Hi there! I'm trying to do this background (Monkey Island I like) but I can't do the wood effect on the ship. I've tried a few things but they are not very good. If anyone has a hint, please, share it with me.
(http://www.geocities.com/sadistyk2000/7.jpg)
Why do people keep using .jpg? Try saving it as a .png or something. The image is fuzzy. And remember to edit the post.
This looks like a very nice picture, almost as if you've painted over a 3D render.
Now, the wood.
Wooden ships like this were build with longer timbers. This isn't the time for the ship building lesson, so here's a picture.
(http://www.partyjunction.co.uk/acatalog/50469-pirate-ship.jpg)
(http://img423.imageshack.us/img423/5091/boatpw6.png)
I touched up the picture a bit, it may not be to your preferences but I left room for modification. Just fixed up shadow and lighting problems, also made the horizon more expanding as to give a more expansive impression.