Easy Snowflake Art Idea With Salt and Watercolor
There is nothing more magical than seeing your drawings come to life after painting over them. Kids will love creating different snowflakes and exploring watercolor properties with this easy magic snowflake painting.
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Recommended Supplies
- Heavy Drawing Paper, Watercolor Paper or Cardstock*
- Watercolor Paints: Liquid or pans will work.
- Water
- Larger Brush To Create Washes
- Salt
- White Crayon or Oil Pastel
- Optional: painter’s tape, rubber cement, or cling wrap
*Any time you are doing watercolor painting, watercolor paper will yield the best results.
How To Create A Magical Snowflake Paintings
Step 1: Draw Snowflakes
Use a white crayon or oil pastel to draw simple snowflakes. Make sure to press hard enough to get the wax or oil on the paper. It is hard to see the white on white, but if you hold it to an angle you can see where you put the drawing material.
Step 2: Paint A Light Water Wash
This art technique works best if you paint a light water wash before adding the paints.
Step 3: Add Watercolor Paint
We like to use cool colored paints and let them magically mix. Your snowflakes should start to appear.
Step 4: Add Texture
You can sprinkle salt or add clear wrap on top of the wet paint. With young children, we advise to only use a little sprinkle.
You will see how the salt absorbs the paint. If you are not seeing that, then add a little extra drop of water without touching the brush to the paper.
Step 5: Let Dry
Let your awesome snowflake paintings dry. Pull off any clear wrap and see the cool texture. You can lightly brush the salt off or leave it for added texture.
Optional Step: Flatten Paintings
If you use small papers, you may want to put a heavy book on top to help flatten them.
Tips
- If you can’t see your white snowflake drawings, add more water to your paint.
- Make sure that you press hard enough with the drawing material.
- Getting this watercolor resist technique to work using regular lightweight copy paper will be difficult. You can always test your materials beforehand to ensure they will work.
- Washable crayons or certain brands of crayons may not work as well. We recommended an oil pastel for best results. A regular Crayola white crayon will also work.
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More Winter Art Ideas
- Easy Winter Scene Watercolor Painting For Beginners
- How To Make Your Own Christmas Tree Crayons
- Explore Negative Space With A Unique Snowflake Art Project
- Easy Thumbprint Clay Snowman Idea
Simple painting techniques and projects are the perfect way to allow children to explore their creativity to have fun as a family.
