Paint your own set of Moon Phases rocks

The most recognisable features of the moon include its white round shape with deep craters on the surface that are visible from Earth. These craters are said to be “impact craters” 

The surface of the moon is also composed of dead volcanoes and lava flows, some visible to the naked eye and much more can be seen to stargazers aided with the use of a telescope.

As a child I remember laying on the ground looking up at the sky and the moon spotting different shapes and imagining a man on the moon.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk on the moon? The human race has speculated at the wonders of the moon dating back to Ancient times where ceremonies to welcome the full moon were held regularly.

The best website for gathering information about the moon and looking at images is the official NASA website. Here you can see a wonderful infographic of the phases of the moon you can take as a reference for your rock painting:

NASA/Bill Dunford

So does the moon shine like the sun? No it doesn’t, we can see the moon because the sun reflects light onto its surface and the changing of the moon shape is due to Earth blocking the pathway of light from the Sun towards the moon.

It’s funny to think that the full moons shine of a night is still just a ray of sunshine! 

Full moon tutorial 

To make your full set of 8 moon phases you'll need to gather 8 rocks, roughly of the same size, and follow the instructions below:

Step one: Black backgrounds work well when the subject matter is white, it helps the object stand out more. A perfect circular shape can be difficult to achieve and we find it much easier to use a template circle to trace around first. Did you know that you can draw light lead pencil outlines and then add a Life of Colour paint pen over the top? Yes, as long as you are using a HB or lighter the lead will disappear!

Step two: Thickly colour your moon shape with a white Life of Colour acrylic marker- this is achieved in many layers or a seasoned professional will blob the paint onto the surface. 

Step three: Act quickly to make craters using your finger to place circular shapes onto the rocks surface. The effect will be raised and textured just like the surface of the moon. Wait for this layer to dry before refining the craters any further.

Step four: Refine your crater outside shapes using a fine 1mm white paint pen. When using any range of pen from the 1mm nib sized collections over the top of other layers you need to ensure that the first layer is completely dry to prevent blocking the nib.

Moon phases rocks

Each stage of what’s called “lunar phases” occurs when the Earth and moon moves into different positions. 

The lunar phases are a perfect opportunity to teach children about how the moon and earth orbit in space as well as learning all about fractions of a whole. There are  eight phases which are known as -new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent.

Repeat the same process on 8 rocks. After each rock is dry, paint the different phases of the moon with your 3mm black pen, one on each rock:

How to paint Planet Rocks

Get out of this world with your rock creations, you could add a million stars, comets, a spaceship or even a tiny spaceman to your planets!. Now that you have your set of moon phases, why don't you keep going with our step by step journey through the planets of the Solar System