Crayon resist art is a magic process art activity that kids of all ages will love!
This simple crayon resist technique which can be used to create so many different vibrant and colourful artworks. Once you give this easy art activity ago you won’t want to stop creating!
Crayon resist art is one of the simplest and coolest art techniques! No matter if you are a little kid, or a grown adult, you’ll love this magical way of making art.
Crayon resist art works on the principal of the waxy crayons (or oily oil pastels) resisting the water based paints. So wherever you draw a line with your crayon or oil pastel, the paint magically resists and won’t stick to the paper.
Every time I share artwork made with this crayon watercolour paint technique people always ask me how I did it, so here are some simple instructions so you can give it a go with your kids!
Crayon Resist Art Supplies
You will only need a few basic art supplies to try crayon resist art, you might already have them in the cupboard.
To make crayon resist art you will need:
- Paper.
- Crayons or oil pastels.
- Liquid water colours, water colour paint, food dye or marker paint.
- Something to cover your work surface.
- Smocks or aprons.
We like to use oil pastels for crayon resist art as they have such strong colours, and they glide so easily over the paper. They also resist the watercolour paint really well.
You can also use regular waxy crayons, and for an even more magical effect try using white crayons or oil pastels so that your drawing or design can only be seen when you cover it with paint!
You can also use this watercolour resist technique with this fun oil pastel paint technique!
This activity works great with the beautiful and vibrant liquid water colours, but we used some homemade marker paint instead. You can also use food dyes (though they will stain fingers for a day or two), or regular water colour paints as long as they are very watered down.
Crayon resist art can get a little messy, especially if you are using food dyes, so make sure you cover your work surface and give the kids aprons or old clothes. Have a damp cloth on hand to wipe fingers too.
How to Make Crayon Resist Art
The best way to start this art project is with an invitation to draw with the crayons or oil pastels.
Big sheets of blank paper are all kids need, and they’ll quickly fill the page with drawings.
Once you have filled the paper with drawings, it’s time to start painting!
You can paint directly over your drawings and watch the paint magically be repelled by the crayons or oil pastels
You can add paint to your drawings with a watercolour wash, covering the whole page in a single colour, or you can carefully add all different colours to different parts of your drawings. The crayon lines will help your paint stay in the area you put it.
As you cover the paper with colour, the crayon or pastel drawings magically resist the paint so their colour shines through, creating a really vibrant and colourful image.
More Easy Art for Kids
Doing art with your kids doesn’t have to be difficult, or something you dread. Choose an easy art project, that is appropriate for the age and stage of your child (babies who still put things in their mouth are not ready for art projects, and toddlers are happy with simple activities such as drawing and basic painting), and take some time to join in, have fun, and enjoy the process and don’t worry about the product!
If your kids loved this crayon resist art project, they might also like one of these easy art projects for kids:
To look at the finished product you’d think it was done with some complicated technique. I can’t believe how easy it is to do! :)
Absolutely love these colours Kate!
What a terrific mix of fabric patterns on the craft aprons!
absolutely adore all the colour. you must have an awesome craft stash at your place.
Love it.
Kate, where in the world did you get these gorgeous colored Oil Pastels? Or what Brand are they? Also, your watercolors too? They are SOO bright and cheery! Every picture looks amazing :D
They at micador oil pastels… some are just the large colourfun set and some are from the fluro set, but the metalic ones are very cool too.
You can find them here: http://micador.com.au/shop?filter=categoryname–Pastels
The water colours are homemade ‘marker paints’ there’s a link in the post to show you how to make them :)
Thank you Kate! Ahh yes, the mighty simple marker based watercolors recipe–I know it well, they last FOREVER as well! We’ve made them twice & lasted well over a year in our house