Spark plugs, kitchen strainers, springs and other random metal parts come together into a ‘steampunk flea’ that looks like it could jump away at any second in this mechanical insect sculpture by Dimitry Valchev. The Bulgarian artist uses scrap metal to create a series of sculptures mimicking mosquitoes and other insects as well as flowers, birds and the Loch Ness monster.

Valchev uses all sorts of metal components in ways you wouldn’t expect to create representations of various creatures. One bird has spoons as feathers, while the ‘flower of time’ is full of working gears.

These creations are just a few examples of steampunk animal sculptures, which range from abstract wind-powered beasts to a realistic 36-foot-tall elephant that’s actually a vehicle.

Many think steampunk is a fad that will flare up and burn itself out quickly, as most fads do. If steampunk fans’ willingness to permanently ink themselves with steampunk themed tattoos is any indication, the appeal of steampunk will be lasting a lot longer than expected. From the simplest clockwork and gears, to complex depictions of Victorian era mecha, steampunk tattoos run the gamut from pretty decorations to mobile masterpieces. Here are 9 of the most intricate and gorgeous examples of steampunk style body art:

(Images via nickbaxter, jockeyjournal, kungdesign)

The melding of technology with nature is a common theme in steampunk, as the dream of Victorian technology is to create a cleanly powered utopia much different from the sooty, chugging urban areas of the time. There is no better way to display the melding of nature and machine than by displaying a gorgeous steampunk octopus, or the more symbolic lightbulb and skull pictured above. Another popular design is the mechanical arm, where one can become part machine, at least, visually.

(Images via acemicaylak, fatmeatisgreasy)

Some people like to make themselves resemble machines in a more visually arresting manner, via the appearance of torn skin mistakenly revealing the clockwork components within. The realism of these depictions can be stunningly three dimensional in appearance. These tattoos aren’t for the faint of heart, as they tend to upset the squeamish viewer, and require countless hours under the needle.

(Images via bodyartmaster, esper.art.br)

Clocks are a major symbol of the steampunk genre because of their intricate, scientific nature, and the fact that they manage to overcome their fragility by managing to work hour after hour, day after day. The endless variety of clock designs and their classy appearance allow one to express their aesthetic without shocking the casual observer.

(Images via brassgoggles, audramelissa, industrytattoo, livewodeadtime, steampunkfashion)

As the foundation piece for the steampunk aesthetic, cogs and gears are present in nearly every steampunk tattoo. Some individuals would rather stick with the core of steampunk by creating complicated scenes filled entirely with intricate machine parts. These are the purists.

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Cogs And Ink Steampunk Tattoo Designs That Wow

These creative technological inventions have a streak of steampunk, robots built into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical fantasy. Retro art, these modded vintage gadgets merge the modern day world with that of Jules Verne. Here is a sci-fi retro-vision with as many steampunk-kissed elements as we could find over a wide arrange of robot sculptures, somewhere between domo arigato Mr. Roboto and Kilroy. This was junk repurposed to a more grand design, constructed into steampunkesque robot art.

Robot Love and Professor Portly

(image credits:Reclaim2Fame,Will Wagenaar,Reclaim2Fame)

Awww, robot love. If you love robots, here is a mishmash of robots and robot-like sculptures with a steampunkesque flavor. Brenda and Commander Cupcake look cute together, but their creator says, “she will make his life a living hell. Brenda was born to be bad.” On the bottom is “Professor Portly, The Endlessly Curious Seeker Of Wisdom And Truth.” What is the truth about these robots? Tinkerers repurposed old parts, sometimes mixing technology, brass, clockwork, chrome and many other things into a Victorian mod theme of robot sculptures.

Guy + Gal + Bong = Baby Bot

(image credits:botinok,*eimhin)

What do you get when you have a guy robot and introduce him to a gal robot? Toss in a steampunked bong and tada, baby robot. All are handcrafted, from using paper to using bits and pieces of metal rescued from a trash heap. There are times when something that has been destroyed and discarded comes back in a stronger form and better than ever.

