Create your own unique galaxy using coffee filters and watercolor paints! Add stars, planets, constellations…whatever you want to make it out of this world! This craft can also be used to create a tie-dye effect if you’re feeling groovy. Ya dig?
Supplies:
- coffee filters
- watercolor paints
- spray bottle filled with water
- bowl of water
- one larger-sized paint brush (like a 10 or 12, shape doesn’t matter)
- one smaller-sized paint brush (like a 4 or 6 round)
- something to protect your work surface from water/paint
- paper towels
- OPTIONAL – hair dryer for speedier drying time
Instructions:
Step 1 – Before getting started, wet your watercolor paints using the spray bottle.
Step 2 – Begin by brushing the entire coffee filter with clean water. Brushing helps smooth out any wrinkles in the filter. You want everything to be fairly wet – not puddling not the surface, but you should be able to see a slight shine to the filter.
Pro Tip – layer a dry coffee filter underneath the wet one to help absorb excess water.
Step 3 – Working with one color at a time, put some watercolor in random spots across the coffee filter. Use whatever colors you want to create your galaxy! It doesn’t matter if the colors touch, or if the water runs the colors together – that’s what makes it look really neat! You can add more water to the coffee filter as needed. Note – when the paints dry, the colors will fade/lighten quite a bit. Be generous with the paint!
Step 4 – When the coffee filter is to your liking, set it aside to dry; it will vary depending on how saturated your filter is with water, so patience may be needed 🙂 It should be mostly dry before moving on to the next step. If you want to speed things up, you can use a hair dryer on low heat/speed. Now is a good time to grab a snack, stretch your neck, and roll your shoulders.
Step 5 – Once dry enough, determine if the colors faded too much for your liking. You can reapply paint as needed, but you’ll have to wait for it to dry again. Use the small paint brush to dot white paint around the coffee filter to represent stars. Or, get silly and splatter the white paint across the surface to get really random splotches. If you want to blend more of the colors together, you can add a little more water but be careful not to oversaturate.
Step 6 – Allow the filter to dry again, then admire your work. You could use string to hang them in your blanket fort!
Fun variations:
- Use different colors to make more interesting galaxies
- maybe there are different planets and gasses making up your galaxy and it’s more green or pink.
- Try different folding methods before adding the water and paint
- What kind of interesting designs come out?
- Because stars vary in surface temperature, you can add different colors of stars to your galaxy (read more here!)
- Blue – hottest stars
- Deep Blue White
- Blue White
- White
- Yellowish White
- Pale yellow orange
- Light orange red – coolest stars
- get extra creative and add a constellation to your galaxy using a white gel pen
- channel your inner planet-hugging grooviness and make them tie dye!
And there you have it! Fire up that rocket ship and jet over to Discord to share your masterpiece. On behalf of Troop Stardust, I hope you enjoyed this project and I can’t wait to see what you created! If you share on Instagram, please feel free to tag #TroopStardust so we can see your art!
Hosted by: Troop Stardust care of Kim
Kim, aka Peachy, is a four-time counselor who loves coffee, crafts, and cocktails. If she’s not rocking out at the nearest Local H concert, you can likely find her reading by the lakeshore or sneaking snacks from the mess hall. Her favorite part of IGGPPCamp is helping new campers feel welcome and blanket fort & wine night.
Can be found pretty much anywhere on the interwebz as ThePeachMartini.
