Over the summer, this melted crayon artwork began to pop up everywhere on the Internet. Blogs and YouTube videos flaunted the colorful canvases and Etsy sellers were dishing them out for upwards of $100. My obsession with color and art had me instantly intrigued, and they seemed pretty simple to make. I’d been looking for ways to decorate the bland, white walls of my dorm room, and the crayon artwork promised a unique pop of color in contrast to my oh-so-cliché black and white Marilyn Monroe poster and high school photos. The “DIY-er” within me didn’t waste any time on this project and the resulting piece was awesome! Any Collegiette with a box of crayons and a poster can DIY this fabulous piece of dorm décor; I promise you no artistic talent is required!
All you’ll need is:
1 Canvas or foamcore board (about $4 at any office supply store)
1 large box of crayons
a hot glue gun
a blow dryer
First, take all your crayons out and line them up in rainbow order. This was probably the most annoying step of the process, but have fun with your arrangement! I took all the browns and grays out, but if rainbow isn’t for you, you can arrange them any way you like or even try a monochromatic piece.
After your crayons are all set up, begin glue gunning them across the top of the canvas or foam board. Beware that the glue is very hot and dries extremely fast! Squeeze the glue on the back of the crayon and immediately press it to the canvas, holding it down for several seconds.
Now for the fun part! Once your crayons are all glued down, power the blow dryer on high and go to work! I recommend doing this step of the process outside since the melted crayon wax has a tendency to fly in all directions. If you must do it in your dorm room, though, laying some newspaper down on the floor and sides of the wall should keep your room unscathed.
Pointing the blow dryer downward, slowly hold it over the canvas, heating the crayons until the wax begins to melt. Moving the blow dryer in a faster motion will give the wax a more splatter-like effect, but I chose to follow the trail downward to keep the colors together and make it look like dripping paint. Et voila!
There are really no rules to this project—you can arrange the crayons in a variety of ways and melt them as little or as much as you’d like! It’s a super easy way to jazz up your dorm space and could even make for a great gift. Happy DIYing!