Aged just 14, the Mexican boy who has drawn 45 incredibly detailed cruise ships

Saul with his drawing of Queen Mary 2 (Picture: Saul Tenorio Rodriguez)

In April, I brought you the story of Harry Cotterill, the English teenager who has drawn more than 50 cruise ships. But 5,500 miles away is a 14-year-old boy who produces similar huge sketches, though he lives 200 miles from the sea and has never seen his subjects in real life.

A detail from Saul’s drawing of QM2 (Picture: Saul Tenorio Rodriguez)

Saul Tenorio Rodriguez lived until the age of eight at the port of Lázaro Cárdenas in Mexico, where he used to see cargo and warships. But it was after moving to San Luis Potosí in the centre of the country – 1,850m (6,000ft) above sea level – that he discovered his love of cruise ships. In the past three years he has drawn more than 45, spending up to four hours a day on sketches that can be 2.8m (9ft) long.

His favourite ship is the world’s biggest, Oasis of the Seas, though he says he would also love to sail on another Royal Caribbean vessel, Liberty of the Seas. Unlike Harry, Saul has yet to present any of his drawings to a cruise line – something he would love to do.

Detail from Saul’s drawing of Norwegian Breakaway (Picture: Saul Tenorio Rodriguez)

In a series of exchanges conducted in Spanish via email, Saul told me: ‘My interest in ships comes from their shape and size, more than their history.’

One day, the young teenager wants to be a cruise ship captain. But for now he’s happy just dreaming of being at sea as he painstakingly draws the vessels he has never seen.

For more examples of Saul’s work, please visit his website and his Facebook page.