Chinese junks were first built around the year 960 -- at the beginning of the Sung Dynasty. The largest of these are thought to have been nine masted vessels, 150 feet wide and over 400 feet long. Junks were accompanied by supply ships, like aircraft-carriers today. The Chinese traded throughout Asia and Africa long before western countries were able to build larger vessels. The most common Chinese junks in use today have three long bamboo masts. Find some photographs or drawings of Chinese junks. Choose one image showing the entire vessel sailing past to give you a good perspective. Arrange the images near your drawing paper so you can refer to them while working. Draw a straight line across the bottom to indicate the water surface. Use short wavy parallel lines to give the water some texture. Mark the length of the vessel on this line, as well as points to indicate the shape of the hull above water. Make a mark where the large rudder will be at the stern. Measure the location of the masts on the ship's deck and mark their length. Draw the masts at the front middle and rear, including the lines going from the top to the sides of the ship. Detail the lines along the hull with smooth, curved lines -- including the raised stern and decorative railing that is typical of a Chinese junk. Draw lines to indicate the long slats of the sails running horizontally. Draw the square outline of the sails around them. Erase parts of the front sail if it is obscured by the large middle sail to create depth. Shade in dark areas along the hull and sails. Use the reference images to determine where these are in relation to the direction of the sun. Draw dark lines and shadows on the far side of the sun. Use a cloth or your finger to blend these shading lines until the drawing begins to look three-dimensional. Detail the railing on the stern and draw curved lines to indicate ropes hanging from the sails. Use the eraser to create highlights and to clean up smudges. Keep detailing until you are satisfied the drawing is finished.
