Yellowbeard

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180515441477&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT Looking to get rid of this one as I'm running out of space for hats!

Thanks! It really was a snap to do- the whole process took a total of 3 hours, and most of that was stitching the binding on. I was going to add lacings on the starboard side and the fan but from my research it didn't look period correct. Here is a picture of it on my massive gourd. The picture is a little fisheyed, but gives the general idea;

Thankee much Lady B.! I'm definitely going to try something more piratical for the next one. Thank God my girlfriend understands my sad, sad, hat fetish and doesn't mind the top of the bookshelf looking like a costume shop!

Thanks for the reply Capt.Sterling. as I feared, it sounds WAAAY to complex for me to attempt in my garage! And yes, it was a permanent covering on the hat- i have a picture and description of one in a book, I'll scan it and post it at work tomorrow so you can see what I'm on about.

Here is my attempt at a late revolutionary period bicorne, not GAoP by any means but I want to show it off to someone! The blank is from the Empire Costumes in france. I cut down the brim extensively, it measures about 8 inches tall on the fan and 6 1/2 in the front. After a lot of trial and error I also realized that the brims on hats from this period were not cut in a circle but more of an elongated oval, it might seem obvious but it was a revelation to me! I way overdid it with the starch on the brim and it got really wrinkly, but I like it as it has sort of an aged look. And I need to practice my hand stitching big time. The binding, cockade, loop and button were all purchased at JoAnns for about 15 bucks so the total cost for the hat (including shipping) was around 75 dollars. I plan on getting some more blanks and trying different styles as this was a hoot to do.

The finished product can be seen here; http://pyracy.com/index.php?showtopic=16494 In case anyone is interested

I've seen late 18th century cocked hats made of beaver felt that were covered with 'glazed linen' to waterproof them to a certain extent. I've been looking around the interwebtubes for a source for the stuff and all I've seen is material for furniture and doesn't look at all right, plus it's wicked expensive at almost $100 a yard. So, if anyone knows what I'm on about, is there a technique I can use to treat regular old linen to get the same effect?

I don't know if anyone would be interested in this, but if you ever wanted a high quality blank with a brim that's a tad bit larger than what you usually find, you might want to try these guys; http://en.empirecost...s-hats-a176.htm I got one a while back and am making an aged naval bicorne and am thrilled with the quality of the blank. Plus it's a steal for 28 euros (40 bucks) - actually, the shipping was more than the hat! I should have gotten 2.

Thanks moose. Here is your paint scheme Jack

@Tartan Jack; No problem, I'll have it done for you tomorrow. @vintagesailor; Thanks for taking the time to explain, I totally understand the concept now and will incorporate it on the next one. Cheers!

Sort of like this? Just want to make sure I have the color scheme right. I did a real fast flood-fill on the hull colors which its why it looks a bit jaggly. It will only take about 15 minutes to actually redraw the colors and I can knock it out for you tomorrow. No prob on the St. Andrews. Glad you like it!

Quick question Vintagesailor; can you direct me to any sites that gives a pretty detailed overview of the rigging of period ships? It would be so much easier to draw if I understood the hows and whys of the rigging rather than just trying to copy a bunch of references. I'm familiar with basic concepts like standing and running rigging, square and lateen rigged, but not much beyond that.

Well, got her done: I'm sure there is a ton of problems with the rigging, but I'm pretty happy with it as a first effort. Total time spent on it was about nine hours. Lots of fun to draw, I'll be doing more for sure, hopefully improving a bit with each one.

http://www.eic-game.com/ Looks really interesting. Sort of a spiritual successor to Pirates by the looks of it.

It's drawn using paintshop pro x2 based off some photos of a physical model. I use paintshop for technical drawings because its vector drawing interface is much more user friendly to me than photoshops. I use Corel painter for figurative work, I'll post some of that too once I do something in keeping with the genre. And thanks to all for the feedback, its very encouraging.

I think I'll be doing some more research!

Thank'ee much William, I appreciate it! Here is an update, I think I should have it done by tomorrow.

Waves of nostalgia! I had this one back when I was a lad: Upon looking at it now I realize it has about 50 chocking hazards that you can see right away.

Well, I still feel like a whippersnapper at 38, and I split time between my home in Miami and a closet sized apartment in Manhattan. I've been married 9 times- just kidding! Married and divorced but right now I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful woman in my life who not only puts up with but encourages my colossally dorky hobbies.

Thanks for the welcome mates! To answer your question Jack, I have a BA in ancient history, with a specialization in late republican to mid-Imperial Roman history and a minor in classical studies (which also explains why I worked in retail for so many years!). As far as the age of sail time period goes, I'm most knowledgeable about the late 18th and early 19th century and have what I would call a bare bones understanding about the GAoP, which is one of the reasons I'm here. And yeah, Yellowbeard is my attempt at a tongue in cheek username.

Thanks for the info Tartan Jack! And thanks for the link there. Lots of options.

First post here (whoo-hoo!), and thought I'd share a illustration I just started. It's the first time I've attempted to draw a sailing ship and it still has a long way to go. I really wanted to do something elaborate and huge like the Queen Anne's Revenge or HMS Victory but I thought I'd start with something simple and work my way up. As I am a most accursed landlubber, any comments and critiques are welcome and appreciated! And one question; is anyone aware of a particularly infamous pirate who used a sloop akin to this? I ask because I want to draw a suitable flag on it when the time comes.

Just found this forum a few days ago and am very glad I did! Seems like an extremely friendly place with an open and welcoming atmosphere and I look forward to being a member. I'm a historian by training and my main interest is the age of sail from the 16th century to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. In my free-time I love to draw and paint (digitally) and will be posting some of my work in the art forum. Again, glad to be here, and look forward to getting to know everyone!