In Paddy's first solar sketch report, he mentioned having difficulty achieving certain effects, and the use of an eraser wasn't doing what he would have liked to have achieved. I thought I'd add the suggestions I made there to this thread as it may prove helpful. It's more of a mind-set and a little technique:
Though Paddy's question specifically was on a solar sketch, drawing a DSO is the same, where you are laying your lines on white paper or black.
" I have a couple of suggestions. One is to plan your sketch first! How? It's in the methodology in drawing development.
Here is where pencil grade selection helps.
Using a hard pencil, like 2H or even 4H, lightly mark the position of the main features, boundaries, highlights, fading direction and the such (this planning lines can be removed then as needed with an eraser if needed). Then there are two choices- darkest next or lightest next. Darkest sets the tone for the lighter areas, the reverse for the lightest first.
By marking the highlights in "AR 1117" (a bright 'line' connecting various sunspots in a cluster of them), you can leave these areas alone preserving the maximum brightness of the paper, then only shade the surrounds. Using a rubber to only create the highlights is harder to control the edges and softness sometimes needed. It can leave the 'highlights' dirty or too sharp or the wrong shape. If the highlights are planned for, using an eraser can be less trying and more deliberate.
One tip my sister gave me (and I mentioned this in another thread) is to do a little drawing exercise
before sitting down to your task. It might seem trivial or a waste of time or 'I can't be bothered' thing, but it really, really works. Like any form of exercise, our fingers, eyes and mind need to be prepped to optimise performance.
It is a logical thing. Heard of "getting your eye in"? Same thing, hand-eye co-ordination and tricking up your fine motor skills. Noticed how as your sketch progresses, the first lines you laid down are less than convincing?
And what was this "exercise" she suggested? A cube in perspective, say with 40mm sides, and with three roughly equal sized sides showing, then shade in the three surfaces, lightest to darkest. NO erasers or rubbers or smudge sticks or what ever! Just you and the pencil tip. It's all about control and impression.
See why I don't use 'smudging' now? "
Michael also mentioned using an "eraser shield". It is a very thin, small sheet of stainless steel with several shapes punched out. You place the most appropriate "shape" over the area to be rubbed out, there by protecting the surrounding areas. Good gizmo too,
. Mine is now 27 years old, I use it, but not much. Too delicate to use in the field:
http://www.google.com.au/images?q=tb...IW3Rumf-Fpe9U=
Mental.