3 replies to this topic

[PorscheG96]

Since I've tried taking photographs of m42 and failed miserably [lots of star trailing and little nebulosity] heck I decided to draw it instead! It's 4 layers done in GIMP with smudging to make the nebula, paint brushed stars with sparkle filtration [this was tough to get right...still not pefectly satisfied], and basically everything I saw through my 8" dob at ~80x. If you have tips, suggestions, or comments I appreciate it - thanks.

[Jeremy Perez]

Great work Trevor! You've really captured the impression M42 leaves when you look through the eyepiece. That's just how the greenish color seems to concentrate when I look at it.

[PorscheG96]

Hey Jeremy, I went to your site and noticed how much more detailed the nebula appears in your sketches than in mine. The night I observed and made this sketch, the moon was actually in the 1st quarter and my naked eye seeing here is usually ~4.8 due to light pollution from my patio, so that may explain my lack of detail in the nebula.

I like how you label your sketches with the eye piece/magnification and FOV...I think I'll start doing that as well. By the way, how do you see what you're drawing in the dark? I can just barely see my paper without using a flashlight but can't imagine seeing anything in a dark location. Thanks!

[Jeremy Perez]

Trevor, I've been keeping an eye on a lot of different sketching styles around here. Everyone expresses what they saw in a unique way. Yours carries a very appealing artistic quality to it. I've been having some second thoughts about how I handle nebulosity. I've been lightly swirling it in with a pencil, and then smudging later. However, it still leaves quite a bit of grain. I'm considering picking up graphite on the tip of the artist stump and then brushing in the nebulosity.

There is a DSO sketch topic that has had a little bit of traffic in the DSO forum. I think we've got a number of people around here who are interested in discussing techniques. We just have to toss out ideas and questions from time to time.

I don't know if you've checked out Cildareth's gallery, but he's got a sketching style that I really enjoy. He recently uploaded a couple M42 renderings that blew me away.

As to lighting, that is something I've been exploring a lot recently. Currently, I'm laying a red LED flashlight on my clipboard. I adjust the light intensity up & down to match what I need to see. It's not the greatest solution though, because it slips off, and the portion closer to the light is brighter than the other, all in all, it's too bright for good dark adaptation, so I have to give my eyes some time to readjust after each session with the pencil. I'm looking into rigging something together that will hold the light at a reasonable distance from the clipboard and give me a much lower illumination--that doesn't fall off everytime I move around. As soon as I test it out, I'll post something in the DSO forum.

I look forward to more of your creations.

Jeremy