Woof

(image credits:willwagenaar)

This little dog is downright cute and requires no walking and no buying dog food. These robot-like sculptures take hours, weeks and sometimes even months to complete. Yet the end design can sometimes be playful like “Woof.”

Punked

(image credits:Gamma Infinity,dogboylovescake,Dark Roasted Blend,Tinkerbots)

Steampunky-inspired artists can put their incredible imaginations to work and produce science fiction magic. The robot angel comes complete with a halo, a bizarre combo. The apocalyptic robot on the upper right has leather, bronze and copper tubing with a straight-up steampunk style. Rust and gears are another popular steampunk style for robots. The robot sculpture “Vesuvius” on the bottom right is an assemblage robot.

Bot

(image credits:tinkerbot)

This little steampunk guy is “Dr. Hamilton Beach.” He comes complete with rivets, glasses, and gears. Nice touches to be sure, but a quick browse through Tinkerbot’s photostream and you will see many more steampunk little robots.

Robot Art

(image credits:Lawrence Northey’s Robot Art)

These whimsical free-standing robot sculptures are class ‘A’ cool. Creator Lawrence Northey collects odd bits of information about unexplained phenomena. He says they are something called “ooparts” – peculiar objects of an old scientific measure that somehow appear to be modern. With this out-of-time technology, Northey constructs a fantastic world of robot statues. Then he puts in 99% perspiration of the Edison equation variety. He sometimes spends weeks polishing each individual piece until he achieves the finishes he wants.

Boxy

(image credits:mrivamonte,Jeffrey Widen,Boing! Boing!)

These robots are a product of creative retro-vision, most made with antique parts. With such names as “Max, Edison and Benton,” their boxy bodies are very cool in a happy way like this is the kind of robot you want in the future interacting with your kids. Mike Rivamonte is the creator of most of these boxy bots and slew more on his site. The future meets the past with just a dash of The Time That Never Happened, robot-like spacemen capable of flight and mischief.

Steampunk Robotics

(image credits:hacknmod)

This little in-depth fella was created completely from vintage scraps. It is why every hacked mod, turned into a robot sculpture, is unique. The end result shows what one man, or woman, tosses out as nothing but junk can then land into the hands of a man who uncovers the treasure it was meant to be.

Retro Robots

(image credits:Dark Roasted Blend,nemomatic)

The robot on the left is shiny and it lights up, so we like it. On the right is a product of artist Nemo Gould. Gould’s creations “reflect the images and mythology of comic books and science fiction.”

Pirate

(image credits:Nathan Black)

This robot is titled: “Steampunk Robot Zombie Ninja Pirate Action Doll.” That is quite a great deal to live up to, but it is fully articulated and pose-able. He can be made to fish, to fight or just to snarl at the world. It is a metal creation by Matt Norris.

Wooden Steampunk-Styled Robot

(image credits:Michael T. Rea)

Michael T. Rea designed and built this life-sized steampunk-styled robot, mixing his science fiction idea with the reality of wood. Rea calls it “A Prosthetic Suit For Stephen Hawking.”

Reto Lego / Victorian / Steampunk

(image credits:V&A Steamworks)

This is an example of mixing steampunk style and Lego. It’s called, “Robot Tune Up Lab.” Click from the image credits to get a bigger view of all the detail of Tesla’s Workshop and little steampunked Lego men.

Cyborg, Clyclops, Clockwork

(image credits:dvice,Monstrphil,chig.sculpture,brazendevice)

On the top left is a foot-tall Steampunk Cylon sculpture. The robot at the top right is called a “Steampunk Mech.” It was made of all paper put together with glue, stands 11 inches tall, and it took about 30 hours to complete. On the bottom left is a Victorian robot, called “Pharos Cyclops.” The robot on the bottom right is tagged as Neo-Victorian and clockwork. It is titled, “Steampunk Robot Clockwork Man 2.”

