Kid-Friendly Art Project: Raised Salt Painting

Drizzle Your Glue Lines

If your child has been clamoring at the idea of squeezing that glue bottle 'til it’s empty, here’s a good time to let loose. Atop the watercolor paper (or any heavy-duty cardstock) allow them to create patterns, swirls, letters or blobs of white glue. Seriously, let them have some fun with this step.

Top With Assorted Salts

Have your child sprinkle a blend of coarse kosher salt and ordinary table salt on top of the wet glue using their fingers.

Once it’s pretty coated, help them shake the salt around the paper to achieve excellent coverage over the glue. Position the mixing bowl in a convenient spot, and use it to capture the excess salt. Tap-tap-tap on the paper to ensure that the loose granules make it into the bowl.

Allow the Glue to Dry

Waiting is the hardest part for little kids, but allow a few hours for the thick, salt-coated glue to dry completely before you start painting for the best effect.

Paint the Rainbow

Applying paint onto the dried salt lines is neat to witness, regardless of age. Watercolor paints are the ideal medium for this craft because the water used is quick to absorb and flow through the salt crystals. You won’t need lots of water in the paint, and remember to apply the color gently. Just a drop of paint onto the salt will diffuse in all directions, though note how it flows only throughout the salt lines and leaves the paper relatively unaffected.

Applying different colors in sequence makes it easy to flow one color into another, transforming the dried salt into a free-flowing rainbow.

Allow the Paint to Dry

Set the painted artwork aside to dry. Once dried, give it another good tap-tap-tap over the bowl to collect any salt that loosened.

Frame Your Art

If you’d like to frame your child’s art, it's best to choose a gallery frame so that the raised salt artwork has space behind the glass.