Crackle Crayon Art

Don’t be fooled!  Just because this project uses crayons does NOT mean it’s for kids.  In fact, it’s for adults looking to find an inexpensive and relaxing art project. The results are stunning!  (Tutorial and directions below)  

If you know any kids or someone who has kids, you might not have to buy any materials.  But if you don’t have those resources, here is a list of what you will need to make fifty…yes, I said five-zero, crackle art projects. 

• construction paper

• large box of crayons

• watercolor paints 

Keep in mind that this can be an unpredictable art and like anything, has the potential to be a flop. 

Look at what happened to my sunflowers! (below)

Everything went well until the crackle/paint part.  A little too much brown paint seeped through the cracks and stained the yellow crayon from the back.  It won’t stain from the front because the watercolor won’t stick to wax but man, it will from the back!

I should have rinsed it under water right away, but I thought it would lighten as it dried.  It didn’t. 

Same thing happened with the monarch butterfly (below), but in this case, I like the effect!  See?  Unpredictable. 

But that’s also what makes it exciting!  

And if you don’t want to draw, you can use the easy transfer technique Norman Rockwell taught me! (see video below)

Okay, I never actually met Norman Rockwell but he explained in an article I read how he transferred drawn images without having to re-draw them.  It is genius! Watch the video if you are curious. 

CLICK HERE for my FREE butterfly images (below) to transfer.

And REMEMBER:

“Take time to do what makes your soul happy.  It’s important.” 

 Feed that soul and do some Crackle Crayon Art.  You won’t regret it. 

 Happy Creating - Amy

Directions for Crackle Crayon Art

Materials:

• Crayons (I used Crayola)

• Watercolor paints (I used Prang Watercolor Paints)

• Water (I use old saline solution bottles filled with water)

• Pencil

• Rough paper (Construction paper is what I usually use.  In the video, I used some rough, thick sketchbook paper)

• Iron (to flatten and somewhat melt the crayon)

 Directions:

1. Draw an image on rough paper.

2. Color it in THICK and DARK with crayons.  This is important!  You need to have a nice layer of wax that can “crack”.

3. Crumple it up like you’re going to throw it away. This is what makes the crackle marks.

4. Flatten it out.

5. Paint over the entire piece with watercolor paint, even the crayon.  Make sure it goes in the cracks but wipe it off quickly if it’s bleeding to the back too quickly (remember the sunflowers above!)

6. Let dry.

7. Iron it flat but place a paper towel over it first!  This will flatten it and melt the crayon at the same time.

8. Any questions?  Watch the video or send me a comment below.