wild ducks and swan nebula 25.05.12

[rory]

in an attempt to observe more ,ive tried sketching some of the more prominent objects.

these were sketched under pretty poor skies on 25.05.12

please feel free to give advice and criticism.im made of thick skin so dont have to hold back. i dont currently own a printer/scanner so ive taken a snap picture of each sketch and inverted them on paint. i already feel the m11 sketch is my better one. m17 i.m.o ive made the nebula slightly to large.

the contrast and colour settings are not perfect.

[Mike73]

Stoked to see your enjoying sketching Rory!

I haven't seen either of these objects yet so can't compare in that way but it's still good to see what I should be looking for.

My last day of work tomorrow then 2 weeks off, just in time for the moon so guess I won't be sketching any DSO's but there's always attempting moon sketching, looks very tricky to say the least though, maybe I will leave that to the real artists!

[rory]

hi mike. m11 was superb in my 8" mate ( now with some flocking , thanks again) i would imagine it would be superb with your set up. even with the moon up. open clusters can take some l/p. my sketch does it no justice at all,its way better than i can sketch it. like sprinkles of diamond dust on low/medium power, a great object to view and sketch.

i know what you mean about lunar sketching, waaaaaay outa my league.

hope you have good weather on your time off .

clear skies to you..

[barkis]

I'm no sketcher, so no criticism from me.

I admire those who do sketch though, it's a demanding discipline to sit in the dark and transfer what you observe to paper.

Your M11 sketch is pretty much as an 8" would reveal.

The cluster is buried in the Scutum star clouds, and as Admiral Smythe remarked when he discovered it, it looks like a flight of Wild Ducks. The description is an apt one.

Sketchers by definition make good observers, because you have to study your subjects.

Observing requires prolonged study too, but I fear a few may decide a brief glance suffices, which isn't the case, simply because the more you look at an object, the more it will reveal to you.

Ron.

[astroeddie]

Excellent sketches well done.

Do you use pens for the stars, or pencils. Buying a set of pens of various nib sizes enables you do achieve the different brightness of the stars without the smudged look that pencils can give. NOT THAT YOURS ARE SMUDGED !!!!!!

I bought mine from amazon for £6. 6 pens.

[rory]

i just have a couple of pencils my daughter gave me ( now she is an artist) a 2b,4b and a b . the sketch pad was also bought for me by the daughter, but its got a non smooth surface , which can be made out in the pics. i think smooth paper would suit better. what paper do others use here ? maybe regular photcopy paper ?

i like the pen idea eddie , and thanks for the comments.

[4lefts]

i'd stick with that paper - i think the coarse surface takes the graphite better. i (personally) think copier paper is nasty for drawing, but use what you think gives the best results. blending stumps are useful for nebulosity/glow around bright stars - i got mine from amazon. a putty eraser is useful too, because you can mould it into whatever shape you like.

[rory]

i'd stick with that paper - i think the coarse surface takes the graphite better. i (personally) think copier paper is nasty for drawing, but use what you think gives the best results. blending stumps are useful for nebulosity/glow around bright stars - i got mine from amazon. a putty eraser is useful too, because you can mould it into whatever shape you like.

thanks . ive ordered blending stumps from amazon.

[David Smith]

I'd second the putty eraser, great for fine detail.

[cotterless45]

Must start some decent drawings.Really enjoyed my first view of M11.Just so much to see and so little time. Really like your sketches,thanks for posting,it's inspiring.

Nick.