Hi folks, after reviewing sketching guidelines for the Astronomical League sketching observing award, and our very own sketching contest, the moderators felt it was time to create our own guidelines. We would like to thank Cindy aka WarmVet and John Goss from the Astronomical League for their input here. Much appreciated.
1. Any sketch submitted here must be of your own observation through your own telescope and/or equipment. (Exception is in #8)
2. Passing off someone else’s sketching work as your own may result in a permanent ban.
3. It is acceptable to clean up a sketch in brighter light (remove smudges, correct elongated stars, etc.)
4. You can use digital manipulation to invert your sketch to make it “negative”.
5. Sketches using online telescopes are discouraged because we would like to see what you see at the EP/camera. Seeing from your own back yard, observatory, etc, is what we want to see.
6. Your choice of medium is up to you. Paper and pencil, pen and ink, watercolor even electronic drawing/coloring is acceptable. You can use the Mellish Method, White paper and graphite, pastels, whatever you’d like.
7. Make sure you provide the name of the object you’re seeing, along with the time, date, place, cardinal directions, and seeing/transparency conditions. Please also list the type of scope, binoculars, or naked eye here as well and the magnification used. Also include any information about the filters you might use. This information doesn’t need to be on the sketch itself, in the body of your post is okay.
8. Sketching from an image for practice is acceptable.—just make sure you let us know this was done. Be sure and credit the source of any image you sketch from, a link to it and permission granted for its use.
9. One sketch per post please.
10. Remember these are guidelines, unlike the rules for the sketching contest. If you have any questions or concerns please contact one of the moderators of this forum.
11. Most of all have fun, take time and slow down to enjoy the views and share.
Clear skies,
The moderators