Ever since our adventure with “secret message watercolor painting” the munchkin has been enamored with his watercolors. So this week we decided to mix things up a bit by painting with watercolors, clear Elmer’s glue and salt.
Isn’t the final result neat?
The idea for using glue and salt with watercolors came from Pinterest. I kept seeing pins with notes about sprinkling salt on wet watercolors or using glue to create designs on top of the paint. Finally I saw this post about combining the two techniques and I was like, that’s it, we’re doing this.
As you can see in the photo above, the munchkin was super into this activity. Totally focused.
We used canvases for our paintings because I had some around, but watercolor paper would work equally well. Other materials included: Crayola watercolor paints, water, paint brushes, kosher salt and clear Elmer’s glue.
After setting everything up the process was simple and fun! The munchkin covered each canvas with as much color as he possibly could, then I showed him how to drizzle glue onto the painting. This was probably his favorite part. As he squeezed glue onto the colors he’d say things like “Look mommy! An excavator!” or “I’m making a biiig, biiig giraffe!”
So, kinda like cloud watching, the munchkin was all about seeing shapes in the blobs of glue. It’s amazing what an imagination he’s getting.
After adding the glue the final step was sprinkling salt around on the painting. The salt creates a pretty starburst effect by soaking up paint pigments as the painting dries. And as an extra bonus: the salt sparkles!
I put the finished paintings on the counter to dry, which took a few hours. Now only one question remains: which one does my husband get to take to work and which one can I hang up at home? The munchkin tells me he “needs to think about it.” (Apparently I don’t get to decide these things anymore.)
My name is Ari. :) I'm a work-at-home mom and entertainment director for my 3-yr-old son, a.k.a. The Munchkin. We love doing fun art activities, singing songs and making tasty things in the kitchen. Nice to meet you! 
I have to try this with my kids, it looks amazing.
You should! Easy, fun, pretty – what more could you ask for in a kid activity?
I want to try with my Grand Daughters..looks so fun! And they both love their art!
I just love what you have done here. As a retired teacher, I am so happy to see parents doing things with their children. It is so important to their self-worth, knowing their parents has time for them. Also, we see so many children, who come to school not knowing how to use sissors, how to color, how to even do anything on their own. Keep up the good work!
I still do many projects with children from church, school and the neighborhood, so if it is okay, I would love to borrow your idea.
Thanks again.
Thank you for leaving such a kind comment Sharon! And you are more than welcome to recreate our ideas with the kids at church, school etc. That’s why we share our projects. So other folks can have fun with them too. :)
I too have seen this on pinterest a lot in fact in a class over a hundred years ago in high school I was taught to use salt for an effect. I have to say I have never thought nor seen glue used, let alone them together! These are absolutely fabulous I cant describe how much I love the effect in the finished product. I have just made it a point to purchase some fancy schmancy watercolors for myself and I may even share with my daughter after seeing this. :) thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! I hope you try it. :)
I think it is extra smart to use canvas. The enthusiasm shown by many youthful artists (toddlers and adults both) tends to make the watercolor paper curl. No such problems with the canvas!
Canvas does have the advantage of being resistant to extra enthusiastic painting! It’s also more expensive though so I guess it just depends on what kind of painter your little one is. :)
And just look at the texture provided by the fabric of the canvas along the edges once it’s dried. Love that! Super cool!
I have been following you for some time and I just wanted to commend you on how creative you are with all your activities! What a lucky son you have :)
What a nice thing to say, thank you!
Absolutely stunning, will definately give this a go.
Let me know how it turns out. :) I feel like we should have a showcase for all the pretty work that folks are doing!
Brilliant! Im pretty sure my niece would be ecstatic making this one. Love it.
I think this one is pretty much a sure-fire hit! Hard to resist all the colors and squeezing and sprinkling.
I noticed you used gel glue – I wonder if white glue would work as well?
I think it would, the glue would just dry white instead of clear. :)
I work with kids daily, I think white glue-most of them dry clear…coloring the glue with food coloing could add more to the creation also. the salt is fun to add to paintings like this!
Actually, white glue dries clear, too!
Nice!
Those are insanely gorgeous!
Thank you! (Not that I can take credit, the munchkin did it!) I was really happy with how the paintings turned out.
