The Best Crayons for Kid's Art

Crayons are pretty synonymous with children's art.  No doubt you have a pack of Crayola crayons in your home. And you may even think that they are your only choice, but let me tell you, there are LOTS of additional choices that can really make a difference in your child's art-making experience.

Crayons are one of my all-time favorite drawing tools for kids because they promote large drawings, and large drawings are easier to paint.

And I love teaching kids how to paint. 

But, they're not just for coloring.

They are the star ingredient in making patterns and playing with wax resist, an art technique that all children are successful with. When you brush watercolor paint over a crayon or oil pastel drawing, the lines of the drawing "resist" the watercolor paints. This is called wax resist. And crayons are fabulous for this task.⠀⠀

In our Primerry episodes, we do alot of wax resist work because it's just so fun.⠀⠀⠀

Pattern Woodland Animals | Primerry Art Class for Kids⠀

Flowers in a Blue Vase | Primerry Art Class for Kids

But, not all crayons are good for a wax-resist project.

What? I know. It can be confusing but some crayons are actually water-soluble (meaning when mixed with water, they will turn into paint).

Make sure that you use beeswax crayons like @fabercastellglobal or regular @crayola crayons...the kind you had as a kid, to ensure you're buying a wax crayon. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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If you purchase Crayola Construction Paper crayons ( I LOVE these) or ones that say "washable" you will be disappointed if you use them in a resist technique. BUT they are still fabulous for coloring and adding marks OVER dry paint.

In our recent Primerry episode, Pattern Turkeys, artists' learned how to draw patterns on regular drawing paper and use plain watercolors to paint over top. It's absolutely magical for kids when they see the crayon lines POP through the paint.

Pattern Turkey | Primerry Art Class for Kids

Construction Paper Crayons from Crayola are opaque which means that when you color into a colored paper or over a painted surface, the crayon lines show up way better than just a regular wax crayon.

And here's my best tip of all...whatever crayons you have, keep a pencil sharpener close by. Sharp crayons are just so great to draw with!

About Primerry Art Membership:

We teach kids how to express themselves through fun, engaging and technique-rich art-making. Kids ages 5-10 learn how to draw, paint, master art-techniques and grow as independent, fearless artists.
Miss Patty has been teaching kids for over 15 years in schools in Santa Barbara, California and now shares her love of all things art with her Primerry families.

Join today and start creating with Miss Patty!