• 60 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Steampunk Drawing Ideas

Three steampunk subjects per press, each with what is riveted, what turns or where the steam leaves.

Steampunk Drawing Ideas

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  1. Steam elephant with a funnel on its backPlates bolted at every joint and a trunk of nested rings. The steam leaves by the funnel behind the head.
  2. Clockwork cat with a pendulum tailThe tail swings from a pin like a clock's pendulum. The whiskers are wires and the chest holds a dial.
  3. Airship with a riveted cabin and a propeller at the sternA long balloon in rope netting, the cabin slung below. The steam leaves by a thin funnel behind it.

Next step Invent a machine of your ownStudy the real animal first

All 60 ideas

Gears and gauges 12

  • Clock dial with a window cut to show the works Behind the window, gears of different sizes share axles. Ring the dial with a row of small rivets.
  • Compass with extra dials set into its face One needle is not enough here. Nest three small dials in the face and frame it with a ring of screws.
  • Control panel of dials, levers and one big brass wheel Give every dial a needle at a different reading. Steam escapes from one loose joint in the corner.
  • Fly-ball governor spinning on its shaft Two brass balls on hinged arms. The faster the shaft turns, the higher and wider the balls swing.
  • Hourglass in a riveted brass frame with a crank Three pillars and two plates hold the glass. A side crank turns the whole frame over on its axle.
  • Key whose round end is a small cog The bow of the key is a gear with a hole for the ring. Run a line of tiny rivets down the shaft.
  • Pocket watch with its back plate open Show the toothed escape wheel and the rocking piece that lets it move on one tooth at every tick.
  • Pressure gauge with its needle in the red A round brass case, a glass face and a scale that ends in a red zone. Bolt it to a pipe with a hex nut.
  • Row of valve wheels on copper pipes The pipes bend at right angles, with a flange and four bolts at each joint. Every wheel has five spokes.
  • Steam whistle on a boiler pipe A brass tube stands over a slot in the pipe. The steam leaves sideways in a hard white jet, then billows.
  • Three wheels joined by leather drive belts Flat belts loop from one big wheel to two small ones. Add a row of stitches where each belt is joined.
  • Wall of meshed brass gears in three sizes The teeth must interlock. Where two gears touch they turn opposite ways, so pencil in arrows to check.

Goggles, hats and gloves 12

  • Arm brace with two sliding pistons Two rods slide in sleeves along the forearm. The steam leaves from a small valve at the elbow.
  • Backpack of folded canvas wings and a small boiler The ribs fold like an umbrella's, with patched canvas between. The boiler vents up between the shoulders.
  • Bowler hat with a wind-up key in its side Round crown, short brim. The key turns above the ear, and three small gears ride on the hatband.
  • Brass goggles with a flip-down magnifier Round lenses in riveted cups and a leather strap with a buckle. A third lens swings on a hinge over one eye.
  • Leather flying helmet with a brass speaking tube Stitched leather panels with a fleece edge. A curved tube runs from the mouth to one ear flap.
  • Leather glove with hinged brass finger joints Each joint is a tiny hinge held by two rivets. Strap a watch face to the back of the hand.
  • Monocle on a jointed brass arm The lens hangs from a headband on three hinged links, like a desk lamp. Every link ends in a screw.
  • Parasol with gears at its hub and copper ribs The ribs meet at a ring of small gears. Lace on the edge, a brass tip, and a handle like a valve wheel.
  • Tall boots with brass toe caps and five buckles Five straps up the side, each with its buckle. Rivet the toe cap in an arc and plate the heel.
  • Tool belt hung with pouches, vials and a spyglass Wide leather with a square brass buckle. Each pouch closes on a stud and the spyglass hangs from a ring.
  • Top hat with goggles on the band and a dial in the crown Tall crown, curled brim. A small gauge is set into the front and a thin pipe vents steam at the top.
  • Vest with a watch chain and a watch half out of its pocket Draw the torso only: buttons, a looped chain and the watch tilted so the gears in its back show.

Airships and vehicles 12

  • Airship with a riveted cabin and a propeller at the stern A long balloon in rope netting, the cabin slung below. The steam leaves by a thin funnel behind it.
  • Diving bell on a chain with a hand winch A riveted dome with one round window. The chain runs up to the winch and air bubbles leave at the rim.
  • High-wheel bicycle with a boiler behind the saddle One huge front wheel and one small rear. The boiler is a riveted drum whose funnel puffs backward.
  • Hot-air balloon with a brass basket and a telescope A patchwork envelope over a burner built of pipes and one valve wheel. Bolt the telescope to the rim.
  • Locomotive with oversized gears and a tall funnel Rivet every seam of the boiler. Rods link the wheels; smoke leaves the funnel and steam leaves by the wheels.
  • Paddle steamer with twin smokestacks A big side wheel of flat paddles turns in a riveted housing. Each funnel has a crown-shaped top.
  • Pedal-powered glider with canvas bat wings Wings on jointed brass ribs, a crank and chain under the seat, and a rudder shaped like a fish tail.
  • Riveted submarine with a propeller for a tail Riveted plates overlap like scales. Brass portholes down each side, and bubbles leave the vents.
  • Rocket built like a boiler, with a ship's hatch Bands of rivets ring the hull. The door is a round hatch with a wheel lock, and the fins are plated.
  • Roller skates with a tiny piston on each side Brass wheels and leather straps. A piston runs along each skate and a puff of steam leaves at the heel.
  • Sailing ship lifted by two balloons A wooden hull with gears along the keel. Each balloon is tied on with eight ropes; propellers replace oars.
  • Steam carriage with no horse A coach body on big spoked wheels, with a boiler where the horse would be. The driver steers by a tiller.

