Make a watercolour splash piece by @sealight!
Make a watercolor splash piece inspired by @sealight, experimenting with wet paint, blowing, tilting, and sprinkling salt to create shimmering sea textures.
About this activity
Make a watercolor splash piece inspired by @sealight, experimenting with wet paint, blowing, tilting, and sprinkling salt to create shimmering sea textures.
What you need
Step by step
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Step 1
Spread the newspaper or washable cover over your table to protect it.
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Step 2
Tape the edges of your watercolor paper to the covered table so it stays flat.
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Step 3
Dip a clean brush in water and gently wet the whole surface of the paper until it looks slightly shiny.
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Step 4
Mix a watery blue and a watery green wash on your palette to make sea colors inspired by @sealight.
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Step 5
Dot several puddles of the blue and green wash onto the wet paper using your brush.
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Step 6
Pick up a straw and gently blow on each puddle to push the paint outward and make splashy shapes.
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Step 7
Tilt the taped paper a little to let the colors run and meet each other across the page.
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Step 8
Sprinkle a pinch of table salt over the wet paint where you want shimmering sea texture.
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Step 9
Wait and let the painting sit undisturbed until the paint feels completely dry.
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Step 10
Brush or flick the dried salt off the paper with a dry brush or your finger to reveal the texture.
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Step 11
Slowly peel the tape off the paper to reveal clean edges around your artwork.
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Step 12
Share your finished watercolor splash piece on DIY.org
Fun facts
How do I make a watercolor splash piece like @sealight?
To make a watercolor splash piece like @sealight, tape watercolor paper to a flat board and wet it lightly. Drop diluted watercolor onto wet areas, then blow gently through a straw or tilt the board to spread the paint. While still wet, sprinkle coarse salt for shimmering sea textures. Let fully dry, brush off salt, and add details with a fine brush or white gel pen. Experiment with layering and drying times for different effects.
What materials do I need to make a watercolor sea splash inspired by @sealight?
You’ll need heavyweight watercolor paper (140–300 lb/300–640 gsm), a pan or tube watercolor set, a variety of brushes (rounds and flats), a water jar, palette, clean paper towels, straws or a straw set for blowing, coarse or table salt, masking tape to secure the paper, and optional items like a spray bottle, hairdryer, white gel pen or gouache for highlights, and a tray to catch messes.
What ages is this watercolor splash activity suitable for?
This splash watercolor activity is great for many ages. Toddlers (under 4) need one-on-one help to avoid choking hazards and too much mess. Ages 4–6 enjoy guided exploration with adult supervision for blowing and salt use. Ages 7–9 can work more independently and try controlled blowing and tilting. Ages 10+ can experiment with layering, resist techniques, and finer details. Always supervise salt and small tools.
Are there safety tips or fun variations for the watercolor splash activity?
Try variations: press cling film onto wet paint then lift for textured patterns, sprinkle glitter or salt mixed with food coloring for different shimmer, or mask shapes with wax crayon for resist effects. Safety tips: use non-toxic watercolors and supervise salt and small objects. Protect surfaces and clothing, keep straws clean, and avoid inhaling powders. For younger kids, substitute coarse salt with larger safe materials like coarse sugar or skip small bits.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can I use instead of watercolor paper, table salt, or a straw if I don't have them?
Use heavyweight mixed-media paper or thick cardstock taped to the table like the watercolor paper, substitute coarse sea or kosher salt for table salt for stronger texture, and replace the straw with a clean pipette, turkey baster, or short piece of rolled paper to blow the puddles.
My puddles aren't spreading or the paint looks muddy—what should I try to fix it?
Make sure you follow the wetting step so the paper looks slightly shiny, use more watery blue and green washes so drops spread, blow gently with the straw to avoid overworking the paint, and tilt the taped paper only after puddles have some movement to prevent muddiness.
How can I adapt this activity for different age groups?
For younger kids let an adult wet the paper and pre-dot puddles to blow with a pipette or short straw, for elementary kids let them mix watery washes and practice gentle blowing, and for older kids encourage experimenting with multiple layers, masking fluid, or varied salt sizes for texture.
How can we extend or personalize the watercolor splash piece after it dries?
After brushing off the dried salt and peeling the tape for clean edges, add ink or white gel-pen details over splash shapes, introduce metallic watercolor accents before drying, or collage shell cutouts to reinforce the @sealight sea theme before sharing on DIY.org.