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How to Paint a Watercolor Solar Eclipse, Pt. 3

watercolor solar eclipse 3 graphic

In part 3 of the Watercolor Solar Eclipse project, Jim demonstrates how to add some fluorescent (black light) stars and a foreground to this mixed media project.

New supplies you’ll need:
–Fluorescent yellow acrylic paint (for the stars)
–Black permanent marker (for the foreground trees)

Draw through the Bible with black light chalk artist, Jim Pence. This video series is designed for homeschoolers who want to have fun learning art and the Bible. And, in keeping with Jim’s black light chalk artistry, each of these projects incorporate black light chalk or paint.

For more children’s art resources, visit: seethelightshine.com

Watercolor Solar Eclipse, Pt. 2

Colored pencils with text overlay. Paint a Solar Eclipse, part two. Art and Bible Series. See the Light Art

In part two of the Watercolor Solar Eclipse project, Jim Pence demonstrates how to paint the total eclipse. A highlight of this lesson is using fluorescent color pencils to draw the sun’s corona under a black light.

Supplies needed for this part can be found at most arts and crafts stores or at the links below:

— Colored pencils (fluorescent): You can find these at http://www.seethelightshine.com/store/materials/crayola-extreme-pencils.html

— Liquid mask removal tool: http://www.dickblick.com/products/crepe-rubber-cement-pickup/

— Watercolors: Any watercolors will work for this part of the project.

Visit: See the Light Art, http://seethelightshine.com/art, for video art resources specially tailored for the busy homeschooling mom.

Draw through the Bible with black light chalk artist, Jim Pence. This video series is designed for homeschoolers who want to have fun learning art and the Bible. And, in keeping with Jim’s black light chalk artistry, each of these projects incorporate black light chalk or paint.

For more children’s art resources, visit: seethelightshine.com

Colored pencils with text overlay. Paint a Solar Eclipse, part two. Art and Bible Series. See the Light Art

How to Paint a Starfield on Your Ceiling

Night sky background with text overlay - How to Paint a Starfield on Your Ceiling. See the Light Art

A while back I got a question on my YouTube channel about how to create a realistic-looking starfield on a ceiling with chalk. Although it would work (theoretically), a better solution is to use glow paint.

Q: I just came across your video on YouTube about how to create a realistic starfield with black light chalk and I would really appreciate if you could help me out. 

I would like to create a starfield ceiling for my kids’ room and would like to ask if I could use the same technique you used in your video. Since it’s the ceiling we are talking about, would the chalk stick to it by just blowing the chalk on it like you did? What would be the best way to create such a ceiling?

How long will the effect last? Is the blacklight chalk permanent? Or I would have to renew the ceiling after some time?

A: What a great idea! When my son was young, I did a starfield on his ceiling but just used stick-on stars. Not remotely realistic. Here are some thoughts on the subject:

Chalk: Not recommended!

Although my chalk technique would work (at least theoretically), there are some problems with blowing chalk dust onto a ceiling to create a random-looking starfield.
First, it would be extremely messy, as a lot of the chalk would fall back down to the ground. And it would be difficult to “fix” the chalk so that it would be permanent. I suppose you could spray some kind of clear coat over it, but I’m not sure how it would look on your ceiling.

Second, without fixing the chalk, it would smear anytime something brushed against it. (Not that a lot of things will brush the ceiling, but you’d never be able to dust or clean it without erasing or smearing the chalk.)

Third, because some of the pigment is toxic, I don’t think I’d want that dust on a children’s room, where they might breathe it if it gets stirred up.

A Better Solution: Phosphorescent Glow Paint

Here’s a better way to create that effect:

If I were doing it, I’d probably use phosphorescent glow paint rather than chalk. You could get a similar, random effect by using a stiff bristle brush and spattering the paint on the ceiling. (This is a common technique of watercolorists. You load paint onto the toothbrush and rake your fingernail across it to spatter it on the paper or canvas.)

You can buy good quality phosphorescent paint from: artnglow.com.

The paint will need to be “charged” to make the entire starfield glow. You can do this with a black light or strong sunlight (if the room has a lot of windows).

Here’s a short video I found that compares different varieties of glow paint:

And for those who haven’t seen it, here’s my video about how to create a star-field on paper with chalk:

 

Enjoy art and drawing all year long with Art Class:

Art Class 9-DVD Boxed Set