Okay, so today I wanted to try something a little different – constellation artwork. I’ve been seeing these gorgeous pieces all over the place, and I thought, “Why not try making my own?” It seemed like a fun weekend project. Plus, I could always use some new wall decor.
First, I gathered my materials. Nothing too fancy, really. I grabbed:
- A blank canvas (I found a small, square one in my closet)
- Some acrylic paints (black, white, and a few blues and purples for that galaxy vibe)
- A couple of different-sized paintbrushes
- A pencil
- An old toothbrush
- A picture of my favorite constellation, Orion, for reference.
To start, I painted the entire canvas black. This was going to be my night sky backdrop. While that was drying, I lightly sketched the Orion constellation onto the canvas with a pencil. Just a rough outline to guide me, you know?
Next, I used the old toothbrush, and this was the fun part. I dipped it in white paint, then flicked the bristles with my thumb to create a splatter effect all over the canvas. Instant stars! It was a little messy, but totally worth it for that cool, starry look.
After the splatter dried, I took a fine-tipped brush and carefully painted the main stars of Orion, using my reference picture to make sure I got them in the right places. I added a little bit of a blue-ish white to these stars, just to make them pop a little more.
Then, I used the same fine-tipped brush to connect the stars, forming the lines of the constellation. I decided to go for a very subtle, thin white line. It was all coming together!
I felt like something was missing, so I mixed some blues and purples, watered them down a bit, and lightly brushed them around the constellation to give it that nebula, outer space feel. I blended it in to make the colors and texture soft. Finally I took a step back to look at the whole picture, making sure that I don’t put in too much.
And that’s it! My very own constellation artwork. It wasn’t perfect, of course, but I was pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s now hanging in my living room, and I’ve gotten a few compliments on it already.
This was such a fun and simple project, and I’m definitely going to try making more of these in the future. Maybe I’ll do the Big Dipper next, or even a custom one with my own zodiac sign. The possibilities are endless! Who needs to buy expensive framed art, right? I will do my next project with the theme of affordable nature art.
