You have probably heard of people doing it. It sounded pretty neat, you thought.  But will it really work? The answer is yes! It is relatively easy and inexpensive to do, and it looks really cool!! In all my years of messing around with glow in the dark paints and powders probably the number one project I get asked questions about is the starscape on the ceiling. Is it hard to do? How much paint will it take? Where do I get a stencil? Should I use oil or water base paint? The list goes on. In this article I hope to answer all your questions and give you some additional ideas as to what to do with glow in the dark paint.

 

When people think of glow in the dark items they usually think of the cheap novelties, green in color, and they glow about two minutes. Well things have really changed. Modern glow pigments can glow for over 12 hours. They also come in 8 different colors, and will absolutely take your breath away.

The glow powders and paint stack up as follows as far as glow time. Green glows 12 hours and is the longest. Next is Aqua “which I recommend for this project’s stars” it glows 10 hours. Blue, Purple, Yellow, Orange around 6 hours. White around 2 hours and Red glows around ½ an hour.

This is what you will need (besides a little bit of artistic aptitude). I reccomend you take your time and try not to rush this project. Do a little at a time. It can take a little patience, but the reward is great.

Before you start, take a look on the net and see what the night sky actually looks like. This will help greatly.

 

Materials:

1) glow in the dark water base paint (for a room 12’ x 12’ it should take about a quart.)

 

2) round regular bristle artist paint brush. (I have also heard of people using a sponge. Just make one about the size of a quarter and one the size of a dime cut them in irregular shaps.)

 

3) ½ inch masking tape.(To grid off your areas).

 

4) Ladder or step or something that will allow you to reach the ceiling easily. (I do mean easily. This can take a couple of days if you take your time.) Another great way to reach the ceiling would be to us those plastic milk cartons. You know the ones that are a box people use to store albums in. ( If you are not that old, go to the store and ask the clerk. Buy a few, (they are cheap), and then place a couple of boards from one crate to another. This will let you walk on them. It will give you a foot or so of elevation.

5) If you want to add planets you need round cardboard spheres from the craft store. Different sizes. White spray paint. And an ounce or two of each of all the colors of glow paint mentioned above. Also, some fishing line to hang the planets from the ceiling..

6) I recommend you buy a black light. Black lights are rich in Ultra Violet light which really makes the glow paint glow like crazy. It also helps when you are painting the stars on the ceiling. So you can see where to place them or your comets.

 

 

Here’s what you do…

Take your tape and tape off a three foot by three foot square on the ceiling. Companies sell star stencils if you want them. You want to make your stars as random as possible. If you want to get technical and make it accurate you can purchase a constellation map. Taping in the squares helps keep you in order.  The paint (GloNation.com’s aqua paint is off white and the blue, purple and red are white in the day light. This is nice because it will not show up in the day unless your ceiling is not white).

Dab your brush or sponge in the paint and dab away. After you have placed what you feel like are enough stars in that area, turn off the lights and check your work. It is actually best to do this at night as ambient light takes away from the glow. This stuff is glow in the dark, not glow in the day. If you are happy just repeat in the next square. And so on.

To make planets to hang, spray paint your spheres with a white base coat. Then let your creative side come out. Paint them all any way you would like. Multi color, same color it does not matter.  Here you might want to add a little  water base acrylic pigment to you paint to give it a day time color. It will still glow in the dark. I suggest you use a color that is close to the glow color. Attach the fishing line to the spheres with either hot glue or a stapler and hang them. Use hot glue to attach to the ceiling. 

Have fun!!!

 

GloNation.com hopes you enjoy this project. If you have any questions feel free to write us at www.gloman@insightbb.com.