Guest Post: Melted Crayon Art Tutorial

I'd like to extend a huge T H A N K S to my incredibly creative friend, Blake, for sharing this tutorial with all of us and allowing me to feature it on my blog. 

Doesn't this look I N C R E D I B L E?

He has written us a wonderful tutorial below on how to create our own Melted Crayon Art!

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Materials needed: 
* 30-40 Crayola crayons (new or old)
* 12" x 12" Cardstock
* Hot glue gun
* Glue stick
* Large cardboard box
* Hair dryer or heat gun
* Alphabet stamp set
* Ink pad
* Shadow box with 12" x 12" display

Step One: Select crayons
Open the box of crayons and spread them out on the table. (I suggest using Crayola Crayons versus a cheaper off-brand set. Crayola seems to melt better and will set up easier after melting.) For this project, the crayons can be old or new - the actual crayon pieces won’t be part of the project.

Decide what colors you’d like to use. For this project, I used mostly blue, purple and green. I decided to add a few random colors to the mix like orange and pink - these will really stand out when they melt with the dark colors. Line up your crayons side by side, all facing the same way. Your crayon array should be approximately 12.25” long.

Step Two: Glue crayon array
Place cardboard box on the table. Tilt it to a 45 degree angle. Make sure it’s stable enough not to move while using the hair dryer.

Using the hot glue gun, glue the crayons, one by one at the top of the cardboard box. Crayons should be facing with writing end down. Only a small dollop of glue is needed in the middle of the crayon. **Do not put hot glue toward the writing end of the crayon. It may cause the crayons to not melt evenly.**

Step Three: Position card stock
Using very small dollops of hot glue at the corners, glue the card stock onto the box. The crayons tips should extend approximately a quarter of an inch over the top of the card stock. Otherwise, the crayons will melt underneath the card stock.

Step Four: Melt crayon, create masterpiece
Using the hairdryer (or low-powered heat gun), melt the crayons onto the canvas. Keep in mind the air from the hairdryer will effect the direction in which your crayon melts. Melt until your masterpiece is created! If the hairdryer has a cool setting - use it to quickly set the melted wax. In this project, I left the bottom quarter of the canvas untouched by wax. This leaves enough room to stamp your favorite quote or message. 

Step Five: Remove the card stock, stamp
Gently remove the card stock from the box, being careful not to bend the paper in any way. Bending the card stock risks the dried wax to break .

Using the alphabet stamp set and ink pad, stamp your quote or message onto the card stock.

Step Six: Place finished card stock in shadow box
Place the finished project in the shadow box. Secure it using small drops of hot glue. Use caution - the hot glue may cause the wax to temporarily melt.

Step Seven: Stand back, enjoy!

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 Hope you enjoyed this wonderful tutorial! 

I'd love to see how yours turns out, so link below!