Crayons On Canvas

I’ve always had mixed feelings about crayons. There’s no denying the pleasure of opening up a fresh pack of those perfectly chiseled tips, and having them stare back at you in a wonderfully satisfying range of colours. Then the first one breaks, paper gets peeled off, and that perfect little box transforms into a plastic tub filled with broken, waxy, crayon bits. In this project, the crayons never get to the broken bits stage. They just melt into a glorious rainbow of colours. Hats off to the person who came up with this great idea, which my daughter and her friend stumbled upon in cyberspace.

Materials

• 1 pack of crayons
• 1 canvas board
• glue gun
• hairdryer

Instructions

1. Arrange the crayons along the top of a canvas board, with the tips facing downwards. Make sure the board is long enough to show a generous amount of dripping wax. Glue the crayons onto the board. We used a glue gun, but I’m assuming white glue should work just as well.

2. Hold the board vertically, and using a hairdryer, blow hot air along the bottom part of the crayons. Move the hairdryer slowly back and forth horizontally, but don’t hold it too long in one place, or too close to the crayons. Also, don’t heat the upper part of the crayons because this can melt the glue and cause them to detach. If this happens, as it did to us, just quickly glue the crayon back on. Continue melting them until you’re happy with the drips.