Drawing Ships

[Chris]

Here's a drawing I did of a possible Cunard ship back in 2004 - pretty crude, but I was only using Microsoft Paint at the time



Which brings me to the thought - do any of you find yourselves sketching ships (or QE2) at work ... or home?

[Chris]

A friend of mine, Onno, is a master with Photoshop - here is Pacific Dawn (ex: Regal Princess) as a Cunarder:



And here she is as a Green Goddess:

[Andrew Collier]

Hey Chris,

Nice effort! I am fortunate to have a job with lots of time to allow such things, I often sketch all over any bit of paper in sight, and use the PC too, only have paint as a tool though, nothing decent allowed on the company PC's :-( My boss laughs at me all the time, but I laugh back as he spends nearly all the quiet times searching for stamps he hardly ever bids for on ebay! I win.

I have been sketching ships as a time passer since my school days, a good idea on being worked out on paper helps even the quitest shft pass!

Am currently working on the PC a pic of the QE2 in the condition to which I would like to see her restored, tis taking its time as I would like to see the Lookout Bar reinstated so getting all those windows right is a mission, and the sat nav/comms domes, and the air con block on top of the penthouses were never done in the best way I think, so am trying to figue how to hide them a bit, ideas anyone? Also tidying up the windbreaks and windows on the stern terraces, am determined to have the ulitmate QE2 drawn up eventually!

So glad to discover for the first time i'm not the only one 

[Pia]

Do post a photo of your sketch when you're finished, Andy 2. Perhaps you could even help the current owners come to the right decision about what would be best for QE2 (and her loyal fans  )

[Andy F]

So it's YOU we have to thank for QV then is it Chris? lol.  Seriously though, great effort and nice work by Onno also.  Agree with Pia there Andy2, it would be great to see your finished work.

I briefly toyed with the idea of becoming a Naval Architect while at school (well, upon leaving actually but you know what I mean), but the World should be grateful I chose not to pursue that potential avenue of employment further...

[Scott Ebersold]

I had this amazing dream about the new Queen Elizabeth.  The day before the dream I was told that "Cunard new they had to get her right".  And the new Elizabeth would be inspired by QE2. 

In my dream this new Elizabeth had the same profile of QE2 but with a number of levels of balconies between the boat deck and the funnel.  It was like they added four floors of balconies between boat and upper deck and made her longer to keep the impression of the original lines.  The interior was a modern design inspired by the principles behind the 1969 interiors ... but totally contemporary, not "cruise-line contemporary" but really truly modern.

I was so excited when I work up.  I went straight to my computer to discover it was only a dream.
 

scott

[Andrew Collier]

Awww such a shame it was a dream, such a ship could really be something! I have often thought how an inspired modern liner could be based on P&O's Canberra and the original Oriana, I have a design which one day I will try and draw taking shape slowly in the back of my mind based on the best features of each plus newer ideas like balconies....

[singlemalt]

Awww such a shame it was a dream, such a ship could really be something! I have often thought how an inspired modern liner could be based on P&O's Canberra and the original Oriana, I have a design which one day I will try and draw taking shape slowly in the back of my mind based on the best features of each plus newer ideas like balconies....

Good to hear there's another Oriana fan out there!
It was built in the town where I grew up and is still regarded locally as something very special (more so now when the shipyard's main source of work is Navy based and nuclear submarines - far less lovely to look at!)

My dad served his time in the yard as an electrician and then joined the Merchant Navy; he went out on her maiden voyage, was on her for a few years then a few trips on QM and some other ships before back to Oriana. Sadly, I came along and spoiled his fun and he headed back on to dry land although he always had lots of bedtime stories to tell me about his favourite girl 

He loved the ship so much that there was huge family arguments when my parents first announced that they were thinking of naming me 'Oriana'. For the first few days no-one was really sure what I was going to be called - some congratulation cards from my birth refer to me as Oriana and there's one congratulating them on the birth of '1061' (the number from her keel plate!) - but they relented to family pressure and then i got stuck with the ever so dull 'Alison' instead.

