Astronomical drawings

[YogSothoth]

Hi All. I’ve always been impressed with some of the fantastic pictures I’ve come across of drawings made at the eyepiece. My own attempts end up looking nothing like what I can see- open clusters with stars in the wrong place, that sort of thing 😂 and was looking for advice on how to improve. Book recommendations? Many thanks.

[Pixies]

Not books, but have a look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AdirondackAstronomy/videos

 

Also, there's a useful podcast here:

https://actualastronomy.podbean.com/e/194-sketching-and-visual-astronomy-with-mike-rector/

 

Also:

http://perezmedia.net/beltofvenus/2008/11/27/methods_and_int/

 

And of course!:

 

 

[dweller25]

Hello @YogSothoth

I draw at the eyepiece and post in the sketching sections on SGL, best advice from me would be to just go out and have a go and refine as you go along - it’s surprising how much more detail you see when you do this 👍

Here are some of my attempts 🙂

Edited February 14, 2022 by dweller25

[mikeDnight]

I have two sketch books on the go at any one time. The first is a field sketch book, which contains scribblings and corrections drawn at the eyepiece. I'd imagine there are very few observers who sketch a beautiful observation at the eyepiece. In a rough sketch book you can relax a bit as it doesn't matter if you make errors in placement of detail. You can add side notes and use a grid to aid with placement. I use a numerical method of noting planetary or lunar albedo, with 10 being jet black and Z rather than 0 to represent brilliant areas, as 0 could be misconstrued to be a crater. You'll soon find a method that suits you as there are no hard and fast rules.

 As for star placements, its rare you'll ever get things perfectly placed. What I tend to do is to add a side note to a finished drawing saying Stars are only approximately placed. 

Once you have a completed eyepiece sketch, you can then draw a cleaned up version in another observing sketch book. I use a rough sketch book for the telescope and one with a higher quality paper for completed drawings. I keep notes to a minimum as the drawing tells most of the story, though I will write about points of interest.

Below are a few examples of various targets with different amounts of notation. Ring Nebula

  Lunar sketch.

Venus

Mars.

 

[Swithin StCleeve]

I used to sketch a lot more than I do now. Yesterday I found my observation book from the 90's, and most new (as in seen for the first time) objects I sketched. These days, I tend to write up observation reports and put them on line. Which is fine, but I'm thinking I should start sketching again more methodically. Some of the sketches on here (like the ones on this thread) are superb. 

[cotterless45]

Sketching is a great way to relax the eye and concentrate on the views without squinting . Aa your eye relaxes , you'll pick out more details than a glance or strong view provide .

first off , get comfy . An observing seat is great , either an ironing perch or an observing chair.

A dim red headtorch will let you see what you're drawing . Thick black  paper in a spiral bound book is ideal. You can draw out some circles in advance to give the fov.

A chinograph pencil will give you nebulosity , comets and galaxies. A white line marker will get you star spots. I always start at the centre with the target . Then work outward using angles and shapes to get what is seen.

The fov will move west so you can mark that on your drawing .Along with date   Target , scope and ep.

whatever your efforts , you'll have an individual record that you can look back on or share . To me , it's similar to fishing , you might have  a great time   But better to come back with something.

its also dirt cheap and you won't end up spending out on a camera / laptop/ imaging and frustration. A couple of minutes will give you something that's actually there .

just a few exceptions , I use white paper for planets. Just a few out of about 600,

careful now , Clearest skies   Nick.

 

[YogSothoth]

Thanks for all of the replies. Some great drawings and some good advice there to inspire me and get me started. I’ve just been looking at a book called ‘Astonomical Sketching: A Step by Step Introduction’, which looks interesting.