Steamcon IV
Jägermonsters!
If you are stout of heart, click here to witness the rest of the horror.
SPG Cavalcadium Safari Day
Knowledgeable Natalie
To cavort through the cavalcadium with us, click here.
Comic Con 2012
It’s Them…in Sepia
To see more Comic Con steampunk sightings, click here.
San Diego Automotive Museum
Drake Dines Al Fresco
To see some of the actual exhibit, click here.
Gaslight Gathering 2012
LOSERS
For more disreputable miscreants, click here.
LoS Season Two Wrap Picnic
Eat, Drink, and Be Merry
To see if you can spot other familiar faces and places, click here.
Short Hiatus
We’ll be taking a short break from now until the end of January 2013 to catch up on other D&McT business including getting our Facebook page in order, posting all the bloops about 2012 events, and recording a demo for Krypton Radio. In case you haven’t seen it on their web page, Krypton Radio approached us about a radio series (link is here). We are very excited and are in the planning stages of recording voice, music, and background sound effects. Wish us well! This is a real-life adventure!
Folkestone
Fine China and Mimosas
To join our adventure to the English seaside, click here.
Comic Con Art 2012
To see the commissions, click here.
Tour of London
Thanks to Google Maps for Making this Bloop Possible
To read further about our London tour, click here.
Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum
We Did Our Best to Look a Bit More American
To read further about our visit to the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum, click here.
Milestones
But much like watching the odometer in your airship roll over to an interesting number, it’s a passing transition, a temporary fascination with digit-related repetition. We must continue on, telling the tales that must be told. Perils, in this case, in a postulated past.
How long, you might ask yourself, does it take to write 100 episodes? Well, we normally write an episode a week. By “normally” we mean that sometimes we just don’t always quite make it. Those pesky day jobs that pay the bills seem to get in the way periodically. So, the answer is that it took us 2 years, 1 month, 1 week, and 2 days. We started on July 5th, 2010 and finished yesterday. But that didn’t stop us from celebrating at the 2-year mark. Thanks to all our fan-friends who came out to help us celebrate by eating chocolate…yeah, we know, it’s a rough gig being our fans.
D&McT + Fan-friends + Eclipse Chocolat!
Her Royal Majesty's Steampunk Symposium
McTrowell at the Helm of the Queen Mary
To read further about Her Royal Majesty’s Steampunk Symposium, click here.
Steamcon III
The theme for Steamcon III was “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and I was incredibly impressed by how many of the attendees enthusiastically embraced the theme in their costumes.
Is That You, Captain Nemo?
To read further about Steamcon III, click here.
Steam Man Band
Just like last year, Steam Powered Giraffe is going to be performing four sets plus a meet & greet photo op daily at the San Diego Zoo starting June 23rd and running through September 3rd. We only managed to catch one of their performances last Summer, but we stuck around and got this epic pic.
D&McT + SPG
We’re hoping to make it out for a few more this Summer, including the day of our Second Anniversary Party.
By the way, check out SPG’s new video, “Automatonic Electronic Harmonics.” The production quality is fantastic. Look for hats/glasses/goggles changes. And even more than usual, the robots are really cranking out their robotic movements!
Our Second Anniversary
It’s been two years since we started writing Drake & McTrowell, July 5th to be precise. That sounds like as good an excuse for a party as I can think of (and I can think of lots of reasons to have parties). Drake and I are hosting a chocolate party for the San Diego steampunks and any other SoCal steampunks who feel like making the trip.
On Thursday, July 5th, we’re going to catch Steam Powered Giraffe’s last performance of the evening at the San Diego Zoo at 7:30 PM. We’re members of the San Diego Zoo and huge SPG fans, so what better way to start the evening. Please feel free to join us there if you’re so inclined. Please note: you’ll need to be members of the zoo or pay for daily admission to attend this part of the event.
We will thence decamp to Eclipse Chocolat at 8:30 PM. Our anniversary falls during their annual cupcake extravaganza, so Drake and I will be buying cupcakes and non-alcoholic drinks for all steampunks. Alcoholic drinks are also available for purchase as well as a multitude of amazing chocolate goodies.
Eclipse Chocolat
2121 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92104
Ph.# 619.578.2984
Here’s the really important bit: RSVP to sparky@drakeandmctrowell.com so Eclipse can be certain to have enough fresh cupcakes on hand.
New Logbook Entry: Alastar Hyde!
The latest entry is Alastar Hyde, another person photographed by Jerry Abuan at Gaslight Gathering 2. I have to mention (again) that Jerry is impressively omnipresent at almost all San Diego Steampunk events, snapping pictures. At Gaslight Gathering he took over 890 pictures! Well worth a look, I must say.
Alastar Hyde is a very interesting character, and definitely deserves to be in Chief Inspector Drake’s Logbook. The primary note regarding him is “Pleasant gentleman by day with a tendency towards sadistic pleasures after sunset.” Hmm.