Idea: while the little one is creating his/ her masterpiece, sit and record what he is saying, probe him as in ask what he is creating, and jot it down. Tape paper to back of painting, record age, date and time..
I LOVE that idea Jen! We’re planning to do this activity again next week and I am so doing that! :)
Love love loved the project. What was the brand for the watercolors? Beautiful choices to use and not the typical kid trays I’ve seen.
We used the 24 count Crayola washable watercolors.You can find them for $3.97 on Amazon. :)
Hi, I loved the idea so I tried with my preschoolers, but really didn’t work on the watercolor paper, especially the salt (I tried both Kosher and regular).. wonder why??
Hmm. Did you let the salt dry all the way? When you first sprinkle it on there nothing will happen. (You’ll just see salt on the paper.) But if you lay the paintings flat and allow them to dry with the salt, then over time the salt absorbs the pigments. It took a few hours for me to see results on our paintings.
A few pointers from a water color artist. We wet our paper and either staple it down on a piece of cardboard or thick ceiling tile. You can also use masking tape. When it dried, it will remain flat. Also, when you are using salt, you can use any kind, but the trick is to do it when you are using a lot of pigment and it is still wet. Once it starts to dry, the salt doesn’t work as well.
Thank you for the tops Patt! Here’s a question I’ve been wondering about: How to professional watercolor artists preserve their paintings? (I know some acrylic artists use car wax, what works on watercolors?)
Just seen this as a pin on pinterest… My boys can’t wait to try this!!! We do ‘artwork’ every year as gifts for grandparents, from the boys. Thanks so much!!!
Have fun! For sure these will be spectacular holiday gifts. :)
As far as I know, watercolors are kept under glass…and out of the light as they tend to fade after years.
You can also use a clear acrylic UV protectant spray, or a workable fixative spray. Both will seal the watercolors, and the UV resistant spray has the bonus of protecting the work from fading. You can get either of them at Michael’s or Dick Blick. Use them all the time!
I have to try all these preserving techniques folks are suggesting! Thank you for sharing. If I can find a way to preserve the munchkin’s paintings I’ll be so happy.
This is amazing. I jus got canvases. Thank u for sharing!
Thanks for the fun idea! I think yours turned out better than ours, but we still enjoyed both the process and the results: http://flotsamofthemind.blogspot.com/2012/09/salt-and-glue.html
Glad you tried it! I just left a comment on your post (thanks for sharing the url.) You do have to use a lot of paint and really get some intense color to see the effects of the glue/salt, but I still think your painting was lovely! And it’s all about the kiddos enjoying themselves anyways, so if they have a good time then that’s a huge success for mom. :)
I just checked out your images & the reason they are not as bright is because of the watercolors you are using….Trust me, as an artist & art teacher I have tried it all! Prang non washable watercolors are my fave for kids, but another idea for brighter colors is to use food coloring (comes in regular & neon-both turn out bright). Just be careful- a little goes a long way & they DO stain, so be careful!
:)Nancy
Not sure what you mean? The colors on our canvases were (and still are) very bright and beautiful. In fact we’ve been so happy with our results using basic kid watercolors that we do this activity at least once a week. :) There might be different/more intense results with other watercolors but as a preschool art project you can’t beat the affordability and washability of simple kids paints.
Couldn’t see via the dashboard that your comment was a reply to Cynthia! But still, we’ve had very beautiful results with basic Crayola watercolors. You do have to really soak the canvas or paper with pigment though. Perhaps that would not be the case with watercolors intended for adult use.
yes-sorry if it came across in ANY negative way…I was trying to help her since she was not as pleased with her colors…yours are definitely awesome! I Love your idea, as it involves a different approach to methods I have used in the past…you have a ROCKIN blog!
:)Nancy
You know, it was total misinterpretation on my part. In context your comment was very thoughtful and helpful! I originally thought you were commenting on the colors in our canvases, which is why I didn’t know what you were talking about. :) Thank you for reading my little blog and for sharing your knowledge!
hello,
i was wondering what’s the sequense? first the paint, then the salt and at the end the glue?
