It has been waaaay too long since I’ve written a post.  If you follow me on Instagram or get my newsletter, you probably know it’s because we’ve been in the process of moving for the last month.  It’s been a crazy hectic few weeks and I am very happy to say we are in our new home and though there is tons to do, we are happy as can be.  Right before we started packing up I started editing these sand painting photos. Sand painting is my girl’s favorite art process of all time.  I think it’s their favorite because, according to them, they made it up.  I have to hand it to them.  It’s really really cool and super fun.

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What You’ll Need

a canvas or thick paper (currently on sale for a great price!)

tempera paints (we used these from ikea.  I can’t say enough about these paints. We use them all the time, especially for spin art)

colored sand in squeeze bottles (You may want to check your local craft store for cheaper sand.  This is the best option I could find online. I got mine at Michaels, my home away from home.)

This art project started in our art playhouse on a sunny southern California day.  My girls seem to be in bathing suits more often than not even when they aren’t swimming.  I’m not sure why but just go with it.

They started with a recycled canvas (we are WAY into recycled canvases, you can see a full post about them here.)  First they added some regular paint both with brushes and with squeeze bottles.  Then they poured colored sand over the paint.  The paint acts like glue and holds the sand in place.

As you can see the process is pretty stunning.  My girls have spent a lot of time doing things like this, so they know that it’s not just about dumping sand everywhere.  I am constantly singing “a little dab’ll do ya” so they are very familiar with the idea that a little goes a long way.  But in truth, I kind of just let them do whatever they wanted here because we were outside and they were having a blast.  If some areas had a lot of sand, I just went with it.

They were both so happy and totally engaged in what they were doing.  The whole salt painting process is really satisfying for kids.  They love to squeeze and pour and the colors are so pretty.

They spent about an hour or so working on their salt painting.  We’ve had the completed canvas up on the playhouse wall for about 5 months now.  Actually, now that we’ve moved it needs a good spot in our new home, but it’s really stood the test of time and I didn’t need to put a seal on it of any kind.

Here’s a pic from a photoshoot we did right before we moved.  Morgan Pansing took this gorgeous pic of my girl in front of her salt painting masterpiece.  Can’t wait to share more of the shoot in a few weeks.

In the meantime, I hope you give this a try because I think your kids will love it.  For other process art projects check out this mega list of over 50 ideas.  Have fun! xo Meri