Broken crayons can find a new purpose in an encaustic painting.
Encaustic painting will most likely be a new technique for the children in your life. Use crayons, melted beeswax or add dry pigment to paraffin wax. Several layers constitute one piece of art, but since the wax hardens almost immediately, these projects can be done quickly.
Crayon Encaustic
Experiment with the encaustic method by using melted crayons. Gather broken, unlabeled crayons and place them in a muffin tin. Melt the crayons in an oven set to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Hand out pieces of cardboard to the students. Let them carefully apply melted crayon with a brush or palette knife. Show them layer the colors to make a basic landscape painting. Start with the horizon line approximately 3/4 of the way down the page. Let them choose a color for the ground and they can use several colors to represent the sky. It can be a sunrise or sunset, stormy day or a night scene.
Encaustic Collage
Collages done with the encaustic method have a depth to them unlike traditional paper and glue. Introduce children to using layers of wax, paper and oil pastels. Encourage the children to tear images they like from magazines, post cards, greeting cards or advertisements. Build the encaustic painting on a piece of plywood or heavy cardboard for stability. The process can be done in several different ways. You can have the students lay a main image on the background. Brush a layer of clear hot wax over the entire surface. As this layer dries, they can scratch textures in with the tines of a fork, a palette knife or other objects. Use oil pastels to rub in color and then add more images and wax until they are satisfied with their project.
Domino Encaustic
Applying an encaustic image on a domino is another way to introduce encaustic art on a small, inexpensive scale. Before starting this project, you can drill small holes through the top of each of the dominoes. This step is only necessary if you are having them create necklaces from their encaustic pieces. Alternately, a magnet or pin back can be added to the backside of the completed piece if desired.
Have the students plan out the color scheme and overall look they want their domino art to have. Although encaustic is an unpredictable medium, encourage them to start with a simple concept. They can apply one color of melted wax and then a small paper image. Cover both with a layer of clear wax to finish. Another method is to use a rubber stamp to place an image on the domino, color it in with permanent markers and then apply colored or clear wax.