You have to do the paint first – other than that, any order you want. :)
I work in the childcare room at the local YMCA and on certain days have only three toddlers at a time. This is the perfect craft for the 2 and 3 year olds! (They are advanced enough to follow directions.) Thanks for the tip! I think we’ll use orange, purple and black on Tuesday. Closer to Christmas we’ll try red and green backgrounds.
Sounds like some lucky kids are going to have a lot of fun!
Wondering about the glue. Does it leave a raised blob or shiney spot?
It probably depends on how much glue you put in one spot. :) The munchkin kept moving his glue around so it dried shiny and flat. But if he has kept it in one place it might have been a shiny raised blob. Either way, fun!
Can you do this on glass and if so can you tell me how?
I got an e-mail from Pinterest sharing pins I might like. . . .YOURS was there, and I love what you’ve done here! Did your son pick out the colors he used? They are so lovely together!
That’s so cool! Yes, the munchkin picked out the colors. I just gave him the watercolors and let him go at it. :)
I love that! He has a great eye for compatible colors. My 4 girls are almost grown (the youngest turns 13 in a few days), and I LOVED the pre-school/early-school years. It’s so fun to see blogs with other moms enjoying the creative abandon of their children. Kudos to you! (I didn’t blog when my kiddos were teeny, but I wish I had known how to do that then!)
I was wondering how the paint stayed wet long enough for the effects of the glue and salt to still work? I love to use water colors in my classroom but find it dries very fast (not a bad thing since fast is good in school). This would be a neat project for Mother or Father’s Day.
We put a ton of paint on there so the canvas stayed wet for a good while. Once we were done with the activity it took a few hours for them to dry completely.
I have a question. What kind of salt did you use, small grain salt like regular table salt or larger grain like sea salt? I am going to get the stuff for this today I hope so he can do it tonight for craft night. :) By the way, your munchkin’s paintings are gorgeous, I love the colors he used!! This is a great idea.
Thank you! I really like his paintings too, but as his mama I’m totally biased. :)
We used kosher salt just because that’s what I had in the pantry, but you could use other kinds of salt too. The difference will mainly be how much paint is soaked up, which will vary according to the size of the salt granules.
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner! We just moved and I only got Internet access back today!
Did you do any prep on the canvas? And does anyone have tips on how to preserve this? Does the salt fall off? I would love to do some artwork like this myself for my office, but need some tips. :)
We didn’t do any prep – my son paints all the time and I just give him the canvases/paper and let him go at it. :) As for the salt, if you pile it up then yes, some of it will fall off. But the paintings in this post still have 90% of their salt on them.
can you do this on a canvas?!?
Yup! The paintings in this post were done on canvas.
It’s so funny how this one little project I did with my daughter has exploded all over Pinterest! And to think it was actually a mishap!
I’m so glad you enjoyed recreating with your little one and the canvas idea is GENIUS! We added the glue first in our version and then let it dry before painting, did your glue areas stay raised up or just recede into the canvas? I’ll have to try this again with white glue, we used the blue gel stuff. Love your blog and can’t wait to explore more!
I am going to do this for paintimgs for her room!!!!!! I love it
Great masterpiece! I want to say that I’ve used white vinegar lightly dripped or sprayed onto the watercolor (once painted on the canvas) and it created almost a beautiful big bubble effect. You should try it! Super fun. :)
I loved it… Thank you for sharing… I will definitely try it this weekend with my 5 yr old monster.
Thanks so much for this idea! School was closed due to the hurricane (upstate NY) so I’m gathering as many ideas as possible from Pinterest to keep my 5- and 3-year old boys busy today. We didn’t have clear glue, but thankfully white glue looks pretty awesome too. Thank you!!!
I hope you and your boys had fun with this activity and that Sandy didn’t hit you too hard. Many of our friends in CT/NY/NJ only just got power back (or still don’t have it back). Hope you and your family are safe!
What a fantastic idea! We will try this. Thanks!
Love this! Wanted to ask if you have any tips on how to preserve the painting? I was first thinking modpodge but applying that would make the salt fall off…. any ideas? Would love to do this with the kids very soon.
