Watch as liquid watercolor paint spreads across the raised salt and glue like a firework exploding in the night sky. These bright and bold fireworks pop right off the page — it’s such a magical way to make art!
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What type of paper is used for firework salt painting?
We used a black drawing paper that has the thickness of cardstock. You need to use a thick paper that won’t absorb too much of the glue and that can handle liquid without warping too much. Black watercolour paper would be the best choice, but the drawing paper also worked fine. We love the look of black paper, representing the night sky, but white or another colour would be fine as well.
What paint is best for fireworks salt painting?
We used diluted liquid watercolour paint, with a 3:1 water to paint ratio. You need to use liquid colour that will spread across the salt easily, so watered down food colouring would also work. You can also use undiluted watercolor paint or food coloring (ie. no water added). This gives your painting very vibrant colours.
How long does the salt painting last?
This art project is more about the process than the dried result – The salt paintings tend to look best on the first day. And they look the brightest before they’ve dried. If you flex the paper to hang them on the fridge – especially after they’re dry – the salt will start to fall off. Enjoy these paintings while you make them, but don’t expect to transport them very far or to save them for very long.
When making salt painted fireworks, do you wait for the glue to dry?
We don’t wait for the glue to dry — we like to paint on the salt right away. However, you can wait for a few hours (or longer) to allow the glue to dry. When painting on the wet glue you need to be careful, just barely touching it with the brush, since it can smudge easily. So painting the salt once the glue is dry might be easier for younger kids.
These salt painted fireworks are so much fun to make for New Year’s Eve, 4th of July, Bonfire Night, or any other fireworks holiday! Choose the shape of the fireworks and the colours you want to add to your firework salt painting — there’s no wrong way to make this easy kids art project!
Here’s even more salt painting ideas:
Christmas Salt Painting
Salt and Watercolor Snowflake Art
Painted Salt Sculptures
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
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