Wax resists are a great way to end the quarter! Each student created an abstract or realistic drawing, colored a thick waxy layer with crayon, crumpled it and painted it with india ink.

Art Lesson Videos: Wax Resist, Part 1 & Wax Resist, Part 2

Supply Set-up Video: Ink Set-up

PowerPoint: Bold Wax Resists

Supplies:

• 9″ x 12″ or 9″ x 9″ drawing paper
• Crayons
• India ink, watered down (approx. 1 part ink to 3 parts water)
• Wide bristle brushes
• Newspaper

Every teacher develops a toolkit of lessons that get kids through those last few weeks of school before a big vacation. With summer break inching towards us, I knew I needed to unleash one of my special projects to keep my third graders excited about their artwork. What I love about wax resist is that the process is oddly calming – coloring a