Undeservedly little attention is paid to wax crayons as artistic material. This is because drawing with wax crayons is a laborious and long process that requires a certain amount of knowledge. This means knowing how to paint with wax crayons. Wax and oil pastels are very similar in their properties and, therefore, painting techniques. However, keep in mind that wax crayons are harder and less transparent than oil pastels.
It is necessary
Wax crayons or pencils, thick and smooth (preferably coated) paper, a knife for sharpening crayons. The sgraffito technique will require either a palette knife, a clerical knife, a craft knife, or a stacker for engraving. The encaustic technique requires an iron with a solid sole. For stained glass painting, you will need: a porcelain plate that can withstand heating by candles, a metal tray or a baking sheet; heating candles; stand for placing a plate or tray over the candles
Instructions
Step 1
Drawing with wax crayons requires the artist to know the basics of pencil drawing. In pastels, as with pencils, there are concepts of perspective and proportion. The shape and texture of drawing objects are conveyed using light, shadow, color gradation and directionality of strokes. First, you need to understand how wax pastels behave on paper. Try painting different types of paper with the same color (Whatman, watercolor, pastel, cardboard, or coated paper). This will give you an idea of how the wax crayons behave on different materials. Mix several different colors by applying them to paper and rubbing them. This will give you an idea of how different colors are mixed and what results you can get when mixing. The wax crayons are sharpened with a knife like regular pencils.
Step 2
Drawing with wax crayons begins with a sketch, which is done with light strokes. A sketch can be made with a simple pencil or crayon of the dominant color of the future painting. The outline indicates the outlines of objects that will be shown in the figure, as well as the outlines of white or light areas. The next step in the drawing is to fill the sketch with color. Wax crayons, like oil crayons, are applied to the drawing in layers, from dark to light. If you need to mix two colors, then: first, apply a darker color, then a light color, then the colors are mixed by rubbing them into the paper with your fingertips. Before you start mixing the tones in the drawing, mix them on another piece of paper. This way you can't go wrong with the choice of tones to mix. When you have spread all the colors around the sketch, according to the intended composition, you need to rub them into the drawing paper. Shake off the crumbs of crayons, and gradually add color as needed. Wax pastels should have a smooth, glossy surface, through which the texture of the paper does not shine through. In the end, the work is perfected by applying highlights and shadows, drawing finer lines and fine details. When completing the work, you need to remember that by unnecessarily pressing on the chalk, which is used to draw on the worn background, you can move the wax already lying in the drawing. Apply the finishing touches lightly and carefully.
Step 3
There is also a method for creating wax pastels called sgraffito. This means "scratching" in translation. For this method, you will need, in addition to paper and wax crayons, either a palette knife, or a stationery (craft) knife, or a special stack. Wax pastel is applied to the paper in dense layers. Light pastels first, then dark ones. Then a drawing is scratched on the surface with a stack (or other tools). Such a drawing will resemble an engraving. Using the scratching method, you can create both two-color and multi-color works.
Step 4
The following way of drawing with wax crayons is original and easy to perform. It is called "stained glass enamel". To master it, you need to install a metal or porcelain surface that can withstand heating with tea candles on a mesh stand under which lighted tealight candles are placed. Even a metal sheet or a ceramic flat pan is suitable for baking the dough. A newspaper sheet is laid on a warm surface, and then paper for drawing. Next begins the magic of drawing with wax crayons, which melt on a warm surface. Such work will look like a bright and rich enamel.
Step 5
The next technique for drawing with wax crayons is called encaustic. To do this, you need to take an iron with a solid sole (i.e. without holes for steam) and set its heating to a minimum. You will also need wax crayons and thick cardboard with a smooth surface. Turn the iron, which is slightly heated, with the sole upward and apply a drawing on it with wax crayons. Then we sharply turn it over and drive it over the cardboard. We get fantastic abstract wax streaks, which can then be refined to perfection with finer, more precise details. Craftsmen can not only "stamp" abstract drawings, but also create real masterpieces by drawing details with the edge of the iron soleplate.
Step 6
Another way is to wash the wax with turpentine or white spirit. Light strokes of wax crayons create a drawing, and then the wax is washed out with turpentine and a brush. Synthetic artistic brushes will come in handy here. You will get an amazingly light, transparent, like watercolor, drawing.
