I Am A Failure At Drawing Zeppelins

[Zeppelin Kapitan Fritz]

     Many months ago, I posted a thread in the Tactile section asking how to do this. I still haven't been able to do it, and it is infuriating. Whoever said it was a scale problem was correct. I am trying to make my zeppelin look very Crimson Skies esque, because I loved the aesthetic of that universe. Drawing the envelope has been fairly easy, but drawing on the gondolas, engine pods, and machine gun turrets has been extremely hard because they are so tiny compared to the envelope. I also do not know what the gondolas, engine pods, and machine gun turrets should look like because I cannot find any good images of gondolas, engine pods, or machine gun turrets at all.  I have probably tried to draw my zeppelin about 50 times, and none of the attempts so far have been satisfactory.

[AetherFox]

As an artist I understand that few things are more infuriating than knowing what you want to draw but not knowing how to go about it. But you know, if it can't be found, make it. If Google Images should fail you, [or even when it doesn't] the only thing to do is to get your Imagination off the ol' Brain Couch and take it for a spin. Ignore what stuff's 'supposed' to look like; that just puts up more boundaries in your brain and your thoughts. Just go to town with it and you may be pleasantly surprised. Sorry I can't be more helpful than that, but that's my two bits.

[Capt James Salt]

My advice is, stop trying to draw zeppelins.  And stop drawing the envelope first.

Most great looking drawings of airships would never be able to get off the ground.  They are aerodynamically incorrect.

If you need to draw a diregable with engines and guns and such,  draw the gondola first.  Then add balloons and sails so that it looks proportionally correct.  Don't worry whether or not it could actually fly.

One of my favorite ones was in the movie "The Mummy".  I could not find a good photo of it.


















   

[Capt James Salt]

Pretend that someone just invented a gas that is 500% lighter than Helium.

(With Helium a 12 foot diameter baloon would lift 57 lbs.)

[Zeppelin Kapitan Fritz]

     I'm going for a big airborne aircraft carrier type of thing, like the USS Akron and USS Macon.

[Capt James Salt]

Oh, I'm sorry.  I thought you were doing a fantansy zeppelin....


 

[Hez]

I agree, draw the ship part first, at least a not too rough sketch.  You can always shrink it to fit your envelope (making the sketch seem more detailed) or just just indicate the bottom edge of envelope looming over the ship without drawing the entire thing.

[Herbert West]

On etip is to be sure to make the envelopes taut. One thing that bothers me about some of Captain Salts images (no offense intended good sir) is the amount of slack in some of the balloons. Unless its deflating, an airship balloon is going to be sleek and rigid.

[Hez]

forcibly removes mind from gutter.

[Herbert West]

Oh dear.

 *looks around for a place to hide*

[PatronZero]

Again an unsolicited opinion but if I may.     Are you looking to suspend the superstructure of the airship below-parallel to the main gas cells or will the finished design be of a 'singular' hull ?

Not suggesting anything like Marvel Comics' SHIELD heli-carrier but a composite configuration might expedite the development of your craft and allow for using 'off the shelf' hulls of existing naval vessels, historical or otherwise.

One other thought is turrets and other gun emplacements could easily be modeled after those that appeared on WWl-WWll aircraft, either manned or 'remote' operated.   And don't forget one feature seldom seen on an airship, submarine-styled torpedo tubes for launching 'aerial' mines and firing artillery caliber munitions.