How to Paint a Dreamy Galaxy Night Sky with Watercolor & Salt Texture

In this week’s blog, we’ll be guiding you through creating a dreamy watercolor night sky filled with glowing galaxy clouds, soft color blends, and magical salt textures. This process is perfect for anyone who loves painting expressive skies and experimenting with fun watercolor effects.

Materials You’ll Need

In this project we’re using Ondine de Peretti x Craftamo Brush Set, inspired by signature watercolor skies. Inside the set are five versatile brushes:

- A large Round 18 for washes
- Medium round brushes in sizes 1, 6, and 10 for layering and details
- A 1/4" Filbert for soft edges and galaxy textures

Grab Ondine's Brushes Here

You’ll also need:

- Watercolor paper (taped on all four edges); 
- Magenta, purple, blue, and a small amount of black watercolor;
- Two jars of clean water;
- Salt; and
- White paint for stars

Step 1: Prepare the Paper

The entire painting surface is first covered with clean water using the large Round 18 brush. Long, even strokes help distribute moisture evenly. The paper should appear shiny when tilted, but without heavy puddles. If there’s too much water, a paper towel can gently lift the excess.

This wet surface allows colors to blend softly without harsh edges.

Step 2: Add the Magenta Glow

Magenta is gently tapped onto the wet paper in loose, cloud-like shapes. The pigment naturally spreads and blooms, creating the soft, dreamy effect galaxies are known for. Some areas are intentionally left empty to allow future colors to stand out.

Step 3: Connect with Purple

Purple is added beside and between the magenta areas, encouraging the colors to meet and blend naturally on the damp surface. Overworking the paint is avoided to prevent muddy tones. If any area becomes too intense, a clean damp brush can softly lift and soften the color.

Step 4: Build Depth with Blue & Black

Blue is applied around the outer edges of the painting to push the brighter colors toward the center and create a glowing core. A smaller round brush helps guide the darker areas with more control.

A tiny amount of black is added near the edges to enhance depth and contrast—just enough to suggest shadow without overpowering the color.

Step 5: Soften with the Filbert

The Filbert brush is used to lift and soften pigment around the glowing clouds. With small dabbing motions, it helps create misty transitions and subtle light effects. Clean, damp strokes can also lighten areas for added dimension.

Step 6: Add the Salt Texture

While the paper is still damp—but no longer soaking wet—a light sprinkle of salt is added to darker areas. As the paint dries, the salt pulls pigment into tiny star-like textures, creating a natural, cosmic effect.

Step 7: Let It Dry & Reveal the Texture

The painting is left to dry completely, either naturally or with a hair dryer on a low, cool setting. Once dry, the salt is gently brushed away to reveal tiny glowing specks that resemble distant stars and dust clouds.

Step 8: Paint the Stars

White paint, thinned slightly, is splattered across the sky to create random stars of different sizes. A few larger stars are added by hand for balance. To create a soft glow, a clean damp brush lightly softens the edges of selected stars.

Step 9: Add the Silhouette Trees

Once the sky is fully dry, a dark mixture of black with a touch of blue is used to paint silhouetted trees along the bottom edge of the artwork. Simple triangular shapes form the tree bodies, while short outward strokes create branches.

Varying the height, width, and spacing of the trees adds natural movement and realism.

Step 10: Final Reveal

After the painting is complete, the tape is carefully removed to reveal clean, sharp borders. The finished galaxy showcases layered color, glowing clouds, textured stars, and bold silhouette trees—all created through simple, beginner-friendly steps.

Watch the Full Tutorial on YouTube

Prefer to follow along in a video? The full step-by-step galaxy tutorial is available on Craftamo’s YouTube channel, where you can watch every technique in action—from the first wash to the final star splatter.

🎥 Watch the video on YouTube and paint along at your own pace.