I wish I did! I actually asked another commenter on this post who said she was a watercolor artist. If I discover a way to preserve these I’ll definitely share because I have a bunch of watercolor paintings I want to keep for years to come. :)
You can try spraying the canvas with hairspray, but be sure to test it first. I’ve done hairspray with pastels on paper, and it works just fine, but I’ve never sprayed a canvas, so I don’t know how it’ll dry (it’s not sticky on paper, but not sure if it will be on canvas. I think it’ll depend on how your canvas was treated—if it was still raw it should just absorb and evaporate, but if it had been covered in gesso before you used it, it may leave a residue).The hairspray should be dry enough not to damage the watercolors, and it won’t rub off the salt. It should also allow you to do minor, very gentle, water-only clean ups if your little artist goes after it with a crayon or something. It won’t protect from sun damage, though, and that’s the big killer. They tend to fade as the heat and light from the sun causes more of the pigments to evaporate out of the canvas. I recommend putting it somewhere where you can still see it, but it won’t ever be in direct sunlight.
As an additional note, whenever I’ve done salt paintings in the past, I’ve rubbed off the extra salt after it has had PLENTY of time to dry. It leaves a cool looking white spot instead of a raised colored one, though it doesn’t sparkle. It looks a bit like the bottom of a swimming pool on a sunny day. I like the effect, and you don’t have to worry about all that colored salt falling off and getting all over your house.
I love this!! ♥ but I want to know how you did it? I want the steps :) please
All the steps are in the post. :) Have fun!
I loved this so much that my friend and I tried it earlier today. Unfortunately, the paint just wouldn’t take to our canvas. Is there a specific type of canvas you used? Thanks! :)
Nope we just use regular canvas pads and watercolor paper from the craft store and Amazon. But in order to achieve the effect in this post you have to use A LOT of pigment. This is not a time for gentle watercolor painting. ;)
My watercolors didn’t stick to my canvas, is there a certain kind of brush that I should use or a different paint?
I couldn’t tell you. We used Crayola watercolors and plain canvas from Amazon. We’ve also used watercolor paper without any problems. But as I’ve mentioned in other comments, you need to use a lot (like, a lot) of paint to achieve this effect. :)
A great twist on a classic. In the winter time I have my kids draw pictures of their winter wonderlands on blue paper. Let them color or paint them white. Then we paint over it with an Epsom salt and water mixture (just enough water to dissolve the salt). When it dires it looks like ice crystals all over your winter wonderland. Can even add a little food coloring to the salt mix.
Lots of fun can’t wait to try this one
Love that idea Tara, I think we are going to try it this winter!
Your son needs to start up a joint Etsy shop with you! Those are beautiful!
-L
I love this ideas, cant wait to try it with the kids at school just wanted to know what kind of glue you used, i.e. PVA I don’t have the brands you mentioned in the UK
Not sure what you mean. We just used clear Elmer’s glue but I’m sure any kind of glue that pours easily would work. :)
Ooo I might just do this for my uni project haha :D I love it, kinda like the opposite of Brushos.
For those of you using non watercolor canvas… Like oil or acrylic canvas.. Be sure to prep it freest or the water colors will just slide off. Here’s a good site to get the steps for that. http://www.art-is-fun.com/how-to-paint-with-watercolors-on-regular-canvas.html
Sorry for the typo above.. *first not freest.
I love this is honestly when i first saw it i thought an artist not a child artist did this. It kinda looks like a face in it like someone was trying to posting an alien or fairy person face i love it
The munchkin makes some pretty cool shapes with glue and paint. Amazing what you can do when you don’t “think” about it. If you ask me, that’s what makes kid art so cool – they just go with the flow and see what happens!
I love this!!! I’m 53 and I think I’ll try it myself. It looks beautiful and fun! :-)
This is a wonderful project. . .I have a 15 month old Grandson, and since we are all artists here, I was contemplating starting him out early. . .this is sooo cool!!
Thanks for the terrific idea!!
carole
I did this project with my 4 year old granddaughter today and we both had a blast! Thanks so much for the idea.
That’s awesome! Did you post a picture anywhere?
You are so incredibly patient & consistent with your replies ….some ideas I learned as an art student …
Re: “fixing” the finished art …hairspray(cheap!) or fixative (artist supply-matte or glossy) more pricey.
