How to use salt with watercolour

Salt sprinkled into your watercolour washes creates beautiful snowflake marks, as it absorbs the water and repels the paint. It is a beautiful special effect which can be used to create the illusion of fur, feathers, foliage, snow, landscapes and abstracts. Of course, the salt watercolour technique can be totally overused too!
Some artists swear by rock salt, some say only to use with granulating colours - I disagree with both, so please watch to find out that its success depends on three things - your paper, the colour you use and timing. In this short film we explore the technique on hot press and cold press/NOT paper, then test out a few different salts (table, Epsom, pink Himalayan and dishwasher). Next I show you how it works with different colours and give you a few pointers for success.
If you enjoy this film, please like and subscribe. I do a different tip, trick or technique every week - usually on a Sunday afternoon. You will be notified when the next one is available. If you have any ideas for future films or any tips of your own to share, please leave a comment.
You can find my work at www.lizchaderton.co.uk and my paid online courses at www.lizchadertonstudio.co.uk.
Hope you find this helpful.
Tags: liz chaderton, using salt, watercolour, watercolor, salt watercolor technique, salt watercolour technique, how to use salt with watercolour, which salt works best, painting with salt, salt effect, special effect, table salt, epsom salt, himalayan salt, rock salt, dishwasher salt, create texture, how to do salt watercolour, adding salt to watercolor

[@claireshand]

More great tips thanks Liz! I’ve always found salt very temperamental, works like a dream in my practice colour wash and then try the same affect on a real painting and get a damp heap of nothing. I’m resolved to do some more experimenting following your tips, cheers!

[@LizChadertonArt]

It is temperamental, but the more you experiment the more reliable it will get.

[@delphinewood7519]

I loved the idea you suggested at the end about switching your favorite colors and adding salt and keeping it as a reference. It seems kind of obvious now that you say it LOL. Thanks for posting.🙏🌵

[@LizChadertonArt]

Most of what I say is obvious once it's said!! 🙃

[@bjgoels]

I love the techniques you share. Some I have never seen; others I have used but you sometimes provide an extra tip on how to better use it. Thank you so much. FYI: Pickling salt also creates an interesting effect...bigger than that of table salt, of course.

[@LizChadertonArt]

Great tip!

[@irmacruz7771]

Thank you for the great tips!

[@LizChadertonArt]

You are so welcome!

[@irenehynes7536]

Very helpful and inspiring

[@LizChadertonArt]

So glad!

[@barbaracranford527]

I really like to use salt on my tea dyed paper, it also gives an interesting yet unpredictable finish.

[@LizChadertonArt]

yes! the unpredictability can be frustrating on occasions 😂

[@oljastevanovic]

Hi , you are my favorite yt tutor for watercolor :) Last night I have used salt on a second layer of the paint in dark blue underwater scene ,and nothing happened .. and I was disappointed... ( how original.. ) So , I took an clear wet brush , and went over the salted area , and the marks APEARED ! I was ready to throw that painting away .. but it tur out beautifully ... not as white marks as they should be, but nicely enough . Thanks for your tips and tricks ... I love the best - your advice about sampling techniques so we do not forget about them ...knowing a few days and then do not use them ... :)

[@LizChadertonArt]

that sounds excellent! as an artist you are a problem solver. so glad you saved it.

[@katef8700]

Really interesting experiment - I'd never have thought about using dishwasher salt!

[@LizChadertonArt]

Necessity is the mother of invention! I didn't have any rock salt....

[@terrafirma9548]

@@LizChadertonArt What is dishwasher salt please, never heard of it here in Canada. Is it borax?

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@terrafirma9548 hi, it’s ordinary salt but very course and you put it in your dishwasher to soften the water. A bit like rock salt to look at.

[@terrafirma9548]

@@LizChadertonArt I collect the road salt off the icy winter roads here :big chunks for big effects.

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@terrafirma9548 That’s good recycling! Do you get sued if a car skids?🙃

[@irenehynes7536]

Thank you!

[@LizChadertonArt]

You're welcome!

[@rachelsingleton6838]

Really informative - thank you ❤

[@LizChadertonArt]

Glad it was helpful!

[@coastalart7894]

Thank you for these wonderful tips ❤️ all of your work is so beautiful!!! Kathy

[@LizChadertonArt]

My pleasure. I’m glad you found them useful.

[@susanhepburn6040]

Thank you, Liz!

[@LizChadertonArt]

You are so welcome!

[@ranjanachand9306]

Very informative and inspiring 😀

[@LizChadertonArt]

Glad you think so! I think the effect is so pretty.

[@valeriegehling4358]

Super! Am spending 4th day trying out the salt effect! Various videos & papers, all achievements are null & void, with a salty workplace! So, tomorrow I‘ll re-try using the paper you suggest & a variety of my colours instead of just one colour comparisons! As you mentioned salt is fickle perhaps mine is more fickle than most or I‘m not a salt artist. Thanks. Also, as I watched your video on various plastics & tissue on watercolour have sorted my kitchen papers preparing next trials, really liked the effects you got, hoping for something similar. Thanks

[@LizChadertonArt]

diox purple, phthalo blue, alizarin, viridian are all usually well behaved!

[@valeriegehling4358]

@@LizChadertonArt Thanks for replying & I‘ll definitely try the colours you suggested when I‘ve time, I usually as it’s hot at the mo. let them dry for approximately 5hrs, you say Salt will attract air moisture so how do you expell it totally?? I‘veused my fingers then a credit card ( outdated ). Any more suggestions? Thanks again.

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@valeriegehling4358 I just scrape off with my thumb nail. If you leave big crystals you can get into problems, but you can’t get rid of it totally.

[@valeriegehling4358]

@@LizChadertonArt Dies salt have a detrimental effect on our brushes? ( That you’re aware of & how to keep it off them & paintings? If any?! ) Thanks

[@LizChadertonArt]

@@valeriegehling4358 no it shouldn’t. If you left them standing in salt water the ferrule would corrode, but you wouldn’t do that….

[@rowenawhiteford1928]

Thank you again for these great tips! It' s really useful to know which ones you might have a better chance of getting a nice effect. I' d noticed that some granulating colours didn'' t play well, but didn' t think about the quin ones...going to test mine all now👍

[@LizChadertonArt]

I watched a few films ahead of this one and I was really surprised when one (well known) artist said only the granulating colours worked well, and rock salt on a really wet wash. That is the opposite of everything I have ever found! The inorganic phthalos, quins etc tend to work best, into a drying wash, with table salt or crushed salt. Have fun with the experiments.

[@rowenawhiteford1928]

@@LizChadertonArt I think I saw that! The only granulating colour that I' ve had a nice effect from is undersea green DS..and it' s not heavily granulating. Thanks again for your really helpful tips

[@LizChadertonArt]

Let me know any surprises!

[@bjgoels]

The "uncooperative" colors aren't really. They just provide a different texture which I can see being useful in certain circumstances. The alizarin texture, for instance, would be good as a leather texture.

[@LizChadertonArt]

There is never a guarantee, just one has a higher likelihood of success

[@hilarywhite2953]

Another good one I'm going to try. (But I've no idea what dishwasher salt is)

[@LizChadertonArt]

it is just coarse salt like rock salt 😊