JackCooke

Thank you Lurcher. Just looked up Erika Rix - impressive drawings of the moon in its entirety!

I don't think you're as far off as you think! If I get to your level I'll be mighty pleased.

Hi Mike, Thanks for the encouragement - good to know you started from a similar position, there's hope for me yet! Loved your drawing using the stippled technique like H Hill. Have you got his 'Portfolio of Lunar Drawings'? It's a beautiful book. J

Thanks Mark

Morning all, Thanks to the beautiful work of some members here (Ruud, Lurcher, Mike JW) I finally made two attempts at lunar sketching, one of Theophilus near the terminator and last night of Kepler's rays at full moon. I found both drawings very challenging. I'm only using graphite - it will take a lot of practise before I try more demanding techniques like charcoal and stippling. I'm not happy with either sketch (and their inaccuracies) but I wanted to post them so that hopefully I can look back and see some improvement. Despite the frustration its wonderful to have fou

Hi Al, Just sent you a PM with a couple of questions. Thanks, Jack

Fantastic painting - very inspiring! Just tried my first graphite sketch of the moon last night, centred on the crater Theophilus. This is something to work towards - lunar sketching looks like a lifetime's pursuit! Jack

Wonderful observation! Will have to give it a try in my dob.

Thanks Marios. Love your gallery btw - what tools do you use to sketch?

Hi Rob. I always love the idea that different star gazers are training their telescopes on the same faint objects, miles apart! The sketch was made with graphite pencils and a blending stump on white paper - then scanned and the colours inverted. I'd like to try positive sketching with chalk pens on black card - I posted a great link on this a while back ('The Mellish Method'):

A quick sketch from the 1st September (sorry - date is wrong on the image). M15 was still fairly low in the east but the central condensation of stars really stood out, even in a 5.5inch scope. The bright field star intruding on the edge of the image was distracting. If I had a tracking mount I'd have banished it permanently! A lot of the extended GC was on the threshold of vision and the resolved stars faded in and out. M15 will always have a special place for me as it was the first GC i ever saw Thanks for looking. Jack

I love it! Did you use graphite and invert the image or a positive sketch with chalk etc on black paper? It's got great intensity in the centre - really captures the view I've seen looking at M13. I like the haze of unresolved light to the south too. I want to try some positive sketches - the originals are more fun to keep in a logbook

Thank you! I'd haven't spent much time in Ophiuchus - will have a hunt for M10 & M12 next time I get the chance and try a sketch. Definitely give it a go - it's never going to be completely accurate with something as complex as a globular cluster but its fun to take something away as a memory.

Thanks! I'm sure you'll get clear skies soon - I'd swap the UK weather for Texas any day!

Thanks Frank!

Thanks Mark!

Thanks Stu! That’s exactly what I saw! I love this forum

After many weeks of telescopes gathering dust I finally managed a long night sketching under the stars. Having only ever sketched open clusters I wanted to attempt a GC. Hercules was well positioned so I chose to draw m92, often overshadowed by the more famous m13. My red torch was a little too bright and there was some intermittent cloud but the sketch comes pretty close to what I saw. All comments / criticisms / comparisons most welcome! Jack p.s. As I was packing up around midnight I saw what I can only assume were parts of a meteorite breaking up in the sky. A long tr

Thank you Marios

Giant celestial strawberries! Thanks Mark - its definitely worth a look and well placed at the moment.

Thanks Stu! I'm sure a bigger scope would show colour in other stars in the cluster. The Genesis is definitely a keeper - what happened to your first two?! Maybe one of them is mine ?

Thanks Ruud. The Genesis is so easy to set up and use. 30years old and still going strong!

Thank you! It's definitely an object where the eyepiece view competes with photographs.