Get a starry night sky effect by painting with watercolors and salt. This easy watercolor technique produces a beautiful star-studded sky. (Includes video demonstrating this activity!)
We love painting with watercolors, and of all the different watercolor techniques, painting with watercolors and salt is the one we return to the most.
Why?
It’s simple. Sprinkling salt over your painting is a fun extra step for kids. And the results can be dramatic.
Plus, it’s just perfect for creating a starry night sky!
Here’s a quick video showing Daphne drawing an owl and painting a night sky with the watercolors and salt. (Plus check out the crayons she used in the video!)
And here are the materials and step-by-step instructions.
How to Paint a Starry Night Sky with Watercolors and Salt
MATERIALS
- Watercolor paper or card stock
- Crayons*
- Watercolor paint**
- Paint brush
- Salt
*Any crayons will work, but we were trying out the Faber-Castell Grip Erasable Crayons for this project. As you can see in the video, they really erase!
**We like to use liquid watercolor paint when painting with watercolors and salt, as the technique requires extra water. However, you can use a palette of dried watercolors if you are mindful of using extra water.
INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1. Draw your crayon picture
Use your crayons to draw a picture that would work well with your starry night sky.
Daphne drew an owl sitting on a tree branch with a moon in the background. Methinks she was inspired by the crayon packaging, although I didn’t realize it at the time. 🙂
Some other ideas include any animal or bird, a house, a city scene, a tree, a person, a garden, etc. Basically anything goes.
STEP 2. Paint the sky
Now, paint your sky a medium to deep blue, using lots of your watercolor paint.
STEP 3. Add salt
Sprinkle salt over the wet watercolor paint.
Note: You can paint the sky and add the salt in sections if you’re painting slowly and the watercolor paint is absorbing into the paper too quickly.
STEP 4. Let dry
Let your artwork dry completely.
STEP 5. Rub off salt
Once your starry night sky artwork is dry, rub off the extra salt.
Admire and display or gift!
4 MORE Ideas for Painting a Starry Night Sky with Watercolors and Salt
- Gorgeous Sticker Resist Starry Night Sky Cards (add star stickers for extra effect!)
- Make Sticker Resist Houses and Trees with Starry Night Skies
- How to Paint Snow – An Easy Technique for Kids
- Two Must-Try Watercolor Techniques Combined
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