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Peter Smith

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A friend at art group set me the challenge of painting a Tea Clipper under full sail, not the easiest thing to paint. The first probelm is that there are no photos (or none that I could find), so I copied a painting which I don't really like doing.....hopefully my image looks sufficiently different. I don't know who the original artist was. This is my effort.... I'm reasonably happy overall but not with the rigging; for a start I haven't a clue what it all does. I've used a mixture of pen and pencil for it but am wondering if it looks too thin. They were pretty hefty ropes on the real thing. I'm sure there should be a lot more of it too but I don't want to overdo it.  I probably need to add some figures on the deck. Let me know what you think folks. Should I do more to it or is it time to leave it alone?

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by Peter Smith

With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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Well, I know nothing with knobs on about rigging, so you'd have no trouble fooling me.  I think I'd leave it alone - it's a nice painting, if you'll forgive the somewhat meaningless word "nice", but I'm struggling to find one which simply means good, pleasant, fresh and clean, attractive.  (My brother edited my mother's memoirs - he got a bit murderous about the constant use of "nice", to describe anything from breakfast to the New Forest.  But I digress.)    There are no visible figures on the ship, of course and as you say, which does lend a faint air of Marie Celeste, but I don't mind that ... I think this is a symbolic study; an impression.  If you wanted to produce a really realistic painting, you'd need to learn a bit about rigging, and add those little extra details; but I can see this on someone's wall, cheering the place up. 

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by Robert Jones, NAPA

PogArt Ti

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I like this painting very much, and I adore its crisp sharpness.

Denise Cat

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I like it very much Peter, very good.
our Lady2

Jim Morris

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Peter. There's a very full and informed article on Wikipedia under....https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutty_Sark Cutty Sark and Thermopylae were the most famous of tea clipper ships. Hopes this helps. I also did a sketch of standard rigging somewhere. 
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Peter Smith

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Thanks Jim, I'll have a look. I think I knew the answer before I posed the question; if you're not happy with a picture you have to do something about it. If I've made it worse I apologise! First I painted over all the ropes in black: Obviously now they are far too prominent.  Next I dry brushed acrylic white over all of them with a big coarse bristle brush. Then I drew over all the single ropes with a white gel pen, not covering the black but reducing it's intensity. Finally I dry brushed it all again, and also took the chance to repaint the bow a better shape. This is the result: I think it looks better and I'll be interested to know what others feel. I'm going to sleep on it now and see if I still like it in the morning. I'm sure there should be far more ropes but you do have to call a halt at some point. It might be a good idea to make the horizon line up tomorrow!

Edited
by Peter Smith