Just Add SALT – Watercolor Effects

Art, watercolor, watercolor tutorials

About 12 years ago, I remember being amazed when I learned that salt can alter a watercolor painting in unique, often favorable ways. for example, when salt is added to slightly wet paper, it creates interesting distortions, but not the unwanted kind – like blossoms, which often form if too much water is added. Most commonly, salt is applied to create beautiful alterations when painting a snowy winter sky. It is also used effectively, to create interesting background washes in floral watercolor paintings. However, I almost never use salt in my paintings, but maybe I should rethink that and keep it in my painting tool belt, metaphorically speaking.

Anyway, the reason I brought this whole salt thing up is because I thought it would make an interesting painting video. I was not surprised to find that there are already many videos on YouTube, demonstrating how to use salt in watercolor paintings. So, why post another salt painting video? Well, Caitlin came up with a pretty cool idea – use 3 different types of salt to discover which of these produces the most desirable effects. We used good old table salt, sea salt, and Himalayan Pink salt.

So, you might be thinking- which salt produced the best effects? I guess you’ll have to tune in (video link below) to find out 🙂

Winter Woodland Watercolor Demo

Art, watercolor, watercolor tutorials

Enough W’s in the subject heading? Recently, I’ve been considering making watercolor videos on YouTube….again. Yes, its true – I’ve made a some painting videos before, but admittedly, the production quality wasn’t there. Most importantly, the consistency wasn’t there either, and as a result – I got crushed by the social media algorithm! Life gets in the way, you know?

This isn’t a New Year’s resolution or anything (I don’t believe in those), but I’m giving it another go. I’ve been learning how to use Adobe Premiere Rush – a free video editing app for smartphones or whichever type screen you prefer to peer into. I found it to be a great tool and easy to use. Maybe I’ll upgrade if I stick with producing video content consistently. Who knows!

Anyway, I’ve recorded, edited, and published a new video on YouTube called “Winter Landscape with White Pine Tree – Watercolor Demo”. It is a watercolor painting demonstration, which is hopefully easier and more fun to watch, than my previous videos. The entire production process took about 15+ hours….yes, 15+ hours (maybe more). There is a define learning curve here, but lots of time went into creating the painting, learning how to edit, then actually editing the video, then creating a thumbnail using Canva, and so on. YouTube gurus will tell you to outsource the editing and other tasks, which makes a lot of sense, given how labor intensive it is.

Check out the video (link below) and let me know what you think! Which improvements do you suggest? What other types of watercolor videos would you like to see? I appreciate your time and feedback!

Original painting and prints are also available on ETSY!..

Farm in the Off-season

Art, watercolor
11” x 14” watercolor

A cold, possibly windy scene, yet well-lit enough to include some warmth. the hills far off in the distance are catching light too for further illumination and interest. But dark shadows lurk in the foreground to suggest there is more going on here than meets the eye. The sky; stormy, but will it snow or rain or will we have wind gusts strong enough to knock over a backyard swing-set? Who knows, but hopefully you’ve enjoyed this painting and that it caused you to feel warm, cold, concerned, or something else.

Sunrise On the Horizon

Art, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor

Sometimes inspirations for new painting pop up in my mind years after a photo was originally taken. A couple of years ago, on a hazy morning, the sun had just started to climb up on the horizon in a farm field. I was on my way to work when I saw this picturesque moment in my peripheral view. Unwilling to simply drive by, I took the photo, which a recently painted (below).

Sunrise on the Horizon (w/c 14”x 20”)

This painting can be found here for sale.

Have a great day!

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

Art, lighthouses, watercolor

I was asked to paint a lighthouse, as a Christmas gift for someone. I didn’t know where the photo given to me, was taken, but I had a feeling this scene takes place somewhere in Maine. Shown below is the rough sketch I started with.

Lighthouse Sketch

Turns out, this is the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, and it is indeed located in Maine (Acadia National Park). Below are progress photos of the painting.

Sky painted and the rest being worked on
Most of the painting completed. Final details needed.

The recipient of the painting grew up in Maine and this painting had a lot of symbolic meaning for him. I am happy that he liked it. The final stage of the painting is shown below!

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse (18”x24” Watercolor)

Please visit Always Wandering Art on Etsy for more paintings.