If your kids are looking for winter watercolor art projects, they’ll love this easy diy salt project. Add it to a winter season unit study for more learning fun.
If you live in Texas like I do, you won’t see a lot of snow unless you’re vacationing somewhere else.
But it’s still nice to dream about beautiful forests under a blanket of snow.
So, today we are going to create our own winter watercolor art project to capture some of that snowy magic with a few different types of paint.
I’ve seen a technique like this done using snow but obviously that’s not an option for us.
Instead, I set to thinking about how I could make it happen here and turn into a fun art lesson too.
Over and Under the Snow
And my solution was a spray bottle filled with water instead of letting the snow melt over my picture.
You will probably want to take this one outside or put a plastic tablecloth on the table under your craft to help contain the mess.
No matter what you’re studying this winter or where you live, snow or not, it can still be fun and informative to learn about snow.
Topics like snowflakes, ice, hibernation, glaciers, icebergs, and everything else winter entails keep it fun.
Add a fun book to this winter watercolor art project like Over and Under the Snow to investigate what happens when that white blanket of snow covers the earth.
As a matter of fact, the book which inspired this project progresses from day to dusk to night as the child and father ski over the snow noticing it all.
I love the darling images of creatures sleeping beneath the earth.
Winter Subnivean Zone
And above there are busy people, squirrels, owls, and a big full moon.
It is a great way to introduce snow, hibernation and terms like subnivean zone (it’s the network of open spaces and tunnels between the snow and ground) to your kids.
The word subnivean comes from the Latin “sub” (under) and “nives” (snow).
There is a fantastic appendix of animals at the back of the book.
It introduces animals and gives a bit of information on each spotted throughout as well as suggestions for more winter books.
More Winter Season Unit Study Resources
Then, here are some other winter unit study resources you’ll love.
- Julie of the Wolves Free Hands-on Arctic Unit Study
- Pine Cone Snowy Owl Winter Craft
- 3 Fun Cocoa Winter Hands on Science Activities
- Easy Hands on Snowflake Winter Craft for Kids Who Don’t Have Snow
- Winter Nature Craft: How to Make Easy DIY Bird Feeders
- Free Amazing Winter Unit Study and Winter Lapbook for Kids
- Inuit of the Arctic: How Animals Survive Harsh Winters Fun Blubber Activity
- Colorful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook & Unit Study
- Free Winter Copywork for Middle School – Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost
- 16 Ways to Make Homeschool Memorable During Winter
- Arctic and Inuit Unit Study. Free Lapbook – Hands-On Ideas
Add in a few of these activities to make a fun learning about winter day.
Let’s make this watercolor art project.
How to Make DIY Winter Water Art Project
You will need:
- Watercolor paper. It really makes a difference with this paper.
- Fine Salt
- Food coloring
- Black craft paint
- White craft paint
- Paint brushes
- Water in a spray bottle
- Baking sheet
First, place watercolor paper on a baking sheet and spritz the entire paper well with water.
Pour a few tablespoons of salt into a small container.
Mix with a few drops of food coloring and repeat for as many colors as you would like to have.
Scoop colored salt all over paper randomly and in different sized piles with different thicknesses to create a mottled watercolor effect.
Spray the colored salt until completely saturated with the spray bottle.
You want to make sure that the salt is very wet so that the food coloring can absorb into the paper.
Allow it to sit undisturbed for 20 to 30 minutes.
The longer it sits the more saturated the image will be.
Too, you can let it dry overnight if your little one has the patience to wait.
Flip over your paper quickly to remove all the salt and use a dry brush to remove excess or just wait until it dries naturally and brush then.
Now you should have a beautiful watercolor paper that resembles a dusky night sky or the aurora borealis.
Winter Crafts
Allow your paper to dry completely.
Then, paint a few straight lines straight up from the bottom using a thin flat brush. Draw any amount of trees you want, just leave room for the branches.
Take the same brush dipped in black paint and start at the top line and drag it away from the line in a downward stroke.
This creates the shape of an evergreen tree.
Also, draw some scraggly spindly trees with just limbs and branches using a small, pointed tip brushed if you like.
Finally, allow your black paint to dry a little and then dip your paintbrush in white paint.
If it’s thick, add a tiny bit of water to loosen it up.
You’re gonna want your paint a little runny so that you can tap it on your hand over the paper and create splatters for snow.
Paint a moon if you’d like up in the corner.
Let your completed painting dry.
Because the paper was so saturated it may crinkle up a bit. Lay a couple heavy books on top once it’s dry to help smooth and flatten it.
What do you think? Easy winter art?
