Drawing in pencil is one of my favorite art mediums. To be good at it, you need to find yourself some good reference pictures. You also need to start small and simple, rather than trying to draw giant masterpieces immediately. I’m still wondering if the ship is as good as I can make it. For reference I have looked at The Cutty Sark, HMS Victory, and the Surprise in Peter Weir’s 2003 film, Master and Commander based on Patrick O’Brian’s 1969 novel of the same name.
I have also consulted illustrations of the Erebus and the Terror. Of course I can’t look at the real ships, given that they have been obliterated by the artic conditions, and are therefore unsuitable for use as reference.
I am still trying to come up with a name for this ship, which will be inscribed on the blank space at the back. I also think the flanks of the ship could use some more detail.
I am set on keeping it as a sailing ship, not the steam ships from the Netflix series ‘1899’. I have not actually seen this one, but the poster artwork was still and big inspiration for this work. The main character is shown falling. She is surrounded by an ocean of impossible triangular geometry. This was partly the inspiration for the surreal aspect of this work; a ship travelling not just across seas, but across dimensions.
Mind you though, a steam ship would create a good contrast between technology and the strange supernatural physics that fills the rest of the drawing. What do you think?