Think crayons are for kids? Think again! There are all sorts of great ways to use a box of crayons in your art- here are a few ideas...
Go back to the days of coloring books and use them fill your drawings with color-
Use them to create a resist with watercolors.
Start by using a white crayon to draw on a blank page.
Paint over the top of the designs with watercolors
and watch your designs come to life!
Tip-
While your paint is still wet, press it onto another page and make a light print- its what I call a 2 for 1 deal!
It makes a great background for journaling!
Go wild with abstraction and scribbles!
Fill the page with colorful scribbles.
Use watercolors to fill in the white space.
Tip- use paper as a background for journaling, cut it up and use in collage projects, scan and use in digital projects or doodle over the top...
Use crayons to create colorful rubs. Rub over surfaces with texture.
Use in backgrounds for mixed media projects.
Use crayons to explore patterns.
Tip-
Layer colors on top of each other to create the look of blending.
Use a colorful crayon to journal over the top of watercolor backgrounds.
Never underestimate just how far you can go with simple art supplies!
83 comments:
What a beautiful selection of ideas. Next time my boys break out their crayons, I'm going to have to get to work on a little of my own work.
Beautiful!
Inspiring!! Thank you!!!
amen! Love this post
How fun! As a mom of a 3- and 4-year old, we have the crayons out every day. My girls are going to have to start sharing with me! These are all fabulous ideas. :-)
You are simply incredible, Alisa. You look at something so simple and see so many different creative options. Thank you for sharing it with us all!!
oh thank you alisa! i haven't tried some of these techniques in awhile. some are very brand new to me. i will try them tomorrow. so excited. :)
Thank you! für die inspirierende Idee.
Liebe Grüße Kerstin
This is so fun. I really enjoy the white crayon + water color!
These ideas made me think to some art lessons I had to school when I was very young... I love this way to color!!!
Many thanks for sharing your ideas. I love them all and surely I will try out some of them.
Have a lovely day.
Greetings from Germany. :)
haha! it's the simple things we forget...I shall be wrestling my Grandson's crayons from him - maybe he and I can create something together...he is 4!
Thanks Alisa. I love the resist paintings. I think I'll have to take my sons crayons into my studio :).
Love love love this post! Gonna go find my crayolas and have a go. My 4 yr old will love the resist technique. Are you using the same paper throughout?
WOW, love love all of this. I get a new box of crayons every Christmas from hubby. Some how I never thought to do these amazing things with mine. I especially love the purple/pink blending one!! These look so bright and happy!!
Thanks so much for showing us what a simple crayon can do!! Will do this today!
I'm curious as to what kind of paper you used on these also? Please share that with us!!
Oh the fun you will have with Lucy when she can color!
OMG, is that for real! Just one fantastic idea after another. I'm about to have an "Alisa-over-load", hahaha!
(Just finished your free online class, followed by the last lesson from your Sketchbookdelight 2, then this one ... I'm feeling a bit dizzy now!)
THX, Alisa!xxoo
Thanks for this great inspiration! have a nice day today. sunny greetings from germany, geisslein
Love this post and all the inspiration!
Great post...I love it!!!
It reminde me the "Create Daily" online class that a take in january.
Thank you.
now after reading this post, how proud am I??? I actually did this kind of exercise on my sketchbook for the create daily class, only I used colored crayons (not white) before watercoloring over it... and I liked the effect, although more muted or mottled than yours.... will definitely do this again!!!!
thanks again!!!
ps, I emailed you about your classes, did you read it? thks
Great post...I love it!!!
It reminde me the "Create Daily" online class that a take in january.
Thank you.
Alexandra
wow -- thanks alisa -- another great idea fest -- I love the way you take simple everyday things and use your creativity to transform them -- thanks so much for these ideas -- will definitely use these :0)
I have always adored crayons! So fun to draw with and I always seem to have better luck with them than pencils or pens. Thanks for sharing your ideas! :)
My 8 year old daughter was standing next to me as I read through your post. She remarked how she already knew how to do many of these things and how pretty the images were. It is amazing how as adults we forget the simple things that children can sometimes just instinctively know. Thanks for sharing and for the reminder on how to create such beauty with such simple things!!
so inspiring..thank u...
Great ideas!!! I love the idea of using the white crayon with watercolour over top. I am going to try that. I love making pretty journal pages!
I love colouring with my kids too. It's a childhood passion that never goes away! xo
i love this post! crayons bring me back to childhood :)
I've always had a love for a new box of crayons. I love this! Some great ideas I hadn't thought of!
very cool! thanks for sharing, who would have thought all those different techniques are possible. sometimes I think we do concentrate on the supplies too much... or think we need more in order to create. back to the basics :)
Love crayons, thanks for showing everyone else what great fun they are. Now to go play.
Inspiring as always! I love how much shading you can do with crayons. Thanks for all of the great suggestions.
i've always loved crayons and i'm 63!!! when school supplies hit the shelves i can't resist new crayons (and glue). glad to see all your creative ideas. :>)
I really appreciated this post because of your wonderful photos, demonstrating what you are talking about. In particular the work with crayons for resist. Thank you so much!!
you are an amazing artist, love your stuff!
thank you for sharing your creative ideas, you are amazing.......
Oh I love and adore crayons and you have no idea how we treasure them!!! We have a friend in the states who sends a fresh box over for each kidlet and me each Christmas!!! Can you believe we don't get crayolas here and we just love them , the smell and everything about them!!! Love them!!!
