Uploaded July 2021 | Updated September 2026, 14 hours ago

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"A black hole isn't really a hole at all... Is it?"

Join artist and Museum Educator Sheena Dowling to create your very own night skyscape inspired by Ana de Alvear's galaxy diptych.

Materials
- Watercolor paper
-Watercolor paint
-Paint brushes
-Water resist material (white crayon, white oil pastel, or art masking fluid with a small size 0 brush)

Optional Project Materials
-Pearlescent watercolors
-Paint brushes
-Phosphorescent ink
-Soft eraser

Step 1) Add a water-resistant material to your watercolor paper in the shape of small dots "stars"
Step 2) Paint waving lines, blobs, and splotches of color, letting wet colors blend
Step 3) Fill in the rest of the background with black watercolor while paint is still wet
Step 4) Remove masking fluid with a soft eraser (optional)

Get inspired! Catch Ana de Alvear's vortex drawings and many more of her highly detailed hyper realistic pencil drawings on view at The San Diego Museum of Art through September 27, 2021.

Featured: Ana de Alvear. "In the Forced Vortex (Black)," 2015-2016. Color pencil on paper. 275 5/8 x 118 1/8 inches. Courtesy of the artist.⠀

Ana de Alvear. "In the Forced Vortex (White)," 2015-2016. Color pencil on paper. 275 5/8 x 118 1/8 inches. Courtesy of the artist.⠀

Website | SDMArt.org
SDMA Tutorials | sdmart.org/art-tutorials
Exhibition | sdmart.org/exhibition/everything-you-see-could-be-a-lie-photorealistic-drawings-by-ana-de-alvear

Instagram | instagram.com/sandiegomuseumofart
Ana de Alvear's Instagram | instagram.com/anadealvear
Facebook | facebook.com/TheSanDiegoMuseumOfArt
Twitter | twitter.com/SDMA