and told stories from Burning Man and other events.  Paul and Anina talked about Boilerplate and their new book Frank Reade: Adventures in the Age of Invention .  I talked about how Steamcon got started and how that lead to me becoming a speaker, an educator and many other improbable things.  Erica spoke on her music and to my delight gave Steamcon a nod for getting her a start in the steampunk community.

I ducked out a little bit early to grab a quick bite (not an easy task) and get ready for my “Steampunk Litmus Test” talk.  It was a large and enthusiastic crowd and we had fun discussing the various things that really make a story steampunk.

The rest of the day, we talked to folks at the promo table and I managed to get some interest in my book, “Steampunk Archetypes.”  We had dinner at the sushi bar again and then I changed into the new corset and wig for the concert.  My feet were tired and my cold was wearing me down, so we adjourned to the bar with some new folks to chat.  You spotting the trend yet?

Sunday, we again manned the table and talked up Steamcon.  In the afternoon I did my talk on “Seven Steampunk Fallacies.”  I had not done that particular talk before and being a Sunday, I wasn’t sure how popular it would be.  I guess the title piqued their curiosity because the room was packed and stayed that way.  I took questions after I went over the initial points and the audience seemed entertained.  Afterwards we were supposed to go to dinner with the con chairs, but Spencer’s was unexpectedly closed.  Martin and I eventually resorted to bar food once again for expediency.  Shortly afterward, I spoke to a reporter from USA Today about all the fun that is steampunk, so that is something to watch for.

I changed into my copper gown for the Ball, but since I don’t dance we ended up in the bar chatting with some fabulous people.  It was a good weekend for lively conversation with fascinating people.

Monday morning, the con was still going, but many people used the day for travel, so attendance was light.  I hadn’t completely lost my voice yet, but it was getting squeaky and it hurt a bit to talk.  I was supposed to be on two back to back panels but they were both full of lively panelists, so I suspected that I would not be missed. Besides, it was my birthday and I wanted to celebrate a bit.   My husband and a friend took me over to Fanime to do some actual birthday shopping.  The majority of the booths were filled with figurines, and anime videos.  I love looking at the art books, but they are quite expensive.  The costuming is mostly too small for me, but I did find a gorgeous copper colored corset at Timeless Trends and my husband got it for me!  Two corsets for my birthday!  I am so spoiled!  I bought myself a couple of small Re-ment boxes of tiny food and a tea service, indulging in one of my hobbies.  I also got some colored reflective lenses for my goggles.  We took the opportunity to eat away from the hotel for lunch.  By the time we got done, the con was basically over and the dealer’s room was closed.  We took a few pictures at the picturesque Sainte Claire hotel before heading back to the Doubletree.  We found Paul and Anina in the bar and we spent a pleasant while chatting.  A friend whisked us off to a Teppanyaki place for dinner.  Prawns!  Yum! Then back to the hotel bar to chat.  My loving husband had procured a red velvet cupcake for my birthday.  No candle, but they are really unnecessary, not to mention a fire hazard, after a certain age.  Ahem.

It was a wonderful way to spend a birthday weekend.  My thanks to the convention organizers for having me as fan guest of honor.  I was quite proud to be instrumental in the launch.  For a first year convention, there were some hiccups, as there always are, but it ran quite well on the whole.  The staff was friendly and responsive.  I expect great things from this convention in the years ahead.

The main problem was not the con itself but primarily the hotel food.  It’s a decent hotel, but it’s major flaw is that it has very little food within walking distance, if you don’t count Denny’s which I don’t.  There is a coffee shop, a coffee bar, a nice bar with a sushi bar in it and a pricey steak house all inside the hotel, but as they cater to mainly business clientele the offerings became less each day through the holiday weekend, making it very difficult on those of us without vehicles.   The bar menu shrunk by half its selection after the first day and the sushi bar is closed on Sunday.  Spencer’s was closed Sunday and Monday.  Sprig’s, the coffee shop was only open for breakfast and lunch.  There was supposed to be a “grab n go” for quick sandwiches and such, but the hotel decided not to run it all weekend after it didn’t do well enough the first day.  The coffee stand was open sporadically and the sundries shop ran out of many things fairly quickly.  We muddled through as best we could, but it was frustrating.

I think I would have possibly forgiven all of it if it wasn’t for Tuesday morning.  I was feeling quite run down from my cold so grabbing a coffee and pastry for breakfast didn’t seem like a good idea.  I needed a real breakfast to get through a day of travel.  We went to Sprig’s in the hotel since getting to Denny’s seemed a bit daunting.  The waitress waved us at a table but didn’t bring menus.  When she finally came over to help us, still not bringing menus, she said simply “buffet? implying it was easiest on her, so we shrugged and nodded tiredly.  She then quickly waved in that direction and muttered something about the hot buffet was not out.  Slow restaurant, she said and did we want eggs?  What kind?  Anything else?  We both said scrambled would be fine and bacon for him and sausage for me.  She left and eventually we got two plates of scrambled eggs and hot tea for Martin.  Martin went and got a bowl of fruit for us.  My drink was missed, but the busboy kindly brought me an iced tea. We never did get any meat.  As we finished the eggs she came and asked if we wanted potatoes, but we really didn’t want to wait around and eat in shifts.  This was beyond ridiculous.  I went and got a bowl of oatmeal.  I really wish she had just given us menus to begin with and told us they didn’t have a hot buffet that day.    Martin said he had difficulties with that particular waitress earlier in the weekend.   I find it odd because most of the staff was fantastic despite the issues.  The waitress in the bar was so good that we felt compelled to give her manager a compliment about her.  I do understand the economics of the situation, so I am not surprised, but it definitely negatively impacted my weekend.

There was a mishap with a transformer in downtown San Jose on Thursday night, that didn’t affect us.  The five hour power outage did cause problems for Fanime, but they soldiered on from what we heard.  It caused registration to get way behind and by far the most oft heard complaint was about registration and having to go to the convention center.  I know the organizers have heard this and are working hard to make it better next year.

 

The photo Gallery for the pictures taken by my husband is here.

 

As I said in my last post, it’s that time of year.  So many events to attend and the big question is “What to wear?”   Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy figuring out new outfits for steampunk events.  I may enjoy it a little too much, but that’s a different topic.  It’s just that I don’t really want to wear the same thing over and over.  Or at least not in exactly the same way.  Many of my steampunk clothes can be mixed and matched to make new outfits. I have been wanting to have a large gallery of all my outfits that I can view on one page.  Unfortunately my computer doesn’t seem inclined to help, so I played around with some photo storage sites.  I finally found one that would let me do it.  Photobucket’s albums lets you view an entire album on one page.  Go and see my daunting 61 outfits all on a page!  That isn’t even all my outfits, but I don’t have full length photos of all of them.  It gives me a good overview to make decisions from.

The other huge question is what will work for the particular environment?  Will it be all indoors?  Outdoors?  Will it be too warm?  Too cold?  Steampunk clothing is generally layered and so fairly warm, often too warm.  Hats, gloves, corsets, tights, boots and such will all add to the warmth.  It’s great for fall, but summer can be tricky.  So each event poses it’s own problems.   I am working up a few outfits that are a bit cooler, with lighter fabrics for the outdoor events, but I am never quite as happy with them.

As they say at the Adventurers’ Club “Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you, but always dress for the hunt!”

And then there’s what to take to a convention.  Travels a curse!  But that’s a post for next time.