You’ve bought the yacht. You’re excited about all the new places you’ll see and the experiences you’ll have. One of the last things you’re likely thinking about at this point is who will create the artwork for your crew t-shirts and branded materials. The artwork you obtain or commission is a vital branding image and should reflect the craftsmanship, attention to detail, intricate design, and luxury of the yacht.
The Yacht Image – More than an Emblem on a Shirt
What is your yacht’s brand conveying? Yachts are the visual and physical embodiment of luxury and success. The interiors are designed and furnished to the highest standards, with no detail overlooked. The exteriors are polished and waxed endlessly to maintain their shine and appeal. Service onboard is held to Michelin-star standards. Have you considered the branding image of the vessel artwork, and how that represents the program? Chances are, your boat’s profile artwork is an average quality rendering. While there are several options for obtaing the yacht rendering, there are some vital considerations you will want to delve into, if your brand should convey the level of expertise, detail, and quality the yacht itself does. One of the key elements is that you should have the best vector artwork for your vessel, and you should also own the master files. This will provide the owner with the highest quality and clarity of the image and gives flexibility to use the image as they wish.
We’ve had the pleasure of getting to know an extremely talented artist and professional illustrator, Peter Glahn. If you are looking to upgrade your brand image, or maybe you hadn’t considered the need, take a dive with us into the intricate design process of custom yacht artwork.
Meet Peter Glahn – Artist, Professional Yacht Illustrator
Over the past 17 years, I have worked my way up from deckhand to captain on private motor yachts. It might seem a bit odd for me to be giving a lecture on your yacht’s branding, but stick with me. From K-12, I excelled in both art and math. My summer job was at the local municipal marina. I graduated with a degree in Geographic Information Systems (computer mapping). After graduation, I worked my last summer on the docks before seeking more career-relevant employment. However, the captain of a 130-foot Palmer Johnson had a different plan for me, and a month later, I was working for him in Fort Lauderdale.
The itch to create art never left. Neither did the love of math or computer mapping. But I loved working on boats and everything they could teach me. Fifteen years ago, I bought a laptop and a copy of Adobe Illustrator (back when it wasn’t a subscription-based service!). Vector artwork seemed like the perfect blend of everything that fulfilled me. It’s strange but true: I could create art—art based on mathematics, points, and vertices. Art that was to scale, like a map. Art of boats.
I certainly had my fair share of fun with my crewmates, but I also spent as much time as I could figuring out how to use this new software and create something halfway decent. It took just over three years of juggling my side hobby, scrubbing teak, polishing stainless, and taking guests on watersport excursions. But eventually, I had a collection of boat illustrations that I felt were worthy of sharing with the world.
My next step was to print business cards and have some stickers made of my portfolio, which included Unity, Chanticleer, Canim, Seven Seas, Sycara IV, and Galactica Star. I searched the internet for any maritime-related publications with a physical address and sent them a handwritten letter along with my cards.
A month later, in January 2015, I received an email from the art director of Showboats (now BOAT US). They had received my letter and thought they could use my services to fill in a few blanks.
A week later, I received my first commission: illustrations of the Onika and the Cheers 46 for their “In This Issue” infographic for the March 2015 issue. I went to Barnes & Noble every day for two weeks waiting for the issue to drop. It’s hard to describe the feeling the first time you see your art and name in print. It’s perhaps only rivaled by the first time I picked up a copy at PDX and realized the publication’s widespread distribution.
Peter Glahn’s CANIM Yacht Illustration – Line Drawing
Peter Glahn’s CANIM Yacht Illustration – Color
Over the years, BOAT used my services more and more. It turned into a relationship that ultimately changed my life. In 2016, I went from creating a few boats here and there to being trusted with the full-page infographic for Showboats. Two years later, I was given the same privilege with Showboats’ parent publication, BOAT International Magazine.
Peter Glahn’s CANIM Yacht Illustration – Full Color Print Version
All the while, I was managing print deadlines, with owner/guest trips to the Caribbean, up and down the U.S. East Coast, and 16 transits of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Sometimes, I still wonder how I never missed a print deadline.
I’ve completed 17 years as crew and captain while simultaneously creating artwork for the biggest superyacht publication in the world every month for 10 years. This year, I’m stepping away from working full-time on yachts. I will always love boats, but I love making art even more—and the beauty is, I don’t have to choose.
I’ve created almost 500 yacht profiles, spent 10,000 hours illustrating boats, and traveled over 100,000 nautical miles.
So, I return to my original question: Who is creating your art, and is it good enough?
