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David Wright

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Quick question, just wondering, when using salt for watercolour effects I tend to return what I can to an old film canister  ( yes I know) Does there come a point where the salt becomes saturated and unusable, even after drying. My thinking is that everytime the salt is used its picking up more paint therefore there must be a point when the salt crystal is "full" if that's the correct term.  just curious if anyone has come across this.

Alan Bickley

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I’ve used large grains of sea salt for experimenting in the past, but discarded it after each painting. It isn’t a method I use now though, but I imagine that it would lose its ability to soak up the water/paint after each painting. I’m sure other members will have something more constructive to say!
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Paul (Dixie) Dean

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The salt will become over loaded with pigment eventually, the other issue is that it also leaches out and can effect other colours. The effect can be minimal and look ok but if you want a pure coloured I would advise against using the salt more than once . I haven’t used salt for a while but I did buy a cheap large grain salt purely for paintings lasts for ages unless your try to cover a large area . As you may know don’t put the salt on when the paint is very wet best to give a a little more time to set some colour down it’s s judgment think when to add the salt . 
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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Apart from anything else, surely re-wetted salt will release some of the colour it absorbed and sully the new wash?   As for saving it - I'm not saying you're mean, but .... Gawd, you're mean!   Seriously (you think I wasn't being ...?) if you do use salt, and it's an effect that can be badly overdone, use fresh salt: it's a footling thing to collect it (how much can you save anyway?), try to dry it (and it won't dry in a film canister: mine hardly dries in a salt-cellar!), and then re-apply it .... if you must save it, use it to deter slugs around your pot plants. 

Jenny Harris

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I use salt a lot for my watercolour paintings.  For the best results it only needs to be used sparingly, and I just brush it off when dry - never occurred to me to try to save it, it’s not exactly an expensive item! - and you’ll surely get the best, cleanest results if fresh salt is used each time.
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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Sparingly is the word - I have seen people tip half a salt-cellar over a painting, and a) that won't work, b) it'll turn you paper into a sodden mess that will take a day and an age to dry out.  You're trying to draw damp paint - best not apply salt to very wet paint - in order to leave a pattern of interesting marks; the reason I'm not very keen on the method is that people will (and so have I!) make the mistake of overdoing it.   Jenny - do you find salt works better on some papers than others?  I got reasonable results on Bockingford, a good wood-chip paper, but not on Arches, on which the salt just sat and winked at me.... Arches is cotton rag, and I wonder if it doesn't respond in the same way as wood-chip.  Anyway, I'll wait on your advice before trying it again!

Jenny Harris

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Robert, I can’t really help as to whether salt works better on some papers than others - I always use Saunders Waterford 300lb NOT paper which is 100% cotton, and it works well with that.  The paper is more absorbent at that weight, though, so takes longer to dry (I found it hard to get on with initially after previously using the same paper in a lighter weight) and for the salt to take effect, so you do have to be patient!  What I do find, though is that some colours give a better result than others - Indigo, Quin. Gold and Green Gold work particularly well.  I also prefer more ‘sweeping’ effects so do sprinkle the salt on fairly wet paper - not too keen on the little ‘snowflakes’ you get using it on drier paint.  Even though I use salt a lot, I still find it tricky to get the result I want, you have to get the strength of the paint and how wet it is on the paper just right.  This one was painted in Indigo using salt for the ‘textured’ effects.

Edited
by Jenny Harris

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Paul (Dixie) Dean

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Jenny is right in saying it’s tricky and as I said earlier putting it on at the right time is important, it’s not easy to explain when is the right time as it varies so much . Again I agree with what Jenny said it’s the thickness of the pigment, and how much salt is used to lift some out , how much is depending the wetness and viscosity. Most salt will dry and brush of but there will is always a fine amount left in the pigment and on the paper that does sometime come off through time , Robert before you ask I don’t know how permanent it could be . I’ve used bit 100% rag paper and wood chip based papers I can’t recall any particular difference in how it responds to the salt but I was t really looking at that to be honest, now  there is a experiment for some one . Back to the original question don’t save the salt use fresh each time , don’t risk a painting for the cost of a pinch of salt . 
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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Probably when I used it on Arches, I just didn't wait long enough - that would make sense.  As to the permanence - well that's a good question!  At a guess, I'd say it was probably as permanent as the pigments used, but it would be a very good idea to ensure you've brushed all the dried salt off - I'm sure someone has written about this somewhere, I'll see what I can find later.  

Jenny Harris

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I don’t think permanence is an issue.  I’ve got paintings I did years ago using salt and there’s been no deterioration in the colours or salt effect   I’ve never had a problem with any tiny amounts of salt residue on the painting, which occasionally happens, although it can usually be rubbed off quite easily.

Denise Cat

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I don't use anything less than a 300lb paper. I don't use salt now but when I was experimenting with it, I found the right time to catch it was when the sheen of the wet water had almost gone. Just damp not sodden. You don't put salt on very wet paper, it doesn't work.
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Lynda Green

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I have been using salt in a few paintings lately and agree with what everyone has said here. I don’t think there is any point in saving it, I am far too messy anyway! I have tried different types of salt, but my best results have been with just a little sprinkling of table salt as the painting is drying.