Moon - Waxing Gibbous Dec 26th 2009 - Pastel Sketch 19" X 25"
After much clouds and rain a break on December 26th 2009 allowed me to observe the waxing gibbous moon for a few hours [5UT ~ 9UT] through my 10.1" f/4.5 Newtonian telescope with use of several magnifications with 32mm, 12mm, 9.7mm Super Plossl and 6mm Orthoscopic eyepieces.
I rendered this pastel sketch on 19" X 25" black Strathmore Artagain pastel paper with use of various soft and hard pastel chalks.
Mark Seibold, retired artist-astronomy educator, Portland Oregon
What a fabulous sketch series Mark - they're truly wonderful. Please post more of them!!!
Just for everyone's edification, there is a sketching equivalent of APOD - ASOD! Mark and other people's sketches on all sorts of objects. Very nice...
Thanks to all of your kind comments *re: my gallery
Thank you all for your kind comments regarding my most recent lunar sketch. Sorry it has taken me so long to return and reply this time.
Orestis - Yes most of my recent work has progressed from surreal solar sketching that used to include my sketching hand in the image [some had shown several times in NASA's Spaceweaeather.com and once in Astronomy Picture of the Day November 17 2006], then I turned to the moon just occasionally since mid 2008.
Leinad and others - Yes I usually spend the bulk time sketching the whole moon part in about 4 hours, the usual time it takes for all the details as well as I can rush them from eyepiece observation for a 12 inch diameter lunar disc, as time is limited to possible approaching clouds or the moon sets depending on time of month. My eyes are stressed to focus from the eyepiece and to the pastel paper possibly several hundred times while producing one of these works in several hours, so my vision can become extremely fatigued for several days after completing a large art work and thus I must rest the eyes before attempting another work. I am physically fit for 55 but my eyesight is technically blind for distance without corrective lenses.
I may have finished up a few details for an additional hour or so and the imaginary landscape at bottom is usually the easiest part sometimes only taking perhaps 30 minutes or so as it is entirely made up from imagination quickly.
I also take several photos with a tripod mounted consumer-grade camera through the telescope eyepiece for reference but I try not to rely too much on them as copying from a photo can spoil the freshness of the live observed image.
As for sale, I am just now receiving serious requests for purchases, but those who have expressed interest, only want the originals. I only have a few that I have used for display purposes and lectures so I am not too willing to part with them. I have experimented with photo copying but not yet pleased with the images when reproduced yet.
In the mean time you might refer to my www.markseibold.com for a quick reference. *See the 'About Me' icon in upper right for my life bio, plus severasl other icons there for information, one for a few of my award winning photography, the bottom front page shows a variety of my older art from art school in 1973 ~ 1974 and one piece from the 6th grade. A recent charcoal sketch from live model in class December 2009.
Also I post new images frequently in The Cloudy Nights Sketch Forums, and my gallery at Cloudy Nights is cross-rerferenced from www.markseibold.com >
At www.markseibold.com and my Cloudy Nights Gallery you may also see a small selection of photography, some awarded and published in Astronomy magazine and other venues; also a few images of the public and myself on the sidewalks where I provide public sidewalk astronomy often as weatherr allows. I was also known for providing much in public sidewalk astronomy a few years ago across the US ~ Canadian continent and in the Fiji Islands with an h-alpha solar telescope and that is seen in news at the upper right icon 'About' - Also at www.markseibold.com, see short independent motion film work of LS Solar Prophet [c2003] which runs6.5 minutes [at two bottom icons on front page] with 2.5 minute TV News following or click to see full screen size from Youtube, and the more exerted Trinidad [c2001] movie running 15 minutes with much in rich narrative. A rough 8mm Black and White with all dubbed sound from original documentary of three actors [one of is including Mark Seibold] (Click to see full size screen at Google and description.)
Mark
*PS: Attached are few recent images at the scope and the drawing board. One final image is from the studio where I currently and temporarily live.
Last edited by markseibold; 16-01-2010 at 12:06 AM.
Wow.. I have found you work in the past inspirational, you never seem not to amaze me.
It is one thing to photograph these things, it a totally amazing to see such detail captured by hand.
Although I am reasonably talented (Gift from my parents, both graphic designers) I have not attempted to draw in years, due to not feeling my efforts meet my own standards (which would be assumed un-attainable to most). Twice now you have pushed me very close to going back to it. This post has pushed me over the edge, I must return.
So credit yourself with the fact, that you have made someone return to the art they love once again... Thankyou.
Yes, I too took years to return to finding this. I sketched as a child at my school desk and constantly and at home. Our father was an art major but fell into a typical office job for decades to support the family. His art became an occasional hobby as an historical modeler in building WW2 model airplanes to perfection, but I believe it influenced my brother, sister and I in some indirect way. He was also always interested it taking us out in the family backyard to point out current objects in the night sky. Later after high school I was to major in art but only dabbled in it because I was carried away with photography. Imagine that that was old wet based film photography in 1973 as I bought a new 35mm camera and learned through class to do darkroom work. I began to take time exposure photographs of the night sky, eventually winning awards with some of them (see www.markseibold.com ), something I still feel is a fine art and science and not at all related to today’s digital photography with computerized and Photoshop aided imaging. I know many defend digital as the same but I feel much differently about it. Believe me I have done it all and nothing compares with the real hand drawn art. It is hard to suggest this to people but artists know it. I can only suggest that one tries it and through the experience, you will discover that those who I term as my non-artist friends will never understand what they are missing.
I suggest that you also see books by Chesley Bonestell. It also took me years to find one of the rarest 'out of of copy print'. I just accidentally stumbled over it 2 weeks ago at the largest book store in America, Powell's City of Books, here in my home town of Portland. It is a widely cherished book titled, The Conquest of Space, with some paintings that are now understood to have driven the early space age. (Art has inspired much of our desire for space and astronomy.) I was further delighted to find it just sitting there on the shelf with hundreds of other used astronomy books and that no one had taken it yet! When I opened this 9th printing from 1959 to see that it was personally signed by Willey Ley and in near new condition, I nearly burst into tears of joy. I could not believe that it was priced at only $35! *Original price still in the dust jacket at $4.95! Covered in the original dust cover and further protected acetate, someone preserved this for over 50 years. I returned to the rare book room just days ago to research that this rare book was not marketed from that department of the store. When the worker there was educated about my knowledge of astronomy, that they may have given the book away as very undervalued as he admitted knowing very little about astronomy art, he thanked me and then discovered my art as we talked. I directed him to my web site at www.markseibold.com and he has suggested that they invite me to exhibit my work in an upcoming gallery show at the book store. Powell’s hosts many famous authors and speakers. This could be the chance of my life to a first very meaningful exhibit that I offered to also speak at the opening.
I am glad to have inspired you Mitchell. I look forward to seeing your sketching soon. I am sure your parents will appreciate your new found art work and rediscovered artistic process.
Mark Seibold, retired artist-astronomy educator, PortlandOregon
*I attached photo copies (although not the best online reproductions of these works) of the Bonestell book and also several of my more recent pastel sketches (again weak reproductoins of my works) from the past couple years for your further inspiration. Most of the works are 19" X 24" on black pastel paper. One "Lunar observation April 4 ~ 5" is 22"X 30". A few have been featured in Spaceweather.com Also see www.markseibold.com and my gallery at Cloudy Nights Astronomy Forums > http://www.cloudynights.com/photopost/showgallery.php?thumb=1&cat=500&si= markseibold&perpage=12&sort=2&stype =&ppuser=
- Mark
Last edited by markseibold; 19-01-2010 at 09:36 PM.
Yeah keep them coming .
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