Source Photograph:

My favorite picture of an astronaut on the moon: Gene Cernan, standing between the flag and the rover. Gene was the Commander of the Apollo 17 mission, and was the last person to walk on the moon.

I decided to crop the picture, and focus just on the figure.

The photo is NASA number AS17-140-21391HR.

Transfering the Photo to the Canvas:

When working from a photograph, I like to scale it up in the computer, and print out a poster-size image.  Whether using a print like this or an original drawing done on tracing paper, I transfer the major elements onto my canvas by using a technique I learned from a Commercial Art book many, many years ago.

I rub the back of the paper with pastel, and then set the pastel (so it's no longer dusty and easy to rub off) with a piece of cotton soaked in rubber cement thinner. The paper is taped in position on the canvas and I trace over it with a hard pencil.

I coordinate the color of the pastel with the general color tone intended for the painting (using purple this time.)

Monochromatic Under-painting:

I established the light/dark values in the painting by roughing in the entire composition in Dioxizine Purple.  I used purple because I wanted to infuse the moon's surface with a variety of colors, leaning toward the warm tones. A purple/lavendar overall tone fit the mood I wanted to create and would produce some nice interplay with both warm and cool colors painted over it.

Laying in the Background:

One of my goals in this painting was to stay pretty loose, and work impressionistically, using quick dabs of many colors to build up the impression of the final image.  The background set the stage for the entire piece, even though I knew that there were parts of the astronaut's figure that would call for sharper detail.

Interestingly, the full-strength Dioxizine Purple used in the under-painting for the sky and the astronaut's shadow was dark enough to be kept for the final painting.  No black pigment was used at all.

Finished Painting:

Keeping to the artistic principle of using detail to pull the eye to the focal point of a painting, I created a lot more detail in the helmet and face plate.

Secondary focus goes to the gloves, which called out for some crispness. Then the entire figure's profile was sharpened to accentuate the contrasts with the background.

See a large version - 627 by 942 pixels, 111 kilobytes.

Palette:

My palette for the painting had (left to right):

Dioxizine Purple
Crimson
Phthalo Green
Cadmium Yellow Deep
Ultramarine Blue

and, of course, Titanium White

(Shown in the picture but not used: Raw Umber)