Watercolor Painting (Glue and Salt Effects)

I bought a pad of watercolor paper and a cheap set of watercolor paints after my preschooler declared, "I love ART!" out of the blue last week. Who knew?

The beauty of this project is that it's guaranteed to be frame-worthy and is appropriate for a variety of ages. The steps are simple, too!

Step 1

Paint the entire paper with a variety of colors. Watercolors are great to teach kids about color blending. Ask kids questions like, "What happens when the red paint overlaps the yellow? What happens when blue and yellow touch?"

Step 2

If your child hasn't applied the paint liberally (i.e. if there isn't puddles of paint) on the paper, take a brush and dip it in water and splatter it on the paper.

Step 3

Before the paint dries, sprinkle chunky sea salt over the painting, especially wherever the puddles are. The salt adds an amazing effect.

Step 4

Drizzle (or glob) school glue on the painting. When the glue dries clear, it appears to have removed the paint leaving ghosted lines on the paper. The effect is magical.

Step 5

Let it dry.

Step 6

Gently remove loose salt by tipping the painting over a waste basket.

Step 7

Hang and admire.

My son and I LOVED this. He was thrilled to paint and just about the time he was losing interest brushing on the watercolors, I offered up the salt. His attention was reignited. And when I handed him the bottle of glue, he was in heaven.

There's no right or wrong with this project. Making a mess results in extraordinary beauty!

This great project came from Sweet Happy Life. Stop on over there to see the final result from Ariela's family painting project!