First attempt at sketching Some DSO’s

[StarDuke82]

First attempt at drawing some DSO’s picked M3 the first globular cluster I can see during the night, M81 because it was directly above and easy to hold my pad and observe at the same time, and M27 using my Oiii and UHC-L filters cutting out any remaining light pollution. Drawing in the dark was a new experiment in and of itself as I draw regularly but always at my desk, I think I am a bit too heavy with my pencil in the dark. I also couldn’t decide whether the right way to draw them was as sort of photo negatives with the density of light darker or lighter so I went with the negative approach. 

[glafnazur]

Good stuff, I really must try doing some sketching myself sometime. 👍

[Naughty Neal]

Good stuff , nice to see sketching no matter how  detailed . Bringing out the inner artist in ourselves is a rewarding task  I find.

The DSO's especially being very hard to pick out detail from pure observation alone .

 

My recent white light Sol sketches I have by the side of me and I  pick  them up and keep looking at them, that alone inspires me to do more sketching of our solar ssytem and night sky.

 

 

 

 

[StarDuke82]

6 hours ago, Naughty Neal said:

Good stuff , nice to see sketching no matter how  detailed . Bringing out the inner artist in ourselves is a rewarding task  I find.

The DSO's especially being very hard to pick out detail from pure observation alone .

 

My recent white light Sol sketches I have by the side of me and I  pick  them up and keep looking at them, that alone inspires me to do more sketching of our solar ssytem and night sky.

 

 

 

 

Thank you very much, I find with averted vision and often when I blink that they suddenly become brighter and seem to have more detail whether that’s my imagination or simply the light hitting the correct photoreceptors in the back of my eye I don’t know but it always quickly fades and they dim to faintness.

 

 I would love to do some Solar sketching have you posted yours? I would love to see them I find some of them quite fascinating to look at, especially during periods of high sunspot activity. 

[StarDuke82]

11 hours ago, glafnazur said:

Good stuff, I really must try doing some sketching myself sometime. 👍

Thank you it can be quite calming like photography and just being out under the stars observing the key is to not get overly critical and just keep at it just like anything else.

[mikeDnight]

Very nice sketches!   It's not easy drawing in the dark while holding a pad and pencil, and controlling a telescope. Usually my eyepiece sketches are quite rough with scribbles and crossing outs, so I'll often make a cleaned up version in a nicer sketch pad soon after the observation, and while everything is still fresh in my mind. Taking an image and turning it to negative can present a more realistic impression of what the object looked like through the eyepiece.  It's also nice to include the time, date and Telescope, as well as magnification and seeing conditions for future reference. 

[Naughty Neal]

13 hours ago, StarDuke82 said:

Thank you very much, I find with averted vision and often when I blink that they suddenly become brighter and seem to have more detail whether that’s my imagination or simply the light hitting the correct photoreceptors in the back of my eye I don’t know but it always quickly fades and they dim to faintness.

 

 I would love to do some Solar sketching have you posted yours? I would love to see them I find some of them quite fascinating to look at, especially during periods of high sunspot activity. 

 

Yes recently at the  end of May I posted in this sketching  forum with two pics of my pencil sketches, three posts below this one of yours. 

Edited June 7, 2023 by Naughty Neal

[StarDuke82]

On 07/06/2023 at 05:24, mikeDnight said:

Very nice sketches!   It's not easy drawing in the dark while holding a pad and pencil, and controlling a telescope. Usually my eyepiece sketches are quite rough with scribbles and crossing outs, so I'll often make a cleaned up version in a nicer sketch pad soon after the observation, and while everything is still fresh in my mind. Taking an image and turning it to negative can present a more realistic impression of what the object looked like through the eyepiece.  It's also nice to include the time, date and Telescope, as well as magnification and seeing conditions for future reference. 

Thank you and noted, I hadn’t thought of that for sketching DSO’s though I am documenting the phases of Venus and I am noting the time, date, and coordinates in the sky beside those very basic sketches every few weeks. 

[Richard N]

Interesting. I'm just starting to experiment with sketching. As a visual astronomer it's a neat way to have some tangible product to share with others. I have done some painting before (I was rubbish at it) and I did notice how much more detail you see if you have to draw something. I'm off to a darker site next weekend and if the seeing is good I want to have a go at sketching Andromeda. I have never really seen M32 and M110 but I suspect that taking the time to draw M31 will bring them out eventually.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Richard N