Good afternoon campers! I hope you had fun making your moons this morning?
This afternoon we are going make night sky scapes. There are countless ways you can do this. I’m sure you have some good ideas? Perhaps you have learned some new techniques during Art Camp that you could put to use? If so, please go ahead and make a beautiful night sky scape in any way you wish to. But, if you need some more ideas, please read on; I have scouted for some of my favourite ideas, and those tried and tested in my previous classes…. have lots of fun and don’t forget to share what you make!
Night Sky Scapes
Watercolour Night Skies
I have just discovered Julia from Paint Box Letters on Instagram, and her work is just lovely. Have a look at her IG feed, and swoon over her delightful watercolour and ink designs. She has a ton of night skies, including some painted within animals, some with silhouettes, and some videos showing how she achieved the effects. Ill share a few of my favourites here for your convenience, but Id definitely recommend just scrolling her feed and finding ones you like!
Glitter Night Sky Scape
I know many of you probably detest glitter, if so, this is not for you, haha, so keep scrolling!
My daughter loves to make pictures with glitter, and she has made night skies a few times. You can make a picture like this really simply, with just a dark coloured piece of card and gold or silver glitter shaken onto it. Or, you can get a bit more creative, and paint the night sky before sprinkling the glitter on. Perhaps you could try a watercolour background, with different shades of blues and purples. Or You could sponge paint with acrylics or poster paints?
Ripped Paper Collaged Sky Scape
You might remember this from our Amazing Oceans week? I shared it when we made Sea Scapes. I thought I’d share it again as its a really lovely way of making a stylised night sky. I love the way the stars look like strings of fairy lights, which coupled with the origami boat, gives it a fantastical element, rather than being overly realistic.
Give this a try by using different coloured paper, and cutting or tearing them, and then sticking them down to make layers. You don’t have to include the ocean, you could just do a sky, or make a landscape instead.
Make the stars with white paint, chalk, a white marker, or use string and stickers, or cut out stars… have fun and experiment with what works best.
Sticker and Chalk Constellations
This is a good one for younger kids, and a lovely way to explore the names and shapes of star constellations. Of course you don’t have to use chalk, and you could adapt this activity in many ways.
Constellations with String Art
Here is another way to explore and make constellations. This time it uses string on a contrasting background. I think its really effective. Vintage Revivals use a fancy machine the punch holes in the shapes of the constellations. You don’t need to do that. You could draw the shapes and then sew the string threw using a large needle, or you could use drawing pins / thumb tacks, and then loop the string around them to make the patterns, or you could simply stick the wool down with glue.
Night Sky Space Rocks
Of course you don’t just have to paint on paper or canvas, you can paint on anything! These night sky space rocks from Adventure in a Box are simply lovely. What else could you paint on?
Splatter Paint Night Sky
You know I love a bit of process art, and making a night sky piece is a perfect reason to have a go at splatter painting! There is no right or wrong way to do this, but I would recommend starting with a dark background, which you could either paint, collage, or just use a dark piece of card. Then you want to water down some white, or pale yellow acrylic or poster paint, and splatter it by tapping a paintbrush, or flicking a toothbrush.
By the way, the image above is a professional artist’s (Laney Wylde) work, which was for sale at the Saatchi Gallery!
Afternoon Reading
Continuing our Moon theme from this morning your reading this afternoon is the beautifully illustrated book, I Took the Moon for a Walk, written by Carolyn Curtis, and illustrated by Alison Jay (who is amazing!)
Extra - Music
I love music, I always have it on when writing and creating! There are so many beautiful songs about the night sky, maybe you could make a playlist together as a family? Here are two from Laura Mvula to get you started.
Journal Prompts
- If you make a playlist, jot it down in your journal…
- Jot down some constellations, using simple dots and lines. Use google to find our what your star sign constellation is…
- Write a poem about the night sky, the moon, or the stars….
- Write about what you think it would be like to walk in the moon, or swing on a star, let your imagination go wild…
- If you get a clear night in the next couple of days, go and star gaze; grab a blanket and some cushions, sit or lie quietly under the night sky, and just look. Jot down some of things you felt or thought afterwards…
Join us tomorrow, when will be zooming off into outer space!
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