Rupes Recta and Birt

[Bizibilder]

A couple of sketches here - the first time that I have drawn the same area on different nights. The first is a quick sketch done on 2010 April 22, the Moon being 8.2 days old and 62% illuminated. The second is from last night 2010 May 21 - a full drawing this time - the Moon being 7.8 days old and 60% illuminated. (I've fiddled the orientation of the first one - please remember that was a "one minute" sketch!)

I have tried (yet again!!) to render the shadows better and I think I may be on the right track. At leat now I can show crater rims as bright as well as shadows as black - its just a case of sorting out the thousands of shades of grey in between!!! Hay Ho!!

Both 120mm Evostar at x200 seeing for the first was good for last night quite hazy with high cloud, ie not so good!

[bish]

Nice sketches. Thanks for posting. I went out tonight to see Rupas Rectas for myself tonight after looking at your sketch.

[Talitha]

Very good B, looks like you're definitely on the right track.

Are you using a variety of pencils?

[Bizibilder]

Yes Talitha - I'm using a set from 4H all the way to 8B! However they are only from the local supermarket and I'm beginning to notice that they are a bit "gritty" so I may invest in some proper artists quality ones (something about bad workmen blaming their tools I think!). However, I am now beginning to ge used to the blending stumps and kneadable eraser - though the "smudgy finger" still comes into operation from time to time!

Thanks for your encouragement - it all helps! (Fra Mauro is on the desk at the moment - should be posted later today)

[Talitha]

Derwent and Prismacolor have never given me any grit problems.

The pencil is actually a mixture of clay and graphite.. the HB pencil is 50-50, and the harder pencils have progressively more clay while the softer ones have progressively more graphite. I'm not sure what causes the grittiness, though... maybe something doesn't get filtered or ground well enough? I've run across grit in hard and soft pencils, but never in ones purchased at an art supply store.

While on the subject of supplies, the drafting section of an art store has 'eraser shields' which everyone might find helpful. It's a piece of thin metal about the size of a credit card from which various openings have been machine-punched out.

When you need to do a precision erasure on your sketch, place that area under one of the openings and hold the shield very firmly on the sketch. Then erase as hard as you want, and the only area being affected is the exposed one.. no more 'too-large' erasures.