How to create a model of the planet

Video: How to Make a Model of the Planet Saturn

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Method 2 of 2: Styrofoam Planet Model
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1 Decide which planet you will make. This will help you determine how big your planet should be. When it comes to one planet, this is not so important, but if you decide to create an entire solar system, then the scale must be determined in advance.

For example, Mars or Mercury should be much smaller than Saturn or Jupiter.

2 Inflate the balloon. Do not inflate it too much, otherwise it will become oval in shape. Try to make it big enough or small enough to keep it round.

Place the balloon in a bowl with the tied end down. This will hold it in place and make it easier to apply papier-mâché.

3 Prepare the glue. You can use glue and water, raw flour and water, or water with boiled flour. Each of these mixtures has its own advantages: the glue with water mixes easily, the paste made from raw flour and water is more durable, and the mixture of boiled flour and water dries well.

For a mixture of glue and water, use about 1/4 cup of PVA and add a small amount of water until the mixture is slightly runny.
For a mixture of raw flour and water, mix enough water and flour until you get the consistency you want. Remember - the thicker the mixture, the longer it will dry; sometimes papier-mâché must be left to dry overnight.
For a mixture of boiled flour and water, pour 2.5 cups of water into a saucepan, add half a cup of flour, put on medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. It will thicken and gel as it cools.

4 Shred the paper. Newspapers, brown kraft paper, or heavy colored paper can be used. Use what you have easy access to and shred the paper into small pieces or strips.

Don't cut the paper. Straight lines will be visible when the papier-mâché is dry. Torn edges of shredded paper will look better.

5 Apply paper to the ball. Dip strips or pieces of paper into the adhesive. Be sure to completely cover the paper with glue, but run your fingers over it to remove excess paste. Cover the entire surface of the ball with strips or pieces. Add another layer of stripes all over the ball.

Use your hands to smooth out any bubbles or irregularities on the surface of the balloon, unless you want to give the planet an uneven texture.

6 Let the papier-mâché ball dry. Leave it in a warm place to dry overnight. The paper and glue mixture must be completely dry before you start painting or decorating your model. If you don't allow it to dry, it can grow moldy.

In some cases, drying may take longer. If you put a lot of glue or layers on the ball, the papier-mâché will take longer to dry. In this case, leave the model to dry for a few days.

7 Punch the balloon. When the papier-mâché is dry, poke the ball with a needle or pushpin. Remove the deflated balloon and any remnants from the planet cavity.

8 Paint your planet. For a simple model, you can use acrylic paint and paint the planet its dominant color.

Use yellow for the sun.
For Mercury, it is gray.
For Venus, use a yellowish gray paint.
For the Earth - blue-green.
For Mars - red.
Color Jupiter orange with white stripes.
For Saturn, use a pale yellow color.
For Uranus, light blue.
For Neptune, it is blue.
For Pluto, use light brown.

Method 2 of 2: Styrofoam Planet Model

1 Decide which planet you will make. This will help you determine how big your planet should be. When it comes to one planet, this is not so important, but if you decide to create an entire solar system, then the scale must be determined in advance.
- For example, Mars or Mercury should be much smaller than Saturn or Jupiter.
2 Choose foam balls. If you only make one planet, then you can make it any size, but if you decide to create an entire solar system, choose balls of different sizes. This will allow you to accurately represent the scale of the planets.
- For the Sun, use a sphere with a diameter of 12.5-15 centimeters.
- For Mercury - 2.5 centimeters.
- For Venus - 3.8 centimeters.
- For the Earth - also 3.8 centimeters.
- For Mars, use a ball with a diameter of 3 centimeters.
- For Jupiter - 10 centimeters.
- For Saturn - 7.5 centimeters.
- For Uranus, 6.5 centimeters.
- For Neptune, the diameter is 5 centimeters.
- For Pluto, 3 centimeters.
3 Paint your planet. For a simple model, you can use acrylic paint and paint the planet its dominant color.
- Use yellow for the sun.
- For Mercury, it is gray.
- For Venus, use a yellowish gray paint.
- For the Earth - blue-green.
- For Mars - red.
- Color Jupiter orange with white stripes.
- For Saturn, use a pale yellow color.
- For Uranus, light blue.
- For Neptune, it is blue.
- For Pluto, use light brown.
4 Add texture or defining characteristics to your model. If your planet has several colors, then add the desired color to its surface. If the planet has rings, attach wire or foam rings around it.
- To make rings, you can also cut the foam model in half horizontally and glue an old disc in the center. Glue the foam halves together with glue. The disk should look like rings around the planet.
- To make craters, you can cut the foam to make the surface rocky. Such places will need to be painted again.
5 Prepare rods if you want to make a solar system. If you have made all the planets to scale, take a rod and cut it to the desired length. This ensures that the planets are at an appropriate distance from each other.
- The sun will not need a rod, as it will be the center of the solar system model.
- For Mercury, use a 5.7 cm rod.
- Venus needs a rod 10 centimeters long.
- For the Earth - 12.7 centimeters.
- For Mars - 15 centimeters.
- For Jupiter, use a 17.8 centimeters long rod.
- For Saturn - 20.3 centimeters.
- For Uranus - 25.4 centimeters.
- For Neptune, the rod is 29.2 centimeters long.
- For Pluto, 35.5 centimeters.
6 Attach the planets to the Sun. Attach the trimmed rods to the corresponding planets. Then attach the opposite end of the rod to the sun. Attach rods around the entire circumference of the sun.
- Attach the planets in the correct order. Start with those closest to the Sun (Mercury, Venus, etc.) and end with the most distant planets (Neptune, Pluto).