The Steampunk Meme Logbook

A brass-bound record of chaos, corsets, and commentary.

Tag: Horacio

A digital painting in the style of Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" features a detailed, realistic steampunk goat named Horaciao. The goat is wearing A duller coloured costume than the original painting, including the headscarf and the famous pearl earring from his left ear. The goat is draped in a dark steampunk brown backdrop, looking over its shoulder at the viewer against a dark, featureless background, with soft light illuminating its face from the left. The image blends the classic painting's aesthetic with steampunk and animal art.

Horaciao the Goat with a Pearl Earring: A Steampunk Homage to a Masterpiece.

By

On August 11, 2025

In Parodies homages & fan art

A digital painting in the style of Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" features a detailed, realistic steampunk goat named Horaciao. The goat is wearing A duller coloured costume than the original painting, including the headscarf and the famous pearl earring from his left ear. The goat is draped in a dark steampunk brown backdrop, looking over its shoulder at the viewer against a dark, featureless background, with soft light illuminating its face from the left. The image blends the classic painting's aesthetic with steampunk and animal art.
The earlier version I was after, but me and the automaton had a falling out. But all is well now, I think.

“This creative homage breathes new life into Johannes Vermeer’s 17th-century masterpiece by blending its timeless elegance with the retro-futuristic style of steampunk.” -The Steampunk Meme Logbook.

#steampunkstuff #homage #GOAT #goatwithapearlearing #girlwithapearlearring #johnnesvermeer #vermeer #goggles #headscarf #pearl #earings #pearlearrings

Assisted by Automaton Improvisation.

Facebook, 11th August 2025.

A digital painting in the style of Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" features a detailed, realistic steampunk goat named Horaciao. The goat is wearing an elaborate leather and brass contraption with multiple lenses, similar to goggles, on its head. It also wears a single, luminous pearl earring from its left ear. The goat is draped in a dark garment with a blue and gold headdress, looking over its shoulder at the viewer against a dark, featureless background, with soft light illuminating its face from the left. The image blends the classic painting's aesthetic with steampunk and animal art.

In a fascinating fusion of classic art and modern subculture, the iconic “Girl with a Pearl Earring” has been re-imagined as “Horaciao the Steampunk Goat.” This creative homage breathes new life into Johannes Vermeer’s 17th-century masterpiece by blending its timeless elegance with the retro-futuristic style of steampunk.

The original painting is celebrated for its masterful use of light and shadow, the subject’s captivating gaze, and the striking simplicity of her attire, highlighted by the luminous pearl earring. In this re-interpretation, the essence of the original is preserved while introducing a whimsical and inventive twist. Horaciao, the goat, stands in for the girl, his natural form adorned with steampunk elements. The pearl earring remains a central feature, its classic beauty contrasting with the intricate brass goggles and cogs that are now part of the subject’s headwear.

This artistic project is a brilliant example of how classic works can continue to inspire and evolve, proving that art knows no bounds—not even those between a Dutch master and a whimsical steampunk goat. It invites us to see the familiar in a new light, celebrating the enduring appeal of the original while showcasing the boundless creativity of a modern artistic movement.

Two earlier darts of the goat with the pearl earring.
Two earlier darts of the goat with the pearl earring.

Sepia-toned steampunk illustration of an ornate brass printing press labeled ‘Automaton Improvisation,’ with steam plumes rising from its pipes, printing a picture of a kraken. In the background, faint images of a cat in goggles and a goat in a waistcoat are visible among large gears and pipes

Behind the Brass Curtain: The Not-So-Magical Secrets of Automaton Improvisation.

By

On August 9, 2025

In Behind the Gears

“Does a magician reveal his secrets? No… but a steampunk meme engineer might, provided you bring biscuits.”

The question arrives almost every week:

“What AI generator did you use?”

Some people expect a single, glorious answer — a mysterious name whispered by candlelight, perhaps engraved on a brass plaque.

But here’s the truth: there is no single secret key to the Meme Forge.

Alt text: "Sepia-toned steampunk workshop scene with a Victorian inventor polishing a brass clockwork camera, surrounded by three waistcoated cats wearing goggles, while a goat in a suit chews on an instruction manual amid large gears, pipes, and steam."

The Illusion

I like to pretend my creations are handcrafted in a great ironwork hall — gears turning, pipes hissing, and a grumpy goat named Horacio chewing on the instruction manual. In this fantasy workshop, waistcoated cats supervise while Jenkins polishes the lens on a clockwork camera.

That’s the magic my audience sees. And it’s all true… in spirit.

The Actual Tools

The real “machinery” behind Automaton Improvisation?

  • ChatGPT (that would be this delightful conversational partner you’re reading through now — usually the free version).
  • Gemini (tried on occasion when feeling experimental — again, mostly free).
  • Canva (serviceable for final touches, though its AI image engine… well, let’s just say Horacio could do better with a box of crayons).

And that’s it. No secret paid-up elite membership to an arcane AI society. Just tools you can open in your browser right now.

A blu lit computer chip on a cercit board.

The Real Secret

It isn’t about which generator you click.

It’s about knowing what to tell it, and what to do afterwards.

Over time, I’ve learned to:

  1. Write prompts in my own steampunk dialect (and make the AI play along).
  2. Refine ideas until they feel like they belong in my meme universe.
  3. Keep a consistent cast of recurring characters — Jenkins, Horacio, the brass-goggled cats.
  4. Let the tools “train me” as much as I train them.

That, and a steady supply of tea.

If You Want to Try It Yourself

You can! Here are my brass-polished beginner tips:

  • Don’t chase one perfect tool — most are 80% the same; it’s your input that makes them sing.
  • Save good prompts so you can reuse and tweak them.
  • Think like a storyteller, even for single-image memes.
  • Keep your own style — AI can imitate anyone, but only you can be you.
An improvise touch screen fureristic computer display with a sutied sleve, shirt cuff, abd pointing finger operating it. The cation says It's how you use it.

Why I’m Telling You This

Because the magic isn’t in hiding the method — it’s in making people feel the world you’ve built.

And if reading this gives you the itch to try your own creations, then I’ve done my job.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, Horacio is eating the blueprint for next week’s memes. Again.

Automaton Improvisation by John Watkins — where the gears turn, the tea brews, and the Kraken occasionally fits in your pocket.

Sepia-toned steampunk illustration of an ornate brass printing press labeled ‘Automaton Improvisation,’ with steam plumes rising from its pipes, printing a picture of a kraken. In the background, faint images of a cat in goggles and a goat in a waistcoat are visible among large gears and pipes
Automaton improvisation unit allowing me to do my stuff.

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