Clockwork animals 12

  • Brass beetle with wing cases open on hinges Pack small gears under the open cases. Six jointed legs, each with a screw at the knee.
  • Brass snail with a gear-toothed shell The shell is a spiral edged with teeth and turned by a tiny key. The body is riveted in bands.
  • Clockwork butterfly with glass-paned wings The wing veins are brass wire with colored panes between. The body is three small cylinders bolted in a row.
  • Clockwork cat with a pendulum tail The tail swings from a pin like a clock's pendulum. The whiskers are wires and the chest holds a dial.
  • Clockwork hummingbird at a brass flower Each wing is a fan of thin blades turning on a hub. The beak is a needle, and a spring coils in the chest.
  • Clockwork owl with gears for eyes Each eye is a gear inside a ring. The feathers are overlapping brass plates, and a key turns in its back.
  • Mechanical fish with hinged scales The scales are riveted plates. The tail fans out on three rods, and one porthole shows the gears inside.
  • Mechanical horse with a piston at every leg A rod and sleeve at each knee, a mane of copper wire. The steam leaves by the nostrils.
  • Mechanical octopus with pipe arms Each arm is a chain of short tubes with a ring at every joint. The head is a riveted diving helmet.
  • Steam elephant with a funnel on its back Plates bolted at every joint and a trunk of nested rings. The steam leaves by the funnel behind the head.
  • Wind-up mouse with a key and a spring tail Split the body with a seam and five rivets. Wheels in place of feet; the tail is one curled spring.
  • Wind-up songbird in a cage with a crank The crank on the base turns a rod up the middle. The bird's beak and tail are hinged to move with it.

Machines for small jobs 12

  • Boot polisher with two spinning brushes Round brushes on a belt drive, turned by a hand wheel. A riveted tray below catches the polish.
  • Candle snuffer on an extending scissor arm Crossed bars fold out like a trellis. A brass cone at the far end, two finger rings at the near end.
  • Clock that feeds the cat at six A dial with one peg at six. The hour hand trips a lever, a hatch opens and the bowl below fills.
  • Egg cracker with a tiny hammer A turning cam lifts the hammer and lets it drop. One chute takes the shell and another takes the egg.
  • Hat-tipping spring worked by a cord A spring under the crown lifts the hat when a cord is pulled. Show the cord running down a sleeve.
  • Letter-sealing press that stamps wax A lever brings a stamp down on its spring. A small flame warms the wax pot; rivet the base plate.
  • Page turner worked by a foot pedal The pedal pulls a cord and the cord swings a padded finger. Bolt it to a book stand at four corners.
  • Pencil sharpener as big as a sewing machine Far too much machine for the job: a flywheel, a treadle and a brass funnel for one curl of shavings.
  • Plant-watering can on a clockwork arm The can tips on its pivot each time a pendulum swings past. Copper pipe to the pot, with one valve wheel.
  • Self-stirring teaspoon with a wind-up key The spoon hangs from a gear over the cup. What turns: one key at the side and a spring you can see.
  • Tea-pouring arm on a brass stand A jointed arm tips the pot when a weight drops. The steam leaves by the spout and by one tiny valve.
  • Toast-buttering machine A row of small rollers carries the toast under a knife on a crank. The butter dish slides in on a rail.

How it works

Steampunk imagines the future as the 19th century might have built it: steam power, polished brass, leather and gears left on show. These 60 keep that look, from an open-backed pocket watch to a clock that feeds the cat.

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Real mechanisms to borrow

Three items in Gears and gauges are real mechanisms, drawn as they work: a fly-ball governor, a pocket watch's escapement and a wall of meshed gears. Get those right and the invented machines around them look as if they could run.

Rivets, joints and steam

Draw metal as plates, with a row of rivets wherever two plates meet. Give every moving part a hinge, a rod or a key. Then decide where the steam leaves: a funnel, a whistle, a loose valve.

  • Hold the palette to brass yellow, copper orange and leather brown, with black for the shadows.
  • Draw a gear as two circles first. Mark the teeth between them, evenly, before you darken any.

Questions and answers

What makes a drawing look steampunk?

Old-fashioned shapes with their workings on show: top hats and bowler hats, goggles, pocket watches, airships. Nothing is sleek or hidden. If a part moves, the drawing shows what moves it.

What is an easy steampunk thing to draw?

Key whose round end is a small cog, Pressure gauge with its needle in the red, or Brass goggles with a flip-down magnifier. Each is a few circles, finished with rivets or a bolt.

How do I draw a steampunk animal?

Clockwork animals holds 12. Start from the real animal's outline, then swap parts: plates for feathers or scales, a spring for a tail, gears for eyes, a wind-up key in the back.

Where can I get a steampunk character to draw?

Steampunk character ideas deals a person: a role, an outfit, something carried and a tell. This list is the things around them: gauges, hats, airships, clockwork animals and small machines.

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