How to create a painting of outer space

This project could be created with a variety of art medium, such as paint, digital painting, watercolor, oil pastels. In my art class, my middle school artists enjoyed painting the background with paint and then adding a dimensional planet to make a relief painting (as seen here in Fig. 1). The materials used included:

• 8 x 10 Canvas Panels
• Crayola Model Magic Clay (about a handful per artist)
• Fluorescent Tempera Paint – or acrylic paint
• Black & white acrylic paint
• Paint Brushes

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Step 1: Paint a solid black background on your canvas.

Step 2: Splatter white paint to create stars. Using a toothbrush dipped in slightly watered down white acrylic paint works great!

Step 3: Let’s define a light source! In the corner or middle of the left side, paint a circle of white paint. Next, use a dry brush technique to fade the edges of the white into the black background.

To create this effect, get most of the paint off your brush by dabbing onto a paper towel or extra paper. Then, use a scumbling and/or stippling motion to fade out the paint edges.

Step 4: Using a dry brush again, dip your brush into yellow paint and dab off any excess. Dab the yellow paint so that it overlaps with the white softly and then fades off into the black background.

Step 5: Choose either a warm or a cool color light source. Use analogous colors (colors that are next to each other on the color wheel) to create a dry brush circular gradient.

Step 6: On the right side of the canvas opposite from the light source, lightly draw a circle with pencil.

Step 7: Use white paint to dry brush a glowing light that will be reflecting off the planet.

Step 8: Choose an analogous color scheme and use a dry brush technique to create another gradient.

Step 9: Explore adding in other cosmic imagery in the background, such as a curvy line of white.

Step 10: Dry brush more color into the added details.

Step 11: At this point, consider splattering on some more white stars to lay on top.

Step 12: Let’s add a planet! The planet will have a gradient that goes from light to dark. The light highlight will be on the side closest to the first light source painted. The dark shadow will contrast nicely with the reflected light painted in the background.

The planet can be created by painting on (1) a black cut out piece of circular paper or (2) a sculpted model magic hemisphere to add dimensional relief to the painting.

Interested in another space related art project? Check out this fun perspective space drawing that uses the cartooning method of exaggeration!