Telescope Reviews: Astronomical Sketching- Step by Step by Rich Handy

Wade and Glen

I hope to see a little more of your thoughts and comments here in this post about the book if you will. When I got to the book store, they could not find the only copy that their inventory department claims is there. They will run a search and call again tomorrow. I was only hoping to see it first as I currently cannot afford to purchase it. Powell’s City of Books claims a total of over 10 million copies here in Portland on its four floors of the downtown store. They also listed a special printing at $38. May I ask, does anyone know what the difference is in this special printing?

I also wanted to commend your tutorial Wade, about encouraging others. I think we owe it to others who are reluctant to at least try to sketch a little and to not be intimidated to try or make mistakes at first as we all did at this in the beginning. As seasoned veterans, I believe that there is a confidence that builds with this process that those who are newcomers have not developed as yet. They must at least start before they can discover the process. I agree wholeheartedly with your encouragement to let others know that we are here first for fun and to enjoy this. I think our society takes precedence in pushing competition though and at times possibly through intimidation; and this needs to be overcome. Although I have sold some works in both art and photography, I do not really claim to be a professional at this. If those who think that you get good enough to do it easily one day as a professional, then there would be no challenge to ever begin. Even an accomplished professional struggles at times.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Rich's biography in his site and that he originally was an art major as I was. He strayed from it instead to earn a living just as I did. His first big influence being a small Golden Press book, The Stars, and how it influenced him as a young child. I too still have the same book that I believe I bought on the local drug store rotating display rounder when in elementary grade school.

There are many similarities in interests that many of us follow from childhood. I believe that those same similarities in desire to be artistic and to discover the universe just eventually catch up with others as adults.

People write to me quite often and ask how I do it. As Erika suggested that I write a tutorial, I will eventually do that. I just need to get over some current obstacles like a recent shoulder injury. I dabbled in crude astronomy sketching from the eyepiece while in early high school. I recently returned to serious work but only when a relative gave me some old antique pastels about 10 years ago. I did not really pick them up to sketch with until I saw a black and white sketch of a solar prominence by Erika Rix and another on the same day by Les Cowley in October 2006. That is what did it for me. It took another 1 ½ years to find you all here in CN as I thought only Spaceweather.com would post my work and once in Astronomy Picture of the Day.

I am now encouraging other acquaintances to see the CN forums.

Mark