Flying Your Colors Vs. Nose Art

[justinkase]

I have been in Medieval recreation for over 15 years, and have always been a big fan of Steampunk, but only recently have decided that I need to get more heavily involved in this genre (I.e. I need to make an outfit and go out into the public world and show my love for the subject.)

This has lead me to find that some of my friends also have the love for the subject and are willing to join me in my endeavor and create an Pirate Air Ship Crew.

And with this I am in the design mood.  My outfit is the first of my problem, but advice for that will have to be on a different thread.

This thread is asking for advice about my airship.  The few members of the crew have agreed upon a name, The Persephone, after the Greek goddess of the underworld and the spring, now here is where I am running into a problem.

I am a pirate and have always felt that a ship's colors (Flag) represented what you wanted the world to know your ship represented, and I am of two minds about the Persephone's colors.

The first idea is to have a more traditional pirate flag to try to invoke fear into our adversaries.  I wanted to incorporate a skull (because we are pirates, and skulls is kind of mandatory in our decorating schemes), and also a pomegranate (tying the Persephone mythology into the idea).  I found in my many heraldry books a historic representation of a bursting pomegranate and changed the design slightly to come up with the following

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The skull would be white, petals and stem would be green, background black, pomegranate seeds and blood/juice drop would be deep red.

The other idea I had goes a little later period than Steampunk is commonly known for (turn of the 20th century).  I had an idea of creating a airship nose art (made popular during WWII around the 1940s) instead of the normal flag. 

I was going to draw a pinup version of the Greek goddess straddling an airship (it would be my take on the old pinup girl straddling a rocket), maybe with a pomegranate in her hand.

So I thought I would put the feeler out there, what do you think.  Should the symbol of the Persephone be the flag above, or should I continue with my idea of some Steampunk Nose Art?

[von Corax]

I believe that traditionally, your Colours would identify the group of which you are a member, while your nose art would identify you as a distinct member of that group.

Also, traditionally, a pirate ship's Colours uniquely identified the Captain who commanded her, which (with the exceedingly rare exception of those Captains who had managed to accumulate a fleet) would make the ship the entirety of the group to which she belonged, and thus the one and only distinct member of that group.

As I see it, it would be entirely reasonable for you to produce one version of your design suitable for display as a flag, and another version of the same design which could be painted across the nose of your airship.

Hope that helps,

Prof. Darwin P. von Corax

PS: Adorn the nose — that's the term for which I was groping!

[Captain Carne]

I would do both!

My reasoning =

Like on the nose of a aeroplane and on the bow of a ship the artwork there isnt that of the insignia of the country / regiment that it follows.

And it would be silly if you had a women on the side of the building hence flag would be better, but i dont see why you cant use both? 

[justinkase]

Von Coran and Capt Carne,  thanks for the reply.  you both make very good points.

I think I will look into both.  The flag to help identify us to other Airship crewes when we are at events and such (as we can never seem to find a parking spot for the Persephone), and maybe the Nose art for the web page we building, Shirts, badges, etc.

Thanks again for the feedback.  When we finish the nose art I will be sure to post it.

[Captain Carne]

Von Coran and Capt Carne,  thanks for the reply.  you both make very good points.

I think I will look into both.  The flag to help identify us to other Airship crewes when we are at events and such (as we can never seem to find a parking spot for the Persephone), and maybe the Nose art for the web page we building, Shirts, badges, etc.

Thanks again for the feedback.  When we finish the nose art I will be sure to post it.

^_^ no problem, so you have a big crew or is it just afew of you?

Also if any other ships join your fleet, it means they can have the same flag and have what ever art the captain of that ship may want on his/her nose cone and ship.

[Vienna Fahrmann]

 
    Chuckle-before I realized that this was an airship thread, the title "Nose Art" gave me an interesting visual image...

     Vienna

[justinkase]

Capt Carne,
  Currently it is a small crew of me, me wife and two children, a couple close friends.  Put I am hoping to press gang more in the near future.  When the weather is less hot in Vegas I plan on a full scale recruitment drive.

And Vienna, I need know what these visuals were.  Were you actually thinking about people painting their personal noses with artwork?

[Captain Carne]

Ah kool kool, my lil bro is joining me, he cant decide whenther to be a explorer - he loves pith helmet. or an engineer coz he loves the goggles im making.

[justinkase]

Ah kool kool, my lil bro is joining me, he cant decide whenther to be a explorer - he loves pith helmet. or an engineer coz he loves the goggles im making.

Because I have no other way of explaining this without using a Star Trek reference.

He could always be an engineer that works on an airship, because it gives him a chance to join all the away teams.
There ya go goggles and pith helmet.

[Sgt.Major Thistlewaite]

[Hikaro Takayama]

He could always be an engineer that works on an airship, because it gives him a chance to join all the away teams.
There ya go goggles and pith helmet.

"But Cap'n! I'm givin' herrr all she's got!  Th' boilers cannae take mooch more!"

[Captain Carne]

He could always be an engineer that works on an airship, because it gives him a chance to join all the away teams.
There ya go goggles and pith helmet.

"But Cap'n! I'm givin' herrr all she's got!  Th' boilers cannae take mooch more!"

Oh dontget my bro started on star trek, he is even more obsessed about that then steampunk xD at ten years old xD

[dman762000]

<-----------------------

That would be the flag for my airship. I plan on making one for reals too.
The only nose art on the Aurelia is the name painted on both sides in a large red script.
Somewhere in the off topic section is a thread about flags and such. It is  probably way back as I seem to remember it from several months ago. I'll look

[justinkase]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

That is the general idea Sgt. Major, of course the maiden would be more greecian, and less magician.

[Sgt.Major Thistlewaite]

Ahhh, yes....but Top Hat and Tails is more Steampunk than Grecian robes...

(How much does a Grecian Urn?  Heh...sorry?!? S'my birthday, 'n 'm drunk. Heehee.)

[justinkase]

Then HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sgt. Major, everyone deserves to get drunk on their birthday.

I shall raise a toast to you today.