Wax Resist

Objectives

• Understand how wax repels water to create wax resist artwork.

Materials

• Per Child:
  crayons or oil pastels (but not washable crayons!)
  watercolour paint or ink (we like Sargent Art Watercolor Magic™, available online or at a craft/hobby store)
  paint brushes, sponges, or dabber bottles (available online or at a craft/hobby store))
  paper

  Tip: the most dramatic effects come from using pale-coloured crayons and dark-coloured ink

Key Questions

• Does the paper get wet? How can you tell?
• Do the crayon/pastel marks get wet? How can you tell?
• How does your crayon/pastel drawing look different when it's covered with the paint?

What To Do

1. Draw on the paper with crayons and/or oil pastels. Press hard!
2. When your drawing is done, lightly brush or sponge the paint/ink all over the paper. If you use too much, you can use cotton balls or paper towels to mop up the extra paint (and create interesting effects).

Extensions

• Try using different kinds of paper. What happens?
• Try using only white crayons/pastels, then make the 'invisible' drawing appear!
• Try different kinds of drawing tools, like coloured pencils or markers. What happens when these get wet?
• Try painting on waxed paper or plastic wrap. Do these surfaces get wet?