Magic Crayon Resist Painting: Easy Watercolor Art Technique

Crayon resist painting is magic in the best way.
This watercolor and wax art technique is as easy as it is beautiful.
And you don’t need a long list of expensive supplies!

 

We’re calling this a classroom art project,

but it is fun for any age and can bring fall into your temporary home decor.

 

Resist Painting Technique

The basic concept of resist painting is placing wax or another colorless, paint-proof substance, on your paper. Then when you paint over the substance that resists the watercolor paint, it leaves the white of the paper exposed.

There are many items to use for resist painting, but in this fall project we’ll use leaves. You’ll need leaves that aren’t squishy, or you’ll create green pulp under your paper.

Try tree leaves or leaves from “woody stemmed” plants such as hydrangea. These leaves are tougher than many flower leaves. You probably can’t use dried fall leaves, as they might crumble.

 

 

Magic Crayon Resist Painting

WHAT YOU NEED:

1. White crayon
2. White paper, such as copy paper
3. Gathered leaves
4. Watercolor paint (cake or liquid) and brush
5. Water container, paper towel

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place leaves upside down under the white paper. The bottoms of the leaves tend to have more obvious lines. Any placement for your design is fine. One large leaf, leaves overlapped. Anything is fine.
2. Color over the leaves with the white crayon, like when you do art rubbings. Try peeling the crayon and rubbing it over the leaves with the crayon lying on its side, to get the higher spots and not too many low spots. Wherever there is wax the paint won’t soak in.
3. Choose fall paint colors and begin painting. Go easy on the water as the lightweight paper won’t handle too much liquid before it falls apart. Yet you want the paint to spread and overlap and create a free-form design over the wax resist.
4. Let the paint dry and smile. It’s going to be gorgeous.
5. Add a quote or words if you wish to use it as home decor.

 

 

FUN VARIATIONS:

1. Try other colors of crayon (silver or gold), or use a candle for the wax resist.
2. Draw designs on the paper with the crayon, without the leaves underneath creating the outline. Or write a message in white crayon which will magically be revealed when you paint over it.
3. Experiment with other objects under the paper for the resist outlines.

 

Have fun experimenting with resist painting!