Lunar region around Gutenberg

[SallyR]

Hi Folks,

This is a Conte crayon and pastel sketch on black paper, drawn at the eyepiece. Sketch is a mirror-image as I was using a refractor with diagonal (07/04/2011, 19:50-20:20UT, ~160x).

Clear skies

[astroeddie]

Cracking sketch Sally.

Love the white on black effect. I tried that system of sketching.

Like the way the shadows seem "real" as the black card is untouched.

Cheers for sharing,

Eddie

[SallyR]

Thanks Eddie

I love the white on black sketching technique for lunar work. I only came across it a few years ago when I saw an amazing LPOD (Lunar Photo Of the Day) sketch, and later tried it out for myself. I find that I have to work on quite a big scale (usually A3) to capture fine detail.

[mallux]

Great work, having tried lunar sketching for the first time last night (the traditional pencil on white paper way) I have newfound appreciation for the art. It's nowhere near as easy as it looks!

Chris

[SallyR]

Hi Chris, it's great to hear that you are giving lunar sketching a go

The Moon can be a tad overwhelming when you first try your hand at sketching it, at least that was what I found, but it does get easier with perseverance. Top tip is - don't try and draw too big an area at first. A simple, isolated crater will be kinder to you than an intricate stack of overlapping craters in the southern highlands, no matter how alluring they are in your eyepiece! I find the white on black method is kinder than graphite on white, as the shadows are already in place (as Eddie said), and the sketch comes together more quickly.

Have a go at sketching from photos too - it's a great way to learn without fighting with a wobbly atmosphere, juggling with clipboards and lights and dropping pencils on your lawn

Good luck!

[astroeddie]

Once you've started sketching a section of the moon. In less than an hour the terminator/shadows have changed considerably. As SallyR says. Keep you selection of feature to a small area, collection of craters.

Sketching the moon is quite addictive once begun. Do not worry about not being able to draw if thats the case. "Artists" amongst us can sometimes "add" extras to enhance whats not there.

Eddie

[mallux]

Thanks for the tips, I did start with a small area and the general shape and proportions were fine (used it to look up the formation on a lunar map, and it was at least recognisable), but as Sally pointed out it was the shadows that were a problem, particularly as I was looking at an area right on the terminator. I think if I'd had the option of drawing white-on-black it would have been easier in this case. My dark areas just turned into muddy grey with the highlights difficult to distinguish. Maybe I'll try a more brightly-lit area next time with fewer large shadows.

Could probably have benefited from drawing much bigger as well; in the cold light of day the drawing wasn't much bigger than an old 50p!

Chris

[SallyR]

Hi Chris,

My pencil sketches are generally pretty small too - there's nothing wrong with a 50p sized sketch

If you fancy having a go at white on black sketching but would prefer to keep it small, then try watercolour pencil on black paper (black Canford paper is very good for this). Compared to ordinary coloured pencils, watercolour pencils are much softer and non-greasy, so they transfer onto the paper really well (and make nice strong marks), and yet they don't smear easily.

[johnh]

That is a beautiful drawing, you've picked up the mysterious light you get at the terminator making all those weird shapes.

John.

[Telrad]

Fantastic sketch Sally, really nice. I especially like the juxtaposition of crayon contrast and pastel against the black background. It works really well, and it's composition is good. Well done!

[SallyR]

Thanks johnh & Telrad

[Nexus 6]

Love your sketch, it gives an almost Alien like impression of our Moon