Thread: Sketching tips
View Single Post
  #15  
Old 13-10-2010, 01:58 PM
jamespierce (James)
Registered User

jamespierce is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 321
I've fallen off the sketching wagon bait lately, but here are my tips and suggestions.

Get a copy of this book - http://www.amazon.com/Astronomical-S.../dp/0387262407

I have a box of 12 derwent drawing pencils but when you are just starting limiting yourself to a few pencils makes life easier. 4B, B and 2H is about right. It doesn't matter though if it's 3B or 2B and 4H etc. A B pencil is my standard goto pencil. I never grab more than 4 pencils for any one sketch in the field.

Get a blending stump or three (you can get away without cleaning them all the time if you use the same one for really soft black pencils, and keep one pretty clean for light smudging). Get a couple of different erasers, including a soft ball style one and an eraser shield - The eraser shield might be the most important thing you buy.

Get a decent pad of A5 drawing paper.

If you go to an art store all of 2,3 and 4 should cost you less than $40

Ok beyond the tools, techniques... The most important thing to practice is figuring out your reference points, and drawing those first. For the moon, big craters, and the key shadows. For star clusters the brightest ones. For nebula etc, the bright stars and basic shape. Once you get those down, you just keep refining, and refining sections of the sketch. Breaking it down makes it much less overwhealming.

PS: I've never been game to sketch Omega Centaurs, 47 Tuc or M42 etc ...
Reply With Quote