Re: canvas – on wood frame, stretched heavy muslin ( stapled) coated with cheap white house paint
Re:water color paper taped w/ painters tape, (on all 4 sides) to a board-holds it tight & resists warping & curling of wet paper until dry.
Great job! …and again very impressed. I will try this w/ kids in my life. Thinking about acrylic painting underneath first, then your process on top- or other way around.
Keep up the good work w/ your kindness & creativity !
Haha, thanks Lily B. I try, though I often don’t know the answers to people’s questions because I’m not an artist, just a mama keeping her kiddo busy with some paint. :) Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!
Would you be willing to link to the brand/type of canvas you purchased on Amazon? My family is taking a “technology time-out” for a week at the end of the month (no TV, no movie, no tablets, no computers) and I think this would be so fun to do with my two and four year old boys, then we could save them and send them to the grandma’s for Mother’s Day!
I’m pretty sure I linked to it in the post, but if not, we use these ones from Amazon. They come in packs of 12 and I usually wash them off a few times between uses if we don’t hang up the painting for keeps. :)
If muslin will work in place of canvas, you can get a piece of Styrofoam insulation, cut it to the size that you want and stretch the muslin over it. Staple it to the back and then tape it down with duct tape, just to make sure that it is flat and will hold better. I have done that with black fabric and then used spray adhesive to put a picture on the fabric. It looks like a canvas backing, but WAY cheaper! This should work the same way only the painting will be right on the canvas! I use 3M velcro poster hangers to put it up. There are no holes in the walls and will come down with no marks when you are ready for a change!
You can also try dickblick.com for cheap canvases. Check out the classroom 24 packs in particular. Available in a variety of sizes.
For those of you asking about preserving the paintings, you can use a spray varnish! After it fries you coat it and it will protect from UV rays and water damage. You can get matte, glossy, satin, etc finishes. Here’s a low cost option at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Krylon-Gallery-11-Ounce-Archival-Varnish/dp/B003VWMM5A/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ac_5
We are going to try that! I’m really interested in finding a way to preserve the munchkin’s paintings. Thanks for sharing.
I wonder if clear spray paint would work?
I love this project by the way!! I did something similar long ago in high school,haha. I need to do it again, and with the kids! I’ll make sure I have the proper canvas as well, the earlier posters saying they had problems with it not sticking reminded me some made for oil & acrylic will not work well w/watercolor- I forgot all about that! Your son’s turned out fantastic!! Thanks for sharing.
That is such a cool idea with the glue!! I never would have thought of that! I’ve used the salt technique before and had neat results, but I have to try this! Another thing you and your munchkin (he’s adorable!!) might enjoy trying is sprinkling drops of water on your wet canvas from varying heights. Or, if you want to let the results be a surprise, put it outside when it’s raining for a few minutes. I’ve seen this done with wet acrylic paint (thickly layered) and it gives it an awesome effect. I’m betting it would be amazing with watercolors as well! I’m getting ready to try it myself. I’m in Virginia, so there’s no shortage of rain here lol
Hope you guys keep up the awesome work!! ;)
~C
I love that idea Christina, thank you for suggesting it! When it warms up around here and all the snow turns to rain we are going to try it. I’m excited!
This is on my to do list with my grandson. I think it will be a great gift for his mom for Valentine’s day.
Has anyone tried modge podge as a varnish after it all dries to protect the painting?
This is such a cool idea!! And sorry bout’ last time, it was my friend , Stacy
And Linda, I will to, with my grandson Marlie and my granddaughter Lilly
Wow! The most AWESOME craft my granddaughters and I have made so far! Followed the directions to the letter, and it turned out beautifully … we HAVE to make more (I’m going to have a hard time giving up this one since it’s a gift). Will DEFINITELY have to make more! Thanks so much :)
So cute!! I’m going to have to try this with my niece.
Beautiful and VERY creative!! Absolutely awesome.
Love this idea & the fact that your munchkin loves to do this with you. I have to go in search for some munchkins because my own aren’t interested. Thanks for sharing.
My daughter and I do a lot of painting but we only use tempera paint. would we be able to paint on a canvas with glue & salt and still have the same affect with the tempera paint, as you have with watercolors? also should I specifically only use Elmer glue? I see a lot of projects use elmers… is it better than just a generic brand?