Additional notes in the margin indicate “Alastar has traveled throughout the world and time, experiencing many adventures. He spent a significant amount of time in the Middle East while he was waiting for authorities in London to lose interest in certain incidents of violence and mayhem which may have been associated with his presence. During that time he traveled with a band of wandering musicians and performers, learning the ways of the Bedouin.” This is followed by a hand-drawn arrow down to a rare photo taken in some god-forsaken desert, showing Alastar himself standing in the back row of a motley band.
Incredible bit of evidence! See for yourself!
Want to add your character to the Logbook? Follow the directions on our Submitting and Terms of Use page. After it’s posted, your character will have its very own web page! A jolly good way to tell the world about your character.
Profiles in a Postulated Past
On the day we did Epcot, we discovered a silhouette artist in “France.” You may have noticed that silhouettes are making a comeback. I had always thought they sat you between a light and a blank wall, and used the shadow to create the outline. It turns out they have you sit in profile and cut out your silhouette free hand by just looking at you. What’s even more amazing is that we weren’t dressed as D&McT. We showed Bruno, the artist, a couple of pictures from our web page (love the iPhone) and he added all the costume details from that.
Bruno’s Handiwork
I especially love that he made my nose and chin a lot cuter than they really are.
The silhouettes are now featured in our little steampunk gallery at home, beautifully displayed using our victorian spring clips to hold them up.
Bludyanne Joins the Logbook
Jerry Abuan was the photographer for the Gathering, and has posted an excellent collection of his pics on his website (over 890 images). He has created a truly amazing gallery from the event, and it shows off his great eye for what makes an interesting shot. For example, take a gander at this.
Picture from Gaslight Gathering 2
We teamed up with Jerry and offered that we would add a Logbook of Intriguing and Noteworthy Persons entry for anyone that wanted a web page for their steampunk character. Please welcome our first taker, Bludyanne.
Due to Jerry’s fine work, we have five photographs in Bludyanne’s web page, a few of which show off the finer details of her attire.
I’ll be adding more entries to the Logbook soon!
Want to add your character to the Logbook? Follow the directions on our Submitting and Terms of Use page. After it’s posted, your character will have its very own web page! A jolly good way to tell the world about your character.
Comic Con 2011
Steampunk TARDIS Dress
To read further about Comic Con 2011, click here.
King of Indie Animation
But, I digress. He was also plugging his new book, Independently Animated: Bill Plympton. The deal was that if you went to his booth and bought a copy, he would sketch a quick cartoon of your choosing inside the front cover. Previous bloops have highlighted some of the drawings we’ve commissioned of D&McT. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have one by Bill Plympton, plus we got the awesome book too! I think we look a bit like the grandparents in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
D&McT ala Bill Plympton
First Anniversary
Mad Fondant Skills
To read further about our first anniversary, click here.
Gaslight Gathering 2011
With two and a half days of events, we got to try out a few costumes (although I confess to devolving to my limited-edition D&McT t-shirt for the end of the last day out of sheer exhaustion from wearing multiple layers). Like this one where I’m wearing my John Bull topper and the cool, purple leaf vest my mom made me, but no leather duster. (It gets really hot!) Drake proves that he has more fortitude than I by wearing his.
Oooo, McTrowell loves Drake
To read further about Gaslight Gathering 2011, click here.
Curses!: in Which Our Authors (Nearly) Achieve International Fame
To read further about our being extras for “Curses!”, click here.
Golden Gears
Okay, he had the CAD. But he also had the wax parts fabricated from their 3D printer. (Seriously, these guys are amazing designers!) Including, wait for it, the actual gears. The center of the gear with our faces is stabilized by the pin on the back. The outside of the gear turns…which turns three, tiny, gold gears in the back which counter rotate the bezel on the front holding the diamond!
And here are the results!
Mine, on the left, also has a fold-down bail so I can wear it on a chain. And then I had to have matching earrings. Too. Cute! I just have to remember to wear them in the correct ears so we’re not backwards.
Many thanks to Charles Koll Jewelers and their incredible designers.
Steampunk Croquet
Photo credit to The League of Gentleman Adventurers - May 2011
Inexplicably, we didn’t win. I think the fix was in. However, my wounded pride was considerably assuaged by the scrumptious repast and the perfectly executed kir royale. Oh yeah, I also got a story idea out of the whole affair. The tournament was the inspiration for an episode of D&McT, Pall Mall.
Steampunk Cufflinks
Lady Amethyst and Her Gentleman Admirer
At the masquerade ball, the adventurous pair met up with Lady Amethyst and her mysterious gentleman admirer. They had a grand time, discussing past exploits and madcap heroic deeds. Lady Amethyst was kind enough to allow her image to be captured for inclusion into the Chief Inspector’s The Logbook of Intriguing and Noteworthy Persons. Luck would have it that the mysterious gentleman’s likeness was also recorded!
Lady Amethyst and Her Gentleman Admirer
Sparky was thrilled to meet the noted crypto-zoologist. “I’ve read all of her published works!,” Sparky declared, “how wonderful it was to meet her!” View the new Logbook entry to acquire the particulars that Erasmus gathered about this couple.
Want to add your character to the Logbook? Follow the directions on our Submitting and Terms of Use page. After it’s posted, your character will have its very own web page! A jolly good way to tell the world about your character.