Steampunk Robot Art

(image credits:bowlofserial)

Steampunk robot art is sometimes paper carefully crafted, glued and spray-painted. At other times, these sci-fi robots are digitally created with masterful results.

Other Mechanical Robotish

(image credits:Chase Studio,Steampunk Lab,Insect Lab Studio,Dark Roasted Blend)

Clockwork spiders seem to be a popular creature in the robot sculpture culture, but elephants are very rare. That unusual elephant sculpture was made with reclaimed materials, sculptured by Andrew Chase. It weighs about 110 pounds and took about 100 hours to build. It is made out of auto transmission parts, electrical conduit, plumbing pipe and 20 gauge cold-rolled steel. Even the ears move. The 4 inch tarantula is made with brass and steel gears, parts, and springs.

Assorted Oddness

(image credits:Stephane Halleux,technospinach,hollergram,dvice)

Stehpane Halleux blends cartoons and steampunk style for her creations such as the alien robot sculpture. Tinkerers toil away the hours and then add that kiss of steampunk to their sculptures. Best of all is that most are made from recycled “junk.” The end products range from cylons made from copper and brass to little bots made of leather and metal.

Large Scale Representative

(image credits:nemomatic)

The “Representative” is a large scale robot figure with a Victorian accent. It was created for a film called “Land of Lost” by Nemo Gould aka nemomatic. Gould crafted his robot from a boat motor, film editing machine, grill, lamps, golf caddy cart, oven pan, vacuum cleaners, bike wheel, motorcycle parts, garlic presses, teapot, typewriter, tape deck, motors, LED lights, microphone, and speakers. It’s not only cool, but also a masterpiece of repurposed parts.

Steampunkesqu Aqua Explorers

(image credits:Stephane Halleux,Builders Studio)

Some steampunk flavored “robots” are created for underwater adventures. Again we visit an amazing steampunk cartoonish robot by animator and sculptor Stephane Halleux. “Retro Tech” is what the bottom left is tagged. It is called “BIG FISH Walker Biped ExAqua Exploratory Copper Machine Vehicle All Wood Replica Statue.”

Steampunk is the mating of technology and romance, breeding some of the most wickedly cool gadget’s and art you’ve ever seen. It’s cool and brass-clad sexy. With a post apocalyptic type of rebellion, Steampunk enthusiast mod almost everything you can imagine and then some. This amazing urban art movement was birthed on the Internet, so it’s no wonder hi-tech hardware hackers are romancing technology with a Victorian passion, yearning for the aesthetic realm of The Time That Never Happened; Steampunk – where the future meets the past. Here are some of the slickest mods, 26 sexy Steampunk art and hi-tech hacks.

Mouse, USB, RSS Feed

(image credits:ilovecandid,forum modding,geeky gadgets,Steampunk Workshop)

The top two are fully functional modded mice, each is a one of a kind shiny handcrafted brass wonder. The USB drive holds 2GB of storage, but if you take this slick stick to work and someone tries to walk off with it, the vintage look with copper and brass gears, pipes, and bolts will make whoever uses it stand out in a crowd. RSS feeds, are you addicted to them? At one historic time, people were addicted to news coming hot off the telegraph. The shiny yet vintage telegraph machine is reborn as an RSS feed gadget.

Monitor & Keyboard

(image credit:DataMancer)

The Datamancer is an expert in steampunk-style technology. He is a Master of Mod. The 22″ widescreen LCD frame is solid 1/4-inch brass that was sanded and polished to a high shine. The base is a modernized remake of brass and black marble. The keyboard is a mixture of Neo-Victorianism and brass hi-tech.

Steampunk Flat Panel

(image credits:Steampunk Workshop)

Jake von Slatt is another computer mod icon on the steampunk stage. This Steampunk Desktop has a base made to look like marble. His hardware hacks to this flat panel LCD include knobs, gold painted pieces and plenty of brass.  For more retro-tech goodness, he added a brass keyboard and kerosene lamp. Jake von Slatt operates the Steampunk Workshop where you can find step-by-step directions to turn your computer into Victorian style and the Age of Scientific Wonders.