There is something so magical about a new box of crayola crayons! They just make me so giddy! I love the smell of them. Something about scents that remind me of my happy days as a child! Love all the fun things you did! I love the white crayon with watercolor! That would be fun to send secret letters to your kids, nieces, nephews, etc and have them read them by doing a watercolor wash! Fun!
will try this week. keep well and kiss the baby!!!
best post ever! you rock those crayons bigtime!
Hi! Just found you from Pinterest. Great post. You can also try to carefully iron a piece of paper on top of your coloured paper and see what happens. I used to do it with my mother when I was a kid and it is so much fun!
http://fashionitsagoesshopping.blogspot.com/
Have you tried placing paper on a warmish hot plate and drawing on it. Feels like drawing with lipstick....Room needs to be ventilated with heating wax. Love your examples....
Susan
I love crayons and there is nothing like a new box of them. thanks for reminding us of how much fun they are. xo
After reading your post, I want to go home & bring out the crayons! Great examples of different creativity from these old time favorites!
I absolutely love this! The white crayon with the blue paint is a great idea
Check out my blog:
themeltingpotofstuff.blogspot.com
love love love this post, especially the white crayon with blue paint! love it!
Julie
alonewithmytea.blogspot.com
Ditto to all of the above! I have a new box of 64 crayons that I was saving for my 19 mo granddaughter when she comes to visit............now we will be sharing them as I am breaking them out now to try! Thanks!
does the white crayon/water color work on canvas?
And, you can color on 100% cotton and make pillows, aprons, quilt blocks, etc,
http://www.black-cat-creations.com/coloring.php
When I was in college I would color with crayons before a piano recital (music major). It was so therapeutic! What a beautiful post. I've just discovered your blog and will be taking a tour!
What great ideas! I think I'll be "borrowing" my toddler's crayons this weekend!
I never thought about using crayons to draw a design before water colouring! Thanks for that!
THANK YOU, I have an unopened box and I've been wondering what to do with them!! Great idea to put the water resistance in the wax to use...
Bookmark-ed! :)
I tired the watercolor and white crayon on a project with my class of 2's...guess it would have worked better with LESS paint, but they still turned out nice
My 5 yr old is having lots of fun with the watercolor resist. Thanks for the inspiration. A note for parents of little ones though - the crayons need to be regular non-washable ones as the washable crayons absorb the paint rather than resist it.
I love reading your blogs! It was a nice art!
Such great ideas with such a basic tool. Thanks for the inspiration. I shall be using this (especially the white crayons) with my craft camps that I teach.
So beautiful!
Beautiful concept.... every painting is so artistic and impressive!!!!!!
Creative Ideas
Hey alisa
I want to know if i can use your technique white crayon and watercolors.
Thanx
Odette
So beautiful collection you shearing with us..Its completely amazing so stunning.. your blog is so creative and your art its really different and so beautiful, keep shearing.. and best of luck...
Oxmo
Found your blog through Pinterest..
I love your beautiful and creative ways using crayons.
It's so inspiring and can't wait to try some with my little one.
Thanks for sharing..
This was so sweet, I shared it on Facebook. Thanks.
I love this ... as a child I always looked forward to receiving that box of 64 crayons (with the sharpener!) at Christmas. Thanks for the memory. Think I'm going to buy myself a late Christmas gift today.
really inspiring!
I have to admit that it's been a while since I sat down and got creative but this post made me want to head down to the shops, buy a box of crayons and doodle! It definitely brought back wonderful childhood memories.
What a great idea....we used to do this as kids and I've forgotten how fun it is. I am in the process of making a travel journal for my 12 year old grandson; this would make a great background. Better yet I have a boxful of drawings he made using wax crayons, I could see if they would work on that to use as background! He would love that as he loves to write be it poems (one was printed already!)or stories. TFS
Thanks for the inspiration for a great activity for the read aloud book "The Flower Man". (I linked to your site.) http://shannonsbooknook.com/?p=6716
The white crayon resist was perfect to show how he brought color into his world. Thanks again!
Love, love, love everything you do. I'll be linking to this project on WeeFolkArt.com's Facebook page. BTW... just signed up for your watercoloring class. I shared info about it this morning on WFA's Facebook page, too. I know I'll be sharing many of my adventures with my readers. Hopefully, I'll inspire some of them to join the fun. Thanks for all you share!
So true!
Can I add to this? All the broken crayons can be melted (gently- 250 degree oven for about 10 minutes) together. Or, I have a Crayola Crayon Maker- that works. Then start coloring backgrounds and such. You'll end up with very unique stuff!
Wow! It's awesome blog post here.... really very interesting!!
Nice use of crayons!!
clipping path
So fun! Thank you...
lovely ideas.. thank you soo much
I am a 61 year old grandmother of 8 and have never grown weary of coloring with crayons. The youngest of the grandchildren is 5 and she adores coloring with her Momaw. I love it as well. As many others have commented, I love the smell as it does take you back in time. Every time we color together you can see how her ability improves. I love the idea of the secret writing to kids and letting them discover the message with the watercolors. I believe the kids would love it as well. Thanks for sharing all your ideas. One idea we did as kids was to melt broken crayons with a candle or whatever fire source over a jar as you rotate the jar. It makes a pretty accessory for holding pencils, etc.. Of course this would HAVE to be done with an adult supervising. Thanks again, for sharing!
What is the brush that you are using? Is it a resist wax brush or pen?
What
I tried one of these and it looked wonderful. It was a simple but effective design and it really livened up my sketchbook. I love your blog, thank you :-)
Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.
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