Stop six in Project: Around the World took us to the sandy beaches of Antigua and Barbuda. The islands, located in the West Indies, became an independent nation in 1981. You can see Antigua and Barbuda on a map here. Many of the citizens today are descendants of African slaves brought by the British to work on sugar plantations. The sugar trade was once the main source of income for Antigua and Barbuda, but has since been replaced by tourism. Its pleasant climate, beautiful beaches, and world-class sailing draws tourists all year round.
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We took our inspiration for our art projects from the beautiful beaches of Antigua and Barbuda, specifically the pink sand beaches. (You can see plenty of beach images here at the Visit Antigua and Barbuda website.) I thought it would be the perfect project to experiment with watercolor and salt.
Supplies Needed:
Salt
The project was very, very simple. The girls used pencil to draw a very light dividing line between the sand and the ocean on their watercolor paper. Then they started painting. They would paint a bit at a time and stop and sprinkle salt over the wet watercolor. They went bit by bit until they had covered their entire page. Once the paintings were completely dry, I shook both of them over a trash can to get rid of all the excess salt. Since I knew our paper would get rather wet during the process, I had the girls use watercolor paper which is thicker and better able to handle all the wet paint.
The painting itself was very simple, just two colors. We used the salt to create texture and add interest to the sand. The girls decided they liked the salt so much (of course) that they also added it their water. After all, the ocean is full of salt water! I love how the paintings ended up looking like an abstract beach scene using texture and blocks of color instead of detail.
It was so much fun talking a virtual tour of the beautiful beaches of Antigua and Barbuda. I’m so glad you came along!
If you would like to see the rest of our stops during Project: Around the World, please click here or on the image below.
Note: Facts about Antigua and Barbuda all came from this book, Antigua and Barbuda (Cultures of the World) by Sara Louise Kras, which we used for reference throughout this project.
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Terri is a writer and mom of two elementary-aged girls. She has a passion for learning and is always looking for ways to make learning fun. You can find her here writing about fun learning activities, art, craft, and family fun ideas.
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