I have no idea about the tempura paint, sorry! And as for Elmers, we just use that because I can get it at the drugstore. ;)
I love your artwork, activities, etc… I don’t have any munchkins at home anymore. The only one left at home is 14. I do have a grandson that will be a year old at the end of June and I love getting ideas for when he comes over. You are a wonderful mommy full of so many ideas! Keep ‘em coming!
Thank you for leaving such a sweet comment! I hope you and your grandson have fun with some of the ideas we’ve shared. :)
Hi there, love your water painting , I have to try it with my kiddos. I love your table too, sorry for asking what brand is it. Thank you
The munchkin’s desk is a Step2 art table. :)
Just came across this. I can’t wait to try it with our almost 3 year old grand-daughter. Does the glue dry 3 dimensional or does it dispurse into the watercolor? How much salt do you put on also? I can’t wait to go buy a canvas now!!!!
Depends on how much glue you use. If you only use a bit it flattens out. If you pile it out you’ll have a dried bump on the painting. As for the salt, use as much or as little as you like. Really this project is just about experimenting and having fun. There’s no set formula.
I painted bathroom walls dark blue. It is wayyyyyy too much. I need to do something to it. I am not crazy about faux finishes. I was looking for something to make it look like watercolor painting. Do you think this would drip? It is absolutely beautiful. Anyone out there have any ideas? I would like to incorporate some turquoise and white in it to making it more calming.
Maybe a hot glue gun instead of elmers? I can always throw the salt at the walls. I am just worried about the paint dripping.
I had no idea water color paints would work on canvas! Yes … right?? I’m psyched to do this with my HIGH SCHOOL kids!! :)
Absolutely LOVED this idea! Can’t wait to do this with my grands who live next door! They will have a ball! Thanks for all the wonderful ideas offered about this! Your Munchkin is very lucky to have you! What great memories you are creating!
Thank you! I hope you and your grandkids enjoy this painting project. :)
Congratulations! I loved your painting! I will try for sure!
Hugs from Brazil
Have you ever tried to use Epsom Salts?
I haven’t but why not give it a go? :)
I am thinking of doing this as a project at my daughter’s birthday party. I absolutely LOVE this project! What size canvas did you use? Do you think it is feasible or way too much for 20 kids to do? Awesome, Awesome project!
I don’t remember the canvas size but there’s a link in the post that points to the canvases we used. And for sure, 20 kids could totally do this.
Thanks for the great idea! I will be posting a link to this on my blog!
Ari, love this idea….I am going to get a white painter’s drop cloth from Home Depot and proceed to do this in a large enough size to do a three section screen for a corner on my enclosed porch. It will be a shared effort with my 6 yr old grandson !!!! I can’t wait !!! I’ll let you know how it turns out! He loves drawing and painting and this will be right up his alley!
Love ur idea…. i took the idea and added it to the paint that i used to paint my wall and guess what it made the paint on the wall brilliant… this is an awesome idea Mrs Ari..
Big thx from Belize Central America
P.S I will share ur art/idea with my primary school kids.
Did you seal it to keep salt from coming off? If so. How?
No we did not seal it. We were really just having fun with paint and salts. It was a 2-year-old art project. :)
My 2.5d and 4 year old just did this and they look awesome!! Thanks for the wonderful idea :)
I saw this and though it was a wonderful idea but I have one question should the pain.t be dry before adding the glue and salt?
just stumbled upon it. Read aquite ll reviews.
found all of them great, an outstanding project. My grandaughter comes at least once a week her and I do projects. She will love when she comes next week, Nani found her another project. This one is exceptional to try. She loves painting and she likes to color should I say dark. Can’t wait for next week!!!Question do you think watercolor pencil would work blended everwhere wet canvas then do rest of procedure?SweetHappyLife.co
Just stumbled upon your site then the activity. Every week my %yr old grandaughter comes over. Her and Nani always have some kind of project to do. One of the being painting. She colors bold and soft can’t wait till the next time she comes!! Thanks for a great idea. I know this one she’s really gonna like. Di have question??? Do you think if you used used watercolor pencil then got canvass wet it work the same way
Hi – I love your project! Do you know if I could put vinyl letters on top of it and then mod podge them down and still keep the great paint effect?
Thanks!