Building a Longship- final construction (part 3 of 3)
With the cardboard cut and painted, it was time for Nick and I to put the pieces together.
First we poked holes in the side of the ship with a screwdriver, then bolted the shields on.
Nick activates the ship's deflector shieldsOne side finished. It was around this point that we started getting funny looks from passers by.
Then we attached the two sides to each other.
The ship stands up pretty well. Nick is finishing the sail, painting over the last of the floral printNick cuts the curtain rod, while our ship bobs serenely on the drivewayThe sail dries in the sun. The crossbeam of the mast is held by a bolt and some wire
We cut a hole in the sail so that the mast could poke through the middle- all finished!
"Oy. Don't even think about christening the boat."
Time to set sail. (…there’s an awful lot of seagrass here.)
To infinity, and beyond!
This process gave me lots of ideas for a sequence in the book, and for the character design of Josh/Knut. Next week I’ll show you some sketches I made from reference photos…
James Foley makes children’s books for children who read books. If you’re a child and you’re eating his books, you’re doing it wrong. His books include the Secret Agent Mole graphic novel series, the S.Tinker Inc graphic novel series, and the multi-award winning Stellarphant. James lives in Perth with his wife, 2 kids, and a labrador. He is a massive Marvel movie nerd and comes from a long line of queuing enthusiasts. Follow him on socials ( @jamesfoleybooks ) or at www.jamesfoley.com.au .
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James Foley 