Sunday, January 2, 2011

Melted Crayons


I've always been a fan of Crayola crayons. (Yes, I was the kid in school who had the 64 pack with the sharpener in the back.) A few years ago I had the great fortune to participate in a Trashy Women workshop and my friend, Jo Pinder, showed me some interesting things to do with crayons that I couldn't wait to try with my new metallic fx collection.






It begins with an electric frying pan. You pretty much need to dedicate a frying pan to your studio; it will become covered in baked on crayon. Turn it on to warm; it doesn't need to be any hotter than that. Place a piece of paper in the skillet and begin marking it with crayons. The crayons will start to melt as it comes in contact with the warm paper and they will glide across the surface. I find it useful to incorporate a chopstick to keep the paper still.

You can use pretty much any type of paper. This particular piece of paper came from an old atlas, but I've used sheet music, newsprint, Thai unryu... you name it.

I'm loving the sheen of the metallic crayons on the paper. 









Next I use a cheese grater (yes, you're right, this needs to be a dedicated art studio cheese grater) and I grate complementary colors on top of the paper. The shavings melt when they come in contact with the warm surface. Sometimes, to help the melting process along, I'll smash the shavings with my chopstick.






Once the paper has cooled and the colors have set, you can use it in a collage; either "as is" or  cut out in shapes such as my "circle of crabs." 

Have fun and remember to turn the skillet off when you're finished.

No comments: