Category: Colored Pastels

Young Winter December Moon

"The Young Winter December Moon" - December 23, 2014
“The Young Winter December Moon” – December 23, 2014

Young Winter December Moon

During the early part of the current lunation I was observing and sketching in Mesa, Arizona and caught the thin crescent Moon in the southwestern sky just after sunset. Venus was also visible much closer to the horizon but not close enough to the Moon to be included. Earthshine improved and brightened as the hour passed.

Sketching:
For this sketch I used dark blue sketching paper (8.5” x 11”), white, yellow and brown pastel pencils, blending stumps, white Pearl eraser.

Telescope 6”f/7.2 Dobsonian telescope, 28mm eyepiece 39x
Date and Time: 12-23-2014; 18:15 – 19:10 local time
Seeing: Antoniadi III
Transparency: clear 4/5
Temperature: 18 °C (65°F)
Colongitude: 295.3°
Lunation: 1.74 days
Illumination: 4.1%

Frank McCabe

Goldilocks & The 3 Sun Bears

Three prominences on the solar limb - September 11, 2014
Three prominences on the solar limb – September 11, 2014

Aloha!

While observing our ever changing Sun today I was struck by a grouping of prominences on the western limb. All of them of high intensity and curving towards the same direction. They made me think of the story of Goldilocks & The 3 Bears!

Cindy (Thia) Krach

Solar Sketch
Black Strathmore Paper
Pastel and colored pencils
60mm Lunt h-Alpha
56X
Maui, Hawaii

Webmaster’s note: Cindy has been instrumental in organizing a new Sketching Observing Award Program for the Astronomical League. Check it out here.

AR1575

H-Alpha / White Light Sun - September 22, 2012
H-Alpha / White Light Sun – September 22, 2012

Object Name Sun
Object Type Sunspot 1575 and crown
Location Néoules Provence France
Date 22 sept. 2012 – 13h TU
Media (graphite pencil for the spot, red pastel for the crown, two different white papers, Paint.net)

I made two separate sketches, one in H alpha via a classic PST for the crown, the second one through a 1000/102 refractor with solar continuum filter for the spot.
I used several eyepeaces.
The compilation was done with the freeware software : Paint.Net
Conditions were perfect, the sun was hot here… !

Clear sky to you all

Michel Deconinck
http://astro.aquarellia.com

White Light Sun - September 22, 2012
White Light Sun – September 22, 2012
H-Alpha Sun - September 22, 2012
H-Alpha Sun – September 22, 2012

The Sun of november the 7th

H-Alpha Sun - November 7, 2012
H-Alpha Sun - November 7, 2012

Object Name (Sun)
Object Type (H alpha regio…)
Location (Rocbaron in Provence – France)
Date (2012 Nov 7th)
Media (graphite pencil for the prominences, pastel on white paper for the solar texture, Paint.net as digital tool)
Scope My new Lunt LS35THa/B600 on motorized EQ3 mount with 10mm eyepiece.

I made a pastel texture on CàGrain Canson white paper to imitate the solar surface, and I sketched the proeminences on another paper with graphite pencil. Then I combine both digitalized sketches via Paint.net respecting the 3 bright areas. I cheat a little bit regarding the color pushing my sketch to orange which is maybe more convenient for the contrasts.

Clear sky to you all !

Michel Deconinck
http://www.aquarellia.com

A Conjunction with Some History

Conjunction of the Moon, Jupiter and Aldebaran
Conjunction of the Moon, Jupiter and Aldebaran

At the last day of October I sketched a beautiful conjunction between the Moon, Jupiter and Aldebaran. The building in the foreground was my holiday-resort (illuminated by a streetlight), a renovated farm from 1669. By chance: in the first months of 1669 Jupiter was also next to Aldebaran in the sky. So the first inhabitants could have witnessed a similar conjunction. To add some more history: the location was less than 10 km from Middelburg, the town where the telescope was invented!

Clear skies

Jef De Wit

Location: Biggekerke, Netherlands (51°29’ N 3°31’ E)
Date and time: 31 October 2012 around 19.30 UT
Equipment: naked eye
Medium: pastel pencils and soft pastels on black paper (A4), Jupiter and Aldebaran were brightened with Paint

NGC 457 – The Owl Cluster

NGC 457
NGC 457

Owl cluster (NGC457) by Sasan Yekani

September 13, 2012

Object Name ( owl cluster NGC457)
Object Type (open cluster)
Location ( iran,dergajen, 35.058548°N, 51.420321°E)
Date ( September 13, 2012
Media ( white pencil, black paper, yellow pastel)
25mm, 48x , C8-SGT (XLT) Computerized Telescope

Explanation:The first step is enhancing the contrast then increasing the brightness. Making the image black & white requires going to image menu, select adjusments and clicking on the Black&White button. Finally I’m going to add a little sharpness to the image by selecting Sharpen button from the Filter menu.

Just After Sunset

Just After Sunset - 12 Sketches
Just After Sunset - 12 Sketches

When we sketch the sun, we sketch sunspots or H-alpha. But the most beautiful thing to sketch is a sunrise or sunset. During my 2 weeks holiday in France I observed every day the sky just after sunset. I missed only one day due to rain.

The sky and the trees were sketched with a set of 12 soft pastels. The farm was sketched with pastel pencils. The original drawings are all A4-format. I waited the sun to set behind the trees and started sketching as fast as I could. After 30 minutes I stopped because the sky changes very fast.

I had great difficulty in sketching the trees. The dark green pastel was to light, the black and brown to dark… The second week the result is much better than the first week.

Clear skies
Jef De Wit

Location: Ronnet, France (46°12’ N 2°42’ E)
Date and time: 4-16 august 2012 around 19.00 UT
Equipment: naked eye
Medium: soft pastel and pastel pencils on art paper (A4)

H-Alpha Sun – August 2, 2012

H-Alpha Sun - August 2, 2012
H-Alpha Sun - August 2, 2012

Object Name: H-alpha Sun
Object Typ: Solar System
Location: Stegersbach Austria Europe
Date: Aug. 02. 2012
Media: black paper, red and white drawing chalk,
Telescope: Coronado P.S.T 40, 12,5 mm Okular

Thank you
Markus Vertesich

Sunspots: Sketching and Photography

Sun - July 3, 2012
Sun - July 3, 2012

Object Name: Sun-Sunspots 1512-1513- 1515-1517
Location: Tehran-Iran
Date: July 3, 2012
Time: 14:00 Local Time (+3:30 GMT)
Media: Soft Pastels on Black Fabriano paper

Optic: 80 ED APO Refractor Telescope
Focal Length: 600 mm
Eyepiece: 9mm UWA- 1.25′′- 58º

Photo Details:
Camera: Canon EOS 60D
Shutter Speed: 1/6400 sec
ISO:200

Clear Skies
Mona Sorayaei