Salt and spray paint, who knew?

Some advice (and no this will typically not be some type of advice column): Never be afraid to experiment-especially with paint!

My latest piece will involve a mermaid and in creating the background for said piece I decided to whip out the ol' sea salt and spray paint. Observe:

First things first, to get the speckled look you see in the blue you need to create a watercolor wash. Apply water to your paper first then apply the paint. I like to add even more water especially when using salt. The sea salt gets applied while the paint is still wet so you may need to do it in sections based on the look you want. Paint one area, add salt, continue on. The wetter the paint is, the more the salt will absorb!

Warning! The salt may stick to your paper! I wanted that textured look, but if you don't just wait for the paint to dry then shake it/scrape it off.

As for spray paint...I don't like it. It's uncontrollable. A hot mess. Kudos to folks who use it constantly. 

Granted, my experience with spray paint is limited...and I created super detailed stencils...

Regardless, I think I'll stick with sea salt!

<3 Kate