This galaxy exercise is about having fun and focusing on the creative process instead of worrying about the end result.
Creating is supposed to be fun! It’s about having a great and relaxing time when your working on a project. It might not turn out exactly the way you wanted, but that’s not important. You create for you and no one else.
If you keep that in mind and allow yourself to explore and make mistakes, creating is so much more fun. Try to really play with your supplies, try new things and ideas and let it flow. If you’re only focused on the outcome, you will probably not have a great time and even feel stress. You will loose so many things of what creativity can bring, such as stress relief, clearing your head and being in the moment.
This galaxy exercise is great for trying this. Color blending is so fun and relaxing. Just focus on the paint and your brush on the paper. Look how those colors blend together. I always find that really satisfying. And when I splash paint on the page to create the stars, I feel like a child again. Just allow yourself to play.️
Do you feel free when you create?
Hope you have fun with this week’s exercise! Please let me know if you’ve tried this, I would love to know how your painting turned out!
You can find a small video of this exercise on my instagram @thecreativecooldown
Supplies used:
Sheet of watercolor paper (Strathmore 400 series), watercolor (Winsor & Newton), white paint marker (Posca), white and black gouache (Holbein artists’), pencil, washi tape, water.
Alternative supply suggestions:
For the galaxy painting it is easiest to use watercolor or any other kind of paint. It does not have to be expensive or high quality. This exercise is just to play. If you don’t have this, you can also try to blend with colored pencils and then you can use a black marker for the shadows. It will take a bit more time to blend with colored pencils, but it can certainly be done.
You can also use a white gelly roll pen to add the stars. Washi tape is optional.
Instructions:
1. Add washi tape (if you have any) to create borders and draw your shadow. You can use anything that inspires you; from a simple tree to people. I used a picture I had of my son’s shadow on a swing for this exercise a a reference picture. The reason I sketch the shadow first is because I am able to make some corrections and use my eraser if necessary. It is difficult to erase once the watercolor paint is on the page. Your sketch will fade a little. If you want to make sure that you can still see all the lines of your sketch, trace over your lines with a pen with waterproof ink, before step 2.
2. Choose colors that speak to you to make a nice blend for the background. Use the darkest of your colors for the upper half of your painting. I used multiple layers. After every layer, I let the paint dry and then added another. You can do this as many times as you like until you’re satisfied with your blend.
3a. As this is a galaxy exercise, you can now add stars to your galaxy. I started by randomly putting dots on the paper with a white acrylic marker. I also made a few larger stars, like small crosses.
3b. To get that scattered look with small stars, I used a paintbrush with white gouache. I balanced it on my index finger and tapped it above the paper. You can also do this by applying white opaque paint to a toothbrush and softly tapping it.
4. Use black paint (as opaque as possible) or a black permanent or acrylic marker to add your shadow. Trace over your pencil or pen lines from step 1 and then color it in. Remove the washi tape when you’re done.
5. Now you have made your own galaxy painting with a shadow. I hope you had fun!
If you liked this galaxy exercise and you would like another similar one you could try my mindful color blending exercise.
