Melted Crayon Art – Earth Rock
Every once in a while, you just need to try something completely different. I love our easy 4Ps approach to rock painting, but sometimes I want to try something new or use a different medium to create beautiful rocks. Earth Day is coming up soon, so I wanted to make some earth painted rocks, but use something other than paint. After all, earth day is about reducing, reusing, and recycling.
I have seen melted crayons as a crafting project in many different forms. Basically, you need a heat source to melt the wax to it will drip or just melt directly onto the rock. I decided that using a wax warmer (or even an electric candle warmer) might be the easiest way to do this with a rock. This way, the rock is warm and you can use the crayon itself to spread around the wax and create your design.
With planet earth being a mixture of green and blue, I thought it would be the perfect experiment for this melted crayon technique. This rock painting technique was very fun and easy. I hope you give it a try.
Here’s what you’ll need for the Melted Crayon Art project:
• Wax warmer
• Smooth rocks, make sure the rock will fit in the tray of your wax warmer
• White acrylic paint and a paintbrush
• Crayons of assorted colors
• Spray sealer – clear acrylic
***Special note: this technique uses a wax warmer which can get very hot. Please supervise children while trying this technique.
Melted Crayon Art – Step 1:
Prime your rock using two coats of white acrylic paint. Using a primer or base coat will even out the color of the rock and fill in any small holes. Then use a pencil to draw your design. The melted crayon can be worked into the outlined space, but it can be a bit hard to control. I do not recommend drawing a design with a lot of small details. The world was a great example for this type of project.
Step 2:
Place your rock in the warming tray of the wax warmer. If you are using an electric candle warmer, place the rock directly on the surface where you would place the candle. Allow a few minutes for your rock to warm up. This may take a few minutes. I tried putting down a piece of parchment paper in the tray to help with clean up, but this was making the warm-up process go very slowly. I ended up discarding the parchment and placing the rock directly in the warming tray.
Step 3:
Hold the crayon in the place where you would like the wax. Move the crayon around to “draw” your design on the rock. The longer you hold the crayon in a spot, the thicker the wax will be there. This will make the color appear darker.
Step 4:
Repeat with different colors in different areas of the rock if desired.
Step 5:
Turn off the warmer and allow the rock to cool. If you need to remove your rock, use a pot holder or a pair of tongs. The rock may be very hot. If you are handling a hot rock, be sure to place it on a heat-resistant surface. The wax will need a few minutes to dry and set into place. Be careful not to touch the wax.
Step 6:
Seal the rock with a clear acrylic spray sealer. This process will be just like our normal Protect phase of the 4Ps. I used a clear acrylic spray sealer made by Mod Podge. I like to do this step outside because the fumes from the sealer can be a little strong. Place your rock on a paper plate to help contain the mess. Hold the can a few inches from the rock and spray an even coat over the entire surface. The sealer will need to dry before you handle the rock.
I was very impressed with how easy this rock painting technique was. I hope to create more melted crayon art rocks and share them with you. I hope you have fun with this process and make some wonderfully painted rocks for earth day.
