In the art of tattooing, some topics do not lose their relevance for years and decades. But for something new, the road is always open. Speaking of steampunk, it’s hard to decide whether to attribute it to the new school or whether it is already worthy of the title of “classic tattoo”. Steampunk appeared not so long ago, but it seems that becoming a fleeting trend is not his fate. He took shape in an independent direction, overgrown with many wonderful sketches and opened the world several new names of talented artists.
Origins of style
The word "steampunk" was invented by science fiction writers in the 80s of the last century. It denoted an alternative course of reality in which the scientific world chose not digital technologies and cybernetics, but steam mechanics, as a result of which the development of progress went a completely different way.
From literature, this word quickly penetrated into art, including cinema. And already from there leaked into the sphere of a tattoo. Steampunk traded the fourth dozen, but still looks unbroken and fresh.
Closest relatives
Steampunk has some things in common with other tattoo styles. Much has been transferred to him from biomechanics. The difference is that mechano-bio uses images of real, really existing mechanisms, microcircuits, power nodes, and its characters are mostly fictional living creatures. Steampunk neglects the postulates of biology and physics, giving life to both fictional (or long-obsolete) mechanisms and animals.
There are similarities with cyber punk, in contrast to which he was once coined. You can find some similarities with high-tech. However, both of these styles, unlike steampunk, preach just the same development of modern science with its digital technologies. The steampunk tattoo style at this time selflessly revels in the romance of the 20s of the last century.
Style traits
Steam boilers, levers, clockworks, monocles, factory chimneys and much more have found a place in the steampunk style. Tattoos are often portrayed by amazing insects and animals, partially mechanized. The combination of wildlife and mechanisms is characteristic of this style. Only in contrast to the high-tech steampunk-style biorobot, it moves not due to the work of electronics and microchips, but thanks to the mechanics.
All this is combined with the actual fashion of a hundred years ago with its lace, velvet, tournaments, gloves, corsets and guipure half masks. Add to this a few pearls, dragonfly wings, gears and bolts - and you get a steampunk tattoo style in all its glory.