Watercolor & Salt: Create Realistic Ocean Animal Textures with Ease

Have you ever wanted to paint beautiful ocean animals with watercolor?

What if I told you there's a simple trick to make them look even more magical?

Using sea salt with watercolor creates amazing textures that mimic ocean waves, fish scales, and underwater bubbles.

In this guide, I'll walk you through everything—from materials to techniques—so you can create your own stunning ocean creatures.

Let's get started!

Materials Needed 

Before we start painting, let's gather all the essential materials. Using the right tools will help you achieve the best results with the salt texture technique.

Essential Watercolor Supplies

To create a vibrant ocean scene, you'll need:

• Watercolor paper: Cold press paper is ideal because its textured surface absorbs water well, allowing the salt effect to develop beautifully.
• Watercolor paints: A high-quality set with blues, greens, and ocean-inspired colors works best.
• Paintbrushes: Use a mix of round brushes for washes and fine detail brushes for precision.

Additional Tools for the Sea Salt Effect

Sea salt is the secret ingredient that will add a natural texture to your painting. Here's what you need:

• Sea salt: Coarse sea salt works best, but table salt or rock salt can also create interesting effects.
• Masking tape: To keep the paper in place and create clean edges.
• Water container and paper towels: For cleaning brushes and controlling excess water.

Now that we have all our materials ready, let's understand how sea salt interacts with watercolor to create unique textures.

How the Sea Salt Effect Works in Watercolor

Salt is a simple but powerful tool in watercolor painting. When applied correctly, it creates a natural texture that resembles underwater patterns.

The Science Behind Salt and Watercolor

Salt absorbs water. When sprinkled onto wet watercolor, it pulls the pigment outward, leaving lighter spots where the salt touches.

The result? Beautiful, organic textures that look like bubbles, coral, or fish scales.

The effect depends on a few key factors:

• How wet the paint is: Too dry, and the salt won't work. Too wet, and the effect will be too soft.
• The type of salt used: Coarse salt creates bold, large patterns, while fine salt gives a softer texture.
• The colors you use: Darker colors show the salt effect more clearly than lighter ones.

Best Practices for Using Salt in Watercolor

To get the best results, follow these tips:

• Sprinkle salt at the right time: Wait until the paper is damp, not soaking wet.
• Experiment with different salts: Try mixing coarse and fine salt to see how they react.
• Let it dry completely: Don't remove the salt until the paint is fully dry to get the best effect.

Now that you know how salt interacts with watercolor, let's move on to the step-by-step painting process.

Step-by-Step Guide to Painting Ocean Animals

In this section, I'll guide you through the process of creating a watercolor sea creature, from sketching to adding the final details.

Step 1: Sketching the Ocean Animal

Before applying paint, lightly sketch the outline of your chosen sea creature. Whether it's a fish, sea turtle, or jellyfish, keep the lines soft and simple.

You don't need too many details—just the basic shape and main features.

Step 2: Painting the First Wash of Color

Start with a light base layer using the wet-on-wet technique:

• Lightly wet the area where you'll apply the color.
• Use a soft brush to add the first wash of blues, greens, or any ocean color.
• Let the colors blend naturally to create a soft, underwater feel.

Step 3: Adding the Sea Salt for Texture

Now comes the fun part—applying the salt!

• While the paint is still damp, sprinkle a small amount of salt over the areas where you want texture.
• Watch as the salt begins to absorb the water and create beautiful patterns.
• Avoid touching the salt as it dries to prevent smudging the effect.

Step 4: Letting the Painting Dry

Patience is key! Let your painting dry completely before brushing off the salt. This allows the full effect to develop.

Once dry, gently rub or scrape off the salt to reveal the unique patterns underneath.

Step 5: Adding Details and Highlights

Once the salt texture is set, refine your painting with details:

• Use a fine brush to define edges and add small details like eyes, fins, or scales.
• Deepen shadows to create contrast and make your sea creature stand out.
• Add highlights with white gouache or a gel pen for a glowing effect.

Your watercolor ocean animal is now complete! But before we finish, let's review some common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even with practice, it's easy to make mistakes when using salt in watercolor. Here's how to fix the most common ones:

• Sprinkling salt too early or too late: If the paint is too wet, the salt effect will be too soft. If it's too dry, the salt won't react. Wait until the paper is damp for the best results.
• Using too much or too little water: Too much water can dilute the color and make the salt effect less visible. Too little water can cause uneven drying.
• Not waiting long enough before removing salt: If you brush off the salt too soon, you might ruin the texture. Always let your painting dry completely.
• Overworking details: Keep a balance between smooth washes and textured areas. Too many details can take away from the natural salt effect.

By avoiding these mistakes, your watercolor paintings will improve, and your textures will look more refined.

Creative Variations to Try

Once you've mastered the basic technique, why not experiment with new ideas?

#1. Painting Different Ocean Animals

Try using the salt effect on different sea creatures:

• Jellyfish: The salt technique is perfect for creating the illusion of floating tentacles.
• Sea turtles: Use salt to add texture to the turtle's shell.
• Whales: Dark blue watercolor with salt creates a stunning underwater scene.

#2. Mixing Watercolor with Other Media

You can combine watercolor with:

• Ink: Outline your painting with fine black ink for contrast.
• Gouache: Add highlights or details with opaque gouache.
• Colored pencils: Use them for extra details on dry watercolor.

#3. Experimenting with Backgrounds

Instead of a plain white background, try:

• A deep blue ocean: effect using multiple layers of watercolor.
• A coral reef scene: with splashes of red, orange, and yellow.
• A soft gradient: to create a dreamy underwater atmosphere.

The more you experiment, the more unique and creative your paintings will become!

Wrapping Up

Now that you know how to paint ocean animals using watercolor and sea salt, it's time to start creating!

This technique adds a beautiful, organic texture that makes your paintings come to life.

Give it a try, and don't be afraid to experiment with different salt types and colors.

I'd love to see your artwork—share your creations in the comments.

Have fun painting, and let's keep exploring new techniques together!