Victorian All-in-One PC

(image credits:steampunk workshop)

In this mod, Jake von Slatt researched Victorian era stages and discovered they were approximately 4:3 aspect ratio – the 16:9 wide-screen ratio from the cinema. He coated the 24″ wide screen monitor base with black spray lacquer and topped the supports off with some pieces of a brass chandelier. Then he fashioned monitor curtains for the stage on the frame. Finally, he completed the Victorian All-in-One PC which has Kubuntu 7.10  (Gutsy Gibbon) installed and is fit for the office of Queen Victoria.

DataMancer’s Steampunk Laptop

The Datamancer reached out to millions over the Internet with this Victorian laptop mod. With this hack, he converted unknown masses to the aesthetic realm of Steampunk. This mod is so cool, yet it’s steamy hot. Who knows? The Datamancer’s next mod might be so hot that the heat wave will hit and crack your hard drive.

More Steampunk Computers

(image credits:portal23,Boston Globe,DataMancer)

More and more people crank out fabulous Steampunk fabrications. At top left, that computer was named Windows Vista 1907. Yet the top right computer is a blend of science fiction and industry in a piece called The ElectriClerk, fashioned from a 1988 Macintosh SE computer, a c.1923 Underwood typewriter, and a fresnel lens by Andrew H. Leman. The Victorian looking jewelry box is another laptop mod by Datamancer.

Cell Phone

(image credits:Slash Gear,Slash Gear,don pezzano,savas place)

Even cell phones have not escaped the aesthetic realm of Steampunk. These are made from recycled materials, vintage gears, old iron and other metals. The top two cells phones are from Russia with love. The workmanship on all four mobile phones make these modded gadgets a hot item. The bottom right phone was created from a Nokia, back when it was boring and not yet a symbol of grandiose invention.

Masks

(image credits:Tom Banwell)

The incredibly talented Tom Banwell dabbled in a variety of media, before his one of kind talents and interests combined the arts of history, costuming, mechanics, and fantasy. He admits to being wildly creative with his leatherwork. On the top left is Banwell’s Pachydermos mask, followed by Sentinel, Underground Explorer on the bottom left, and the Fire Master mask.

Electric Skull

(image credit:Donovan Design 2009)

Known for many Steampunk designs, Art Donovon created The Electric Skull for The Museum of Oxford Steampunk Art Exhibition. Donovan made this 27″ tall, comprised of solid brass, light, glass, and acrylic. The fact he is also handy with the craft of electric skills no doubt helped make this glowing skull gadget an extremely slick mod.

Gadgets & Robots

(image credits:brute force leather,Stephanie Halleux,Molly Friedrich)

The trio above were fashioned for The Museum of Oxford Steampunk Art Exhibition. The large leather robot was created by Stephanie Halleux, only one of her leather robot masterpieces. If you visit the exhibition, going on now at Oxford University, you can view Amanda Scrivener’s Lord Featherstone’s Clockwork Arm up close and personal. The bottom right is a creation from Molly “Porkshanks” Friedrich. She states, “I also lavish attention to detail and try to imbue each item with a narrative of some sort so that it feels more like an artifact from another place and time.”

Steampunk Art

(image credit: Kris Kuksi)

Kris Kuksi’s art speaks of a timelessness, of potentiality and motion attempting to reach on forever, and “yet pessimistically delayed; forced into the stillness of death and eternal sleep.” He themes his art to teach us “that although death may pursue us arbitrarily, we should never neglect to mourn the tremendous loss of individual potential.” This art is entitled, Caravan Assault Appearatus.

Steampunk Motorcycle

This is Tom Sepe’s Steampunk Motorcycle on BRINK TV. This electric motorcycle gives off steam like a piece of the past mixing with a moment of time from the future.

1896 Steam Motorcycle

Pete’s Garage presents “1896 Steam Motorcycle.”

If all this retro-futurism has left you yearning for more from the realm of Steampunk, check back next week for sexy as sin Steampunk artistic designs.