First Iteration - Melting Crayons

For my first iteration I used Marvel Crayons, by melting them into paint.

I found crayons to be a suitable wax medium - it produced a bright painting because of the rich primary pigments in the crayons.

The hotplate was definitely useful. The crayons melted easily, but the paint dried fast and application of glazes was possible but only with thick globs of paint. I had to apply the paint with fast bold strokes otherwise it would solidify. The melted crayons where also very watery, so the paint needed to be applied in layers to the illustration board. I was even able to build up on some areas and create a bit of a 3D look, like the nose, the chicks and the chin.


I did need to keep the room well ventilated because crayons are usually contain paraffin which releases toxins when its heated to high temperatures, (there is debate on how safe paraffin is.) It was easy to mix the colors on the hotplate, but blending was impossible to do on the illustration board.

I also had to take cleaning up as a consideration, since wax is not as easy to clean as acrylics( my preferred medium of choice) I needed to get something to clean the brushes and the hot plate - I bought soy wax since it was the safest and an environmentally friendly solution. It turned out rather well.

Before starting I did wonder if I should use a wax medium to dilute the colors, but I decided against it since the primary colors just brighten my day. I would totally use this for other mixed media projects.

I think for my next iteration I would like to explore the ability of  "building up" that the medium has.I will make a sculpture. I will be using candle wax next time though, since the crayon wax crumbles easily.

Final Product