Painted Solar System Art Project

Make solar system art on dark paper by painting with cotton balls and cotton swabs to create textured planets.

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Learn about the planets in our solar system by making art! This fun activity will teach kids about the names of the planets, their orbit around the sun, and what they look like.

Cotton balls and cotton swabs create a lovely swirly texture that resembles the hazy way most planets look from a distance.

NASA has a great overview of each planet, including its size and distance from the sun.

What color should you paint each planet?

• Mercury – grays
• Venus – orange, white, brown, yellow
• Earth – blues and greens, white
• Mars – red, orange, brown
• Jupiter – orange, white, brown
• Saturn – yellow, white, brown
• Uranus – light blue
• Neptune – dark blue

Tips for Painting with Kids

• Protect your workspace. Painting is inherently messy, so put down paper or use an inexpensive plastic tablecloth.
• Dress for mess. An adult tee shirt makes a great smock for little kids.
• Make sure you use washable paint. Most kids’ paints are washable with just soap and water, but read the instructions on the package.

How to make solar system art

Supplies

• craft paper, black or dark color
• crayons
• circles to trace, optional
• washable paints
• something to hold paint, such as a paper plate, egg carton, or plastic palette
• cotton balls
• cotton swabs

Instructions

1. Draw the planets.

Start by drawing 8 circles on the black paper using a white crayon. You don’t have to make them precisely to scale, but the 4 outer planets should be larger than the 4 inner planets. Draw them by hand or trace a round object, such as a roll of tape or a cup.

2. Paint each planet.

Set up the paints by putting a small dollop of each color on a surface. A waxy paper plate works great for this. Use cotton balls to dab a small amount of paint onto each planet. You can use multiple colors on each planet, but use a separate cotton ball for each color to prevent them from mixing on the plate. Add smaller details with the cotton swabs.

3. Add details with crayon.

Allow the paint to dry completely, then add details. Use crayons to draw rings, moons, and any other space objects you want to include. Lighter colors will appear more clearly on dark paper; dark colors will be more subtle.

Once you’re done with the details, your solar system art is complete!

Printable instructions

Solar System Art

Print

Prep Time 5 minutes

Active Time 15 minutes

Dry Time 5 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Materials

• craft paper, black or dark color
• crayons
• circles to trace, optional
• washable paints
• something to hold paint, such as a paper plate, egg carton, or plastic palette
• cotton balls
• cotton swabs

Instructions

1. Draw the planets.
   Start by drawing 8 circles on the black paper using a white crayon. You don't have to make them precisely to scale, but the 4 outer planets should be larger than the 4 inner planets. Draw them by hand or trace a round object, such as a roll of tape or a cup.
2. Paint each planet.
   Set up the paints by putting a small dollop of each color on a surface. A waxy paper plate works great for this. Use cotton balls to dab a small amount of paint onto each planet. You can use multiple colors on each planet, but use a separate cotton ball for each color to prevent them from mixing on the plate. Add smaller details with the cotton swabs.
3. Add details with crayon.
   Allow the paint to dry completely, then add details. Use crayons to draw rings, moons, and any other space objects you want to include. Lighter colors will appear more clearly on dark paper; dark colors will be more subtle.

More fun ideas from Backyard Summer Camp:

• Educational Solar Eclipse Activities for Kids
• Colorful Salt Art Watercolor Painting for Kids
• Moon Collage Art Project