Solar system art

It’s easy to create solar system art using sponge painting and our latest printable template.

In this tutorial we’ll show you how to paint all the planets of our solar system, plus the sun and the moon, using a masking technique.

*Please note this is no longer a free resource

Get the template here

Not long ago, we shared a set of solar system cards. You can download them for free from our printables library.

I also promised to share an art idea that relates to the cards and here it is: solar system sponge art.

According to my husband, I’m an expert at blowing my own trumpet when it comes to creative projects (and tasty dinners), haha. But I really do think this planet art looks great, and when I think that I can’t help saying so.

This project is suitable for grades 1-6, although for younger kids you might need to use blu-tack or similar to keep the template in place when painting.

Creating planet art is a good way to support learning about space and our solar system. You can make just one planet, or all of them.

Hang them on the wall in the correct order to help kids learn the order of the planets from the sun.

To make life easy, the planet cards you need to use for reference in this project are also included in the download.

The sponge dabbing art technique we used is a little messy — so cover your table surface — but it’s a lot of fun. 

Here’s how to create planet art … 

How to make solar system art

You will need:

• The masking template, printed out on ordinary white paper
• The solar system planet cards for reference
• Card stock in black or dark blue
• A kitchen sponge cut into small pieces
• Acrylic paint in the colour of the planets you wish to paint
• Scissors
• Q-tip / cotton bud
• Glue stick

 

How to: 

Fold the planet template in half and cut out the circle. Discard the centre and use the outside as a mask.

Place the mask over the top of your black sheet of card stock. This can be done by just holding the mask in place, being careful not to let it move or slip. However, you might find it easier to hold the masking sheet in place with a little bit of blu-tack or removable masking (painters) tape. The second option would be especially helpful if you’re working with younger kids.

Select a planet card to use as a reference. Use sponge squares to dab colour in roughly the same places and shades as the planet on your reference card.

Peel the mask away. For the sun, dab a few extra sparks around the edge of the circle in pale yellow after removing the mask.

When making Jupiter, add a swirl using a cotton bud to create it’s famous spot marking. Did you know that the spot is a storm so big that it could engulf all of Earth?

Dot stars around the planet using a Q-tip (cotton bud).

When making Saturn and Uranus, wait for the circle shape of the planet to dry before using the ring mask to add the rings

Glue the planet label on when you’re finished.

We were super happy with how our solar system art turned out. We hope you have fun making it too!

You might also like:

• Make some galaxy painted pots using toothbrush splatter painting
• Use sponge fragments to create colourful kaleidoscope prints
• This sunset boat art idea combines a paint blending technique with paper mosaic to create a pretty water silhouette scene 
• Use our printable template to make a 3D paper doodlebug craft