Los Angeles Artist Turns To Kickstarter To Help Fund His SteamPunk Robot Illustrated Book
Barry McWilliams, a Los Angeles creative director and designer, has created a delightful story about a steampunk robot flower-delivery company from the turn of the 20th century, and he’s turning to online community fundraising giant Kickstarter.com for a boost.
The illustrated narrative will come in the form of a keenly disguised catalog titled The Wrylon Robotical Illustrated Catalog of Botanical ‘Bots. The title alone is worth kicking him a few dollars. It tells the story of a robotics company that specializes in flower delivery but, charmingly, the robots only deliver one flower at a time. The illustrations out of the catalog are pure steampunk style, mixing robotic technology with old-fashioned appeal. Check out the Kickstarter video below:
McWilliams needed only $5,500 to complete his goal and luckily he has already exceeded brought in $5,901, and with 24 days still to go in the fundraiser time limit. According to McWilliams, the book is 90% finished but he only needs the additional funds to get the book printed. He’s planning on selling the book for only $24, which would be a loss, but McWilliams seems to be more concerned with getting his book into people’s hands rather than making a profit. He plans for The Wrylon Robotical Illustrated Catalog of Botanical ‘Bots to be ready for his Kickstarter backers in December 2012. There is no word on if and when the book will be available to the public.
McWilliams’ work as a creative director and designer can be seen in title sequences, network graphics, and advertising campaigns for MTV, NBC, Fox, Sundance Channel, G4, and ABC. He’s been working on this book during nights and weekends throughout the last year. You can find his work at his website SketchyRobots.com.
