Home-craft expert Kathi Cardinalli show how to use crayons to create original art that gives an impression of batik painting. It's an adult project with youthful appeal. Materials:
Heavy-duty white art-quality paper
Crayons (not washable crayons)
Simple design (create your own or use one from a child's coloring book)
Liquid tempera paint in a contrasting color
Paintbrush, about 1" wide
Paper towels
Rubber gloves (optional)
Tub of warm water
- Draw the outline of the design on heavy-duty paper. Color the design with crayons, leaving small white spaces throughout. Press down very hard so the wax from the crayons will be thick (figure A). Make sure not to use washable crayons for this project. Be sure to color the background too.
- Crumple the paper to crack the wax. Open the paper and smooth it flat with your hand (figure B).
- With a paintbrush, apply a thick coat of undiluted liquid tempera paint over the entire picture. Use a color that contrasts with the crayon colors: the paint will stay in the cracks and give the project the desired batik effect (figure C).
- Dip the paper in a tub of warm water, and swish it around to remove some of the paint. Don't rub the paint off (figure D).
- Lay the paper on paper towels, paint side up. Place paper towels on top of the picture, and press lightly with your hands to absorb the paint. Allow to dry before matting and framing.
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