Salt painting is a fun process art technique for kids (or adults) that uses white glue, salt, and watercolor paints. Try this heart art salt paint project for Valentine’s Day this year!
Heart art salt painting is a fun craft project for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or any time of year. Creating a heart-shaped raised salt painting is a fun, easy process art technique to try at home or in the classroom–and is a fun heart art project and painting idea for kids (or adults). For more Heart Art ideas, click–> HERE. Or, look at this list of Valentine’s Day art projects–> HERE.
Children from toddlers and preschoolers to grade school students and teens will love creating raised salt heart art–isn’t it gorgeous?! You might also enjoy painting a Rainbow Shamrock–click the link to learn how. Or, scroll down for the step-by-step directions for this heart-shaped watercolor painting idea.
Related: Best Heart Art Projects (and Cute Heart Crafts, Too!)
Heart Raised Salt Painting Process Art Project
Have you ever tried salt painting? All you need to do is dribble white glue on paper, sprinkle salt on top, shake it off, and then paint the salt remaining in the glue with watercolors before the glue dries to create gorgeous raised salt art.
Yes, it’s that easy! Watching the colors blend and mix as you create your heart-salt painting masterpiece is entertaining, satisfying, and educational.
Unfortunately, salt painting is all about the process–and it usually doesn’t last very long. The only way to ‘keep’ your raised salt painting is to make a video or take pictures of the process because salt art is difficult, if not impossible, to preserve.
However, with that said, there are a lot of educational benefits to learning and experimenting with this process art technique, including hand-eye coordination, and it’s loads of fun.
And best of all, salt painting is not only art; it’s science too. It’s such a fun STEAM project. I guarantee your kids will love it and learn something in the process–keepsake heart art or not.
Related: Halloween Pumpkin Salt Painting
Salt Painting Raised Salt Art Tips
Salt painting is a fun process art technique for kids (or adults) that uses white glue, salt, and watercolor paints. Before getting started, look through these briefly raised salt painting art tips, the art materials list, and the step-by-step instructions below. Together, they will help you understand the raised salt painting process and how the art materials work so you know which to choose and what to expect.
- Using liquid watercolors makes it possible to use paintbrushes or pipettes to create raised salt art. In contrast, it is only possible to use a paintbrush when a watercolor paint pallet is used.
- Working with pipettes helped my daughter develop her fine motor muscles and learn how to hold a paintbrush properly.
- However, it is possible for children, especially toddlers and preschoolers, to use too much paint on their heart artwork with pipettes. So opt to use a paintbrush if your child has a heavy hand.
- We have discovered through experience that two to three color choices create the best heart art if you work with liquid watercolors. Liquid watercolors are concentrated, so it is best to dilute them with 50% to 75% water before using them for salt painting projects (like heart art), and it also helps your liquid watercolor paints last longer.
- Pipettes also make it easier to play with color mixing while painting because you can pour a lot of paint onto the raised salt and glue in a single squeeze. If your children have never used a pipette before, give them a pipette and a cup of water to play with before offering them as an art supply.
- Teach children that a little squeeze of watercolor paint goes a long way before trying this heart art salt painting project with pipettes.
- Raised salt paintings don’t typically last that long. Usually, they crack and become a mess within a short amount of time. For this reason, creating them is more about the process than the product.
Salt Painting Art Supplies
- Printable heart templates
- Baking tray
- Cardstock
- White glue
- Salt
- Glass bowls, ramekins, or small recycled jars with lids (baby food jars work great!)
- Stockmar watercolor paints, liquid watercolors, or a watercolor paint pallet
- Paintbrushes or pipettes
- Art apron or smock
- Paper towels (optional)
Related: Hanging Heart Prism Suncatcher
Related: Thumbprint Heart Crafts and Gift Ideas
Heart Art Raised Salt Painting Project Step-By-Step Directions
Follow the step-by-step instructions below to learn how to paint a heart with the raised salt painting technique.
1. Draw or trace the heart outline (or hearts) with white glue.
- Download your favorite printable heart template and print it onto cardstock. Cardstock is recommended over regular printer paper because salt painting requires thicker paper, so it does not fall apart.
- Alternatively, use white glue to draw a heart art directly onto a piece of cardstock. Draw a heart vertically or horizontally, or create multiple hearts with white glue.
- Next, draw doodles, designs, shapes, or words inside the heart with white glue if you like. See suggestions directly below for heart art design ideas. (This step is optional but shown in the video tutorial and photographs of this salt painting instruction post.)
Heart Art Salt Painting Design Ideas:
- Use white glue to create doodles and designs inside your heart art salt painting in any way you wish.
- Write the word love, a name, or any other words you want to write inside your heart. Draw little hearts, doodle Xs and O’s, or whatever else you can think of!
- My daughter liked to draw doodles and asked me to draw hearts and doodles in her third salt paint, heart because her hand got tired–lol!
Related: Heart Candle Holder Craft
2. Sprinkle salt to cover the glue heart art.
- Place the cardstock with a white glue heart (or hearts) on a baking tray. (You can do this optional but recommended step before or after tracing or drawing a heart–or hearts–with glue. The cookie tray will make clean-up easy and make it possible to recycle the salt you use for your next salt painting project.)
- Fill a small dish or bowl with salt, and use it to quickly sprinkle salt to cover all of the white and glue on the cardstock. You can see this step in the video tutorial below the heart salt painting instructions.
- Recycle the salt on the cookie sheet to use again to make more salt art hearts, or save it for your next salt painting art project!
Related: Flower Art Projects for Kids
3. Shake off the excess salt.
- Shake the salt off the baking tray and back into a bowl or storage container.
- Recycled the leftover salt for your next salt painting project. Try any of the raised salt painting ideas below:
4. Paint the raised salt heart art with watercolors.
- Place an old towel or paper towel underneath the cardstock with glue to help absorb any excess watercolor paint. (optional.)
- Invite children (or adults) to paint the raised salt (salt covering the glue) with liquid watercolors or a watercolor pallet.
- Use complementary or contrasting watercolors to create gorgeous heart salt art, as shown in the photograph and video tutorial below.
- Two to three color choices create the best heart art if you work with liquid watercolors. (Liquid watercolors are concentrated, so it is best to dilute them with 50% to 75% water before using, which also helps your liquid watercolor paints last longer.)
5. Give heart salt painting time to dry
- Place your heart saint painting project on an old towel or a paper towel to dry, so the colors don’t bleed too much into the cardstock.
- Notice how the colors change and the art looks different as the raised salt heart art dries.
- Don’t forget to take pictures. Salt art doesn’t last very long before it starts falling apart. But the photographs of our projects, like those shown here, are gorgeous and well worth the effort!
Related: Best Flower Art Projects
Primary Color Mixing Heart Art Salt Painting
Another option is to use the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) and allow your children to play with color-mixing heart art. The video shows a child painting a heart with the primary colors in the next section below.
Related: Fingerprint Love Bug
Raised Salt Paint Heart Step-by-Step Video Tutorial
Only the primary colors (blue, yellow, and red) are used in the video. Notice how the secondary colors (orange, green, and purple) magically appear–it’s mesmerizing to watch!
We have found that pipettes make it easier for children to mix red, yellow, and blue to blend the primary colors to make green, purple, and orange. Invite children to play and have fun with the magic of color. This art project is all about the process!
Related: How to Paint Rocks: Rock Painting Ideas for Kids
Heart Raised Salt Art Project
Heart art salt painting is a fun project for Valentine’s day or any time of year. You might also enjoy painting surprise heart art.
Look at this collection of heart art projects or these Valentine’s day art ideas for even more heart painting ideas.
Or, learn how to make a rainbow shamrock or a harvest pumpkin using the same raised salt painting process.
For even more art ideas for kids and adults, check out this incredible collection of winter art ideas.
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
If You Liked Heart Art, You Might Also Like
- Watercolor Art STEAM Experiment
- Salt Dough Heart with Handprint and Footprint
- Thumbprint Heart Magnets
- Love Bug Craft for Valentine’s Day
Erin says
I love this salt painting! I know kids of all ages would love this. Have you ever tried to save one? Maybe mod podge or some sort of adhesive spray? I may have to experiment!
nell says
Thanks, Erin! Raised salt paintings are really difficult to preserve because they immediately start to crack and crumble when they are dry. I don’t know if it would be possible to paint one with Mod Podge to preserve it because of the loose salt. Maybe a spray varnish world work, but you would have to apply a lot and hope it’s strong enough to hold the salt. If you try it let me know how it goes!
Anastasia says
Great idea!!! Thank you!!!
nell says
Thank you, Anastasia! I’m so glad you like it. Enjoy the process, it’s so much fun to play with color!
Becky says
Have you found a way to keep the salt on the paper to where it is not falling off?
nell says
No Becky, I have not found an easy way to preserve salt paintings, sorry!