A few weeks before my daughter’s Rainbow Art Birthday Party, I prepared a set of three melted crayon canvases to act as the backdrop for the dessert/snack table. There is always something so pretty and cheerful about rainbow colors! I loved the way the canvases brought color to the table, and pulled in the art theme.
I’ve seen lots of rainbow crayon art circulating around the internet for quite some time, but this is the first time I’ve given it a try. It’s a really fun and rewarding project!
For less than the cost of a framed print to hang on a wall, you can create a custom work of art, adjusting the size and colors to your liking. The total cost of this project for me was about $35.00. That includes the canvas ($15), heat gun ($12, using a coupon), and crayons ($7). I am not counting the cost of the glue gun, since I already owned one, and most of you likely do as well.
Here’s how to make one…
Gather your supplies…
You’ll need a canvas (the one shown is 24″x12″)
a hot glue gun (and extra glue)
crayons (for this 24″ wide canvas I used most of the colors from a 96 crayon pack, as well as two 8 crayon packs- buy more than you think you’ll need)
a heat gun (available from most craft stores, sold near stamping supplies, or gift wrap/cellophane)
Step 1- Quickly sort the crayons by color. You will likely not want to include any browns, black or grey.
Step 2- Line up the crayons by color, then fine tune the exact order you’d like the different shades. Line up the crayons next to the canvas, so you know exactly how many you’ll need to fit the length of the canvas.
Step 3- Begin hot gluing the crayons to the canvas. I chose to lay the crayons so the name of the color was showing. Apply enough glue to attach 3 or 4 crayons, lay those crayons down, then add more glue, and so on.
Step 4- Once all the crayons are glued on, cover your work area with paper, and lean the canvas up against a support (such as a case of canning jars) =)
Step 5- Begin heating one section of the crayons with the heat gun. Hold the gun about 12 inches from the crayons. It will take a couple minutes for the crayons to begin to melt.
*A note about using a heat gun vs. a blow dryer. I have seen melted crayon projects using a blow dryer, but it is much more difficult to control the direction of the melted wax. With a blow dryer the wax tends to fly in all directions, not just drip down. A heat gun produces hotter heat, and blows the air with less force. Using a heat gun (instead of a blow dryer) seems to cut down the total time of the melting process by at least half. As is, it will take 45 minutes or so to melt the crayons (using a canvas of similar size). I think attempting this project with a blow dryer would be quite frustrating. As always, feel free to experiment… I’m just sharing my recommendations.
Step 6- Continue directing heat at a section of crayons, and use the air and heat as needed to direct the wax down the canvas.
Step 7- Continue working a section at a time. The total time for melting the crayons on this canvas (24″ wide) was about 45 minutes.
Step 8- When all the crayons have melted, and dripped down, pick up the canvas from your work area. Scrape off any excess wax from along the bottom edge of the canvas, then use the heat gun as needed to melt the wax along the edge of the canvas.
Step 9- Project is complete! Admire the beautiful art you just created =)
This project was a perfect addition to my daughter’s Rainbow Art Birthday Party, and would make a beautiful piece to hang in a child’s room, class room, or any place that could use a beautiful pop of color!
Hi, Glory!
question- do you have to use canvas? or does regular paper work?
I would highly recommend using a canvas, I’m not sure that paper would be quite strong enough, but feel free to experiment if you like.
Hi,
I plan on doing something like this really soon. But I plan on adding a word to the right bottom. Do you have any idea how I could do that? I was kind of thinking of drawing the word on, then covering it up when the crayons start to melt. Or would that not work?
hi i would just like to know if i can use regular paper like bristol board or sketching sheets?
I absolutely love this Glory! I so want to give this a try… thank you for the how-to!
Thois is a good idea. Using a hairdryer causes the crayons to splatter and while you are melting the crayons.. the heat is also melting the runs causing them to blend and affects the end result of the project. It is time consuming but I would try a small one first.
I really like this and am thinking about making it for my future step-daughter’s room, she is 8, and she loves anything a little funky! My only concern or question was, do you put any sort of glaze or clear coat over the whole thing? Or does it just stay as is?
Where did you get your canvas?
would a lighter work to melt them??
I can’t wait to try this on March Break with two of the girls I sponsor through Children’s Aid. It’s an easy and inexpensive craft that should suit many ages and capabilities. Thanks for sharing.
The heat gun is a great idea! I don’t have one so I use a blowdryer but used the air directional attachment that you would use to get straight hair and that allowed for more control. Also, because the heat isn’t as hot, the crayon tended to clump on it’s way down the canvas so I just held the blowdryer to the back of the canvas and directed the crayon chunks down. It worked very well. And yes, it take a much longer time to do that I anticipated!