getting my AfroSteamPunk on...

One of the commissions I have on my desk is for the author and indie publisher Dazjae Zoem (Maji, Purple Magazine), who has written several articles for my magazine GhettoManga Quarterly. Dazjae champions the cause of underrepresented cultures in her fiction and non-fiction writing, and commissioned me to do a piece for her based on characters from her epic Steampunk fantasy, Wonderdark.
In Dazjae's words, Wonderdark is "an Afro-Asiatic Steampunk/FaeryPunk/Afropunk meets plant-eating
(and in some cases of Anansi-kind: bookeating) tradition of thought-craft and Higher-lense opting."

so, yeah... I had to do some research! LOL! I have been mildly interested in Steampunk for awhile. the fashion and technology reminds me of hip hop (stay with me) in the way it breaks things down, takes what it wants, and moves on with a straight face... like when a deejay samples a song and the emcee writes a new song that is totally irrelevant to the intent and/or subject matter of the original (sometimes even at cross purposes).

anyways, I looked at a lotta photos, but I drew these doodles off the top of my head without reference using a ballpoint pen. It's a good way to get a feel for the material. the polished drawing at the top is based on characters in Dazjae's writing. It will be part of a larger piece I'm working on, and will be tweeked and adjusted according to her specifications. so if you are a frequent reader on this blog, you'll see him again!
peace,
-samax
Ziontific.com