12.15.2011

DIY Crayon Art Tutoriallwrong

Remember when I shared the ugly frame I updated with orange spray paint?


I'm so happy with how it turned out and I've been really excited to fill it with some DIY art. I love the crayon drip art I've seen floating around Pinterest and have been dying to try it!

Like this awesome drip art by Dilly-Dali Art!


Well, it turns out I might not be equipped with the skills to masterfully craft with crayons...

A DIY Tutoriallwrong

(Please note the dripping sarcasm that accompanies the dripping wax in this tutorial. If you really want to succeed at this project, please look up a legitimate tutorial by the fabulous crafters who have managed to make it work.)

1. Glue your crayons to a piece of flimsy paper. NOTE: Make sure the paper has no support so it will be difficult to hold when you start to blow dry the crayons. Also, you might want to try wood glue first (especially if it's the only glue you have). Hot glue woud work better, but it's best that you discover that when you realize you don't want to wait 24 hours for the wood glue to dry.

2. Use your blowdryer on high heat and low speed to begin melting the crayons... hmm they might not melt so just wait for it... still no melting? Try turning the speed from low to high. Right, now your wax will melt. Oh gosh, it's starting to spray everywhere...

3. Panic. Decide the bathroom is the best place for this mess. Run in, plug in your hairdryer, continue to melt the wax into the sink. This mess will take you twice as long to clean up as the drip art itself takes to make. NOTE: You did not need to run to the bathroom at all, you could have taken a second to make a good plan. You will never know why you thought this was a good idea.



4. Melt the wax until you've decided you have made a sufficient mess. You will also now realize you don't like the colors you chose and that the shape you chose to tape off for artsy coolness is completely obscured because of the way your wax dripped.

(This is what I mean by taped off shape. Dilly-Daly Art did it properly... I, however, did not take a picture because I was in what-the-heck-is-going-on!? mode.)

5. Remove the tape anyway hoping for the best. Nope... definitely can't tell what it is. This is also where you will discover the wax bled beneath your tape a little. Bummer.

6. Decide to trace the outline of your heart with crayon for clarity. It will make things worse.

8. As a last ditch effort, put your "artwork" in the pretty frame you have, hoping it will make things better. It wont.

TA DA!!


Yep. I hate it. If you like it, then I completely respect that... but I don't. I'm totally down with whimsy, playfulness, kitsch even, but... this doesn't work for me... maybe in a kid's room? If the kid had made it?

When Tim got home he completely agreed. Until I make a replacement it's going to stay as a funny reminder of how badly things can go :)

Ooohhhh well.

12 comments:

  1. LOVE this post! Thanks for keeping it real for us not-too-crafty folk. ;-)

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  2. I have never seen this before. Thanks for the intro to a new DIY! This came out great. By the way, I have been trying to "follow" you on pinterest. When I click on your "p" button....it always says "oops"....any ideas?

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  3. I hadn't seen this crayon art and I do think it came out pretty cool! Maybe just a little too much "fun" with the frame and the crayons together. That frame would look great with a mirror.

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  4. The pinterest link is all fixed. Thanks for the bug catch Linda!

    @Mama Smith, I think you're totally right about too much "fun." Right now I'm planning to do a really simple embroidery project, but I'm going to keep the mirror idea in mind!

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  5. This post is hilarious! I laughed so hard. It looks like a great idea (and I like the colors)!

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  6. i tried commenting on this but then my laptop died and i forgot to come back and re-post it.
    i loved this post, it was hilarious!
    and aside from being maybe a little more colourful than you were going for it does look pretty cool still, a cool idea might be to cut that size heart out of thick cardstock and attach it "floating" over top of the other one with sticky foam or cardboard or something.
    if not a hair dryer what should you have used instead? a heat gun? who had a heat gun?

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  7. @ katie, I like the idea of the heart floated above. I think that would look even better than if the original plan had gone as hoped. I think if I attempt this porject again, I might do black, grey, and white crayons with like one pink one or something. I'll have to muster the courage though!

    All of the tutorials I've seen have used hairdryers. I think the hairdryer was a problem because my crayons were so short (I cut them so they would fit in the frame) and because I used paper instead of canvas or foam core or something.

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  8. Hahahaha! Really funny Jen!

    At least you can say you know how to take a good picture :)

    And... you wouldn't like to see the xmas present boxes that I'm crafting... I learned that my drawing skills died when I was 8 or so... too late, but I can always say my 5 year old neighbour came to help :P

    I'm planning to add some glitter so that the shine blinds my in-laws and they have no chance for second-guessing :)

    And too ashamed to even think of taking a picture! hahaha!

    As for your crayon art. I think this art was not ment to be framed and I think it would be much pretier without it. I like the colour combo, whay don't you try to hang it in the melting direction?

    Your orange frame. I must admit it is not my favourite one, but I think something black and white, and simple would be a better fitting. Why don't you try a greometrical pattern?

    X0XO

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  9. @ decoratica, blinding glitter - love it!!

    I'm so glad everyone is suggesting art solutions - I have a lot of thinking to do! You guys are great!

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  10. I really like your color combo, but I loved the drip design in your sink! Maybe you could start a new crayon art trend of just abstract drips on the canvas.

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  11. I really like the colors that you chose, they compliment that adorable frame perfectly!
    If you're willing to try, I think that you should be able to glue the paper to some foamcore and remelt the crayons to cover the shape you made with the tape, since you weren't pleased with it.

    BTW, how was it cleaning up your sink afterwards? We did ours outside and it splattered all over our concrete porch, we just poured boiling water on it and it melted and washed away the wax

    Thanks for mentioning Dilly-Dali Art! :)
    ~Aleacia

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  12. @Aleacia, good ideas for re-working the crayon art! I ended up cleaning the sink with an SOS pad. I tried hot water, but the sink water didn't get hot enough and I didn't think to try boiling water. A little elbow grease and the SOS pad worked great! Thanks for sharing your tutorial!!

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