I don't do this enough: create pieces strictly in the name of fun. This piece below was a request from a friend. The idea? Create a piece based off old recruitment posters of the 17th and 18th century, only with a steampunk twist. Here's the
example shown to me, however I proceeded to look further online to find similar pieces to use as ideas. Now, I admit, I have no experience drawing detailed steam ships of the 17th and 18th centuries. I honestly would not know where to begin. So, at the request of my friend, he suggested I use the ship in this scanned
lithograph and make some modifications to it: firstly, that flag had to go and fly the colors of the
Grand Union flag. Next, the litho needed to look like it had seen better days on aged parchment paper. with a little fudging, removing any color and switching to a custom sepia tone, I came up with a custom graphic for the ship. I went in search of a random parchment paper texture, since I don't currently have the materials to create my own, I came across artist,
caminopalmero. Her textures are subtle and easy to use for the purpose of this free project.
The textual layout was most important. Odd spacing and kerning, unusual punctuation, multiple font usage, and a lot of information needed to grace the page. After about six or seven modifications, the text finally laid exactly where required. The result? A poster fit for the upcoming crew of the Narwhal.