Still, fabulous ship nonetheless.

I recently managed to get hold of the book "Origins, Orient and Oriana" by Charles F. Morris after lots of internet searching. Not sure if you've seen it or not? A local boy; he was the Chief Naval Architect for Orient at the time of her building.

Happy to scan or lend if there's anything that could be useful with your plans and drawings?

[Andrew Collier]

Whoa thats a little freaky, two weeks ago I took delivery of a rather shabby copy of 'Origins, Orient & Oriana' and have just finished reading the section on Oriana (which I read first as was more interested in that ship than the line generally) and have now started on the first bit. Good read, but I need more, and am now looking for a decent set of shipyard plans of that ship for my collection! I also loved the Orcades and Oronsay which came before it, Orsova too but slightly less so as I feel its look was marred by a couple of details, i'm fussy ;-)

What a great heritage you have! I'd always dreamed that if I got to build my ship I would like it to be built by Vickers, their Orient and P&O ships were legendary!

How would you have felt about being called Oriana? thats quite a thought eh?! If ever you wanna share them bedtime stories, you'd have an audience on here im sure....

[singlemalt]

Bizarre indeed!
I'm another one guilty of not reading from the beginning - looked at the pictures first TBH as I'm not someone who particularly understands all the technical stuff 

There's a lovely photo of her in the book on p307 that i do like.
My mum commissioned a local maritime artist to do a painting of Oriana years ago as a special present for my dad and my brother and i are trying to get him to do a version of that photo for her.
My dad died a few years ago and one of his wishes was to have some of his ashes scattered in Sydney because he loved it there so much from his time on Oriana. We had no idea where exactly he wanted that to happen other than somewhere on Circular Quay looking out to the harbour but we actually scattered them from the small headland at the left of the photo so it was a real shock, delight, teary moment when I first spotted it in the book.
Oh dear! a bit of an emotional ramble there about a ship close to my heart 

Can't help with deck plans I'm afraid!
However not sure if www.dockmuseum.org.uk could be worth a try?
Lots of Vickers archive stuff there - I know lots of their photographic archives ended up there amongst other things but they're also linked with the records office that holds lots of local interest / historical stuff too and can often do copies of original documents. I've got hold of a few bits on loan for school history projects from the Dock Museum and copies of some things from the Records office but not really sure what else is available.
Maybe they could point you in the right direction to get hold of copies if original shipyard copies are hard to come by?

The original Oriana model from Vickers has been on display in the local hospital for several years now and I always make a quick trip there to press the button on the case and watch her move if I'm visiting the hospital!     

[KEV]

Can just see the passengers walking back on your great design after a great day onshore. Front end definately has something QE2 about it

[highlander0108]

I have the habit of doodling in my notebooks at work, in the margins of meeting notes, or on paper napkins and placemats at restaurants and the one thing I end up drawing is QE2.   I've got the profile committed to memory.  My significant other will just look at my artwork, shake her head, and comment that I am hopelessly obsessed and then comment how frightenly accurate the thumbnail sketches have become.  Why shouldn't they be anything but good with all the time I spend on my favorite thing.  My favorite is to draw a bow on shot with the famous sheerline and the large funnel.  Perhaps next time I find myself doodling' I'll take the artwork with me and scan it.

[Avariel]

I doodle on my school books and notes as well. Though my drawings are more to the cartoon-ish side since i have the tendency to draw ships with faces.

[Rob Lightbody]

Pat "luzparis" knocked up this superb sketch of QE2 while I was chatting to him online today - he says it took him 3 minutes...  I can only say that I'm VERY impressed.  I think it captures the 'essence' and style of QE2 in a way that many famous maritime artists fail to.

I've asked him to knock up some sketched proposals for a header logo for the forum.

Thanks Pat!

[Twynkle]

She's beautiful.

Thank you Pat, and Rob.