Irrisistable Wax Rubbings with crayons

Today is all about making a resist with wax crayons!

How to: You rub your crayon length-wise on your paper (thin paper like printer paper) over a textured surface to create some kind of pattern. This crusade challenges us to find all kind of textures and use those crayons some more this month.

My crayons
The crayons I have are these greasy Pastel wax crayons that I got from my friend Marika. This pack has a lot of nice colors and they smeared nicely on the papers. My 10-pack of Caran d’Arche crayons (classic neocolor I) are more dry and less messy to use. I like both.

Messy self
I sat down on the floor to have some fun with this. I remained sitting for hours and got gesso on my jeans. I had to get lunch in the middle of the creating, I didn’t want to stop.

Want to see what I made?

First I tried with a tiny rose stamp:

Wax rubbings
Because of the height of this stamp it was a bit difficult to make a pattern. The edges made an appearance too, but I wanted to continue to explore was rubbings…

Wax rubbing
Next one made a great patterned paper!

Vax rubbings
And my unmounted stamps from Bonker’s was great for making great prints and patterns. I made several of these! I’ve had these stamps for a long time but I haven’t used them because they are so huge (and still unmounted and uncut). Now I’m rather glad I hadn’t cut them apart, especially the rows of numbers!

Vax rubbings

Another one of the stamps I own;

Wax rubbings
Swirls! Rarely used because it takes so much stamp ink to color it and then the stamp impression often are bad or uneven anyway. But with when I rubbed a crayon over this surface I felt happy I own this stamp – finally!

The “resist” part happens when you use acrylic paint and paint over your crayon marks. Then you get those background or collage papers that you can use in many different ways. I love mine! This is posted to Crusade number 21.

My creation
1. Number stamps, 2. papers & 3. swirls (click to get a bigger view)

Have fun!

19 Responses

  1. What a fun way to use unmounted stamps! Now I’ll want to buy some of them to use them like that! I love how your papers turned out. One question though, how do you use them after? I’d like to see something you made with your hand painted papers…

    *hugs*
    Sophie

  2. Wow Hanna! Look at all this great stuff! LOVE seeing all the photos – all the textures – all the colors. Thanks for sharing all of this with the other crusaders. I’m sure you will inspire those who haven’t started yet.

  3. Yeah! What a cool way to use crayons! I love your results. This will be a fun way to spend an afternoon.

  4. I love your visual essay. Great photos — awesome compositions. I too love your final papers and just have to go make some! The swirls are my fav. I can’t wait to see what you do with them.

  5. Looks like you had great fun ! The colors and textures are great ! Those big stamps are just perfect for this technique. I especially love the shot of your floor work space and your lunch, too funny !;-) Doesn’t your back get sore ? Ah what we will do to for our art !
    Cheers,
    Kim

  6. Kimbo, are you kidding me? I couldn’t sleep after this – I was so exhited (brainwise) and strained (muscle-wise) that I could hardly lay down flat! ;-)

    Thanks for commenting!

  7. Hanna – wonderful work! I had some issues using stamps but am going to go look for more and try again. – Nicki

  8. Hi Hanna

    GREAT resists you made!!! And I am with you on the big stamps: better use them for resist than for stamping LOL.
    Hedwig

  9. hello Hanna,

    your rubbings look great ! The one made with the melting pearls ( that’s what we call them) give a nice rubbing, but I also love the big ones with your stamps, especially the one with the swirls !
    You should use it more often : it is a beautiful one !!!

    If you have trouble with big stamps you can try this : ink your stamp and lay it upside down with the stampingside above, lay your paper on it and rub it with a rubber roll ( don’t know how to name it…) or put something soft ( a steady foam for example) under your paper and stamp on it with the big stamp.

    It mostly gives a bad impression because the mousse between your stamp and the wood doesn’t “bounce” enough.
    I use for my unmounted stamps mostly EZ mount from Sunday international. You can use them with your acrylic blocks and they don’t take so much place as woodmounted stamps.I order them in the USA.

    greetings
    Inge from Belgium

  10. Hanna, I just now saw your post on my blog where you left the link for this great tutorial. Your pages are gorgeous! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this. I’ll definitely include this in my technique book.

    I recently did a resist technique that ends up looking like batik. You use gel medium on the stamps then paint over with watered down acrylics. similar but a different look when done.

    I’m so blessed to have fun art friends like you that teach me new things to try and play with :)

  11. Wow, I’m brand new to the crusades projects. I’m going to participate in the next crusade so I thought I’d check out what everyone was doing on the last one.
    When I saw the picture of you sitting amidst your creations I had to giggle …..that picture of you and your creativity amassed before you might as well have been a picture of my brain. Once I get going on something the whole world stops …too bad I have children and a full time job ! You have to totally be an artist to get this.

    …can hardly wait to join the next one . Great seing your work !

    Cheers,
    Bre

  12. I loved this! Would they be good to make ATCs with? I’ve GOT to try this. Thanks for taking the time to show us. Love your site! HUGS

  13. Thanks!

    Bree, messy creative life – messy brain, right?

    Judy,
    I think these backgrounds will work with any mixed media project, ATC’s too! I hope you do try, it was great fun. Thanks for coming by and commenting! :-)

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