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!
Does regular glue work? Does regular paper? Can you write or tape stuff on it? Like happy birthday on the bottom?
Clare, Regular glue may work, but it will take a bit longer to dry. I would not recommend regular paper, because it would not be stiff enough to hold the crayons. Feel free to add text or images at the bottom, you’ll have to play around with it a bit based on the size of canvas you use.
Sorry i would say my name but my mom tells me not to
R you aloud to use regular paper
Hi, No, I would not recommend using just paper, unless it is very thick. The canvases are strong enough to hold the weight of the glued and crayons, and also not warp when the melted wax starts running down. You can find the canvases pretty cheap at Wal-Mart or most craft stores.
I want to make something a bit smaller and more concentrated using less colors. Do you have any experience or recommendation on how to order from Crayola? Thanks for the tutorial!!
Hi Jesica, No, I’ve never ordered certain color in bulk. My guess is that is might be just as cheap to buy several large boxes and pick out the colors you need. Best of luck!
I Love this! I have been searching the web for instructions on the various melted crayon designs. Seeing yours made with the heat gun has mad me want to nix the hair dryer completely. I like the straight even lines that the heat gun allows, since it does not use such forceful air. Very nicely done…thanks
Hair dryer * sorryyyyy muak xoxo
Hi Glory, you’re awesome and soooo creative. I’m from Colombia and I was wondering if I could use hair blower and instead of using canvas or normal paper, using poster board. Please answer my concern, I really admire your work and want to do something really similar. 🙂
Hi Sara, You may be able to use a hair dryer, but it will likely blow the melted wax around a bit more, and take longer. You could probably use a thick poster board, but I would not recommend regular paper.
I’ve been looking up this crayon art and so far yours has been the product I’ve wanted!! It’s so cute, but do you know the temperature your heat gun produced? I got a heat gun but it has so many temperatures to choose from ):
hey, thanks for doing this, i have looked at all sorts of websites and none of them have been as good as this!
This is awesome! where do you get a heat gun?
You can find a heat gun at most craft stores (such as Michaels or Joann’s), sometimes you’ll find it in the gift wrap area, or sometimes in the stamping section.