Astronomy Sketches

I've been planning to put some of these on the blog, but time has been getting away from me! This is a sketch of the penumbral eclipse in my astronomy journal. I learned quite a bit during this adventure, mainly that I should always sketch the moon's major maria and craters in before the event! It is too difficult to juggle a sketchbook and a pair of binoculars or a telescope, and draw in details. Lesson learned. Next time, I will plan (and draw!) ahead.

The second drawing shows the orange glow that appeared around the moon later that evening. I like the Ingres paper a lot for sketches like the first one (graphite), but less for ones like this (waxy colored pencil). The colored pencils I was using just did not want to cooperate on this paper.

I also have sketches from last week's lunar occultation. I hope to share more of my sketches in the future, and beg for your patience as I try to get them to show up better in the photos. I think scanning might be a better option.

Astronomy Journal

This has been an exciting summer for astronomy. I was awed by the sight of the Venus and Jupiter conjunction, and I am now eagerly checking the news from NASA as they post pictures of Pluto and its moons.

In August, the Perseid meteor shower is supposed to peak on the night of the 13th. The New Moon is on the 14th, so this means that there will be a greater chance to see the meteor shower without competing light from the moon.

Astronomy has been finding its way into my journals lately, but I decided the subject deserved a journal of its own. I chose a dos-a-dos (back-to-back) format, casing the pages into a hardcover binding. I think I will use one side for events like the meteor shower, and the other side for everyday observations. However, I discovered that this format is not for the faint of heart. It is difficult to get everything to sit perfectly in the binding.

Here is what the cover papers looked like, before they were glued on. The color of the illustration is subtle, as is the paper itself. To the right on the top is a test paper. You can see in the top left corner that a watercolor gold test did not go well! The tiny bit of water that I used left a large water ring. This is the messy part of illumination... finding out what works, and what doesn't! The beautiful bright gold moon was gouache, but it was too stark on this paper for my taste. (You can click on the image for a better look).

I had to use a PVA glue on this paper since my usual wheat paste left water spots. The one I used is called Jade, which has many good qualities. Its drawback is that it dries fast, so with a binding like this, I did not have much time to get things right! If I had been able to use my usual PVA/paste combo, it would have allowed me to shift things around and reposition them without rushing.

This is my book press, made for me by my husband and son. It is simple, but effective. I leave finished books to dry in there for a few days, and opening it is like opening a Christmas gift. The book always looks better when it is removed.

And here is the book being released from the press!

Tearing paper for the pages, rather than cutting, is time consuming, but gives a lovely handmade feel to the edge to the paper. It always seems to stick out a bit more when I do this. If I ever decide to make this book format again, I will add additional width to the covers.

I like how the illustrations came out on the covers. I was playing around with a monoline Uncial calligraphy written on a curve. I really like this effect- probably because Uncial is so rounded, and the curve echoes this look. I have chosen words from Psalms 147, 148, and 104 that mention stars and the moon.

Thank you for visiting! I hope this inspires you to get out and look up at the sky. There is so much beauty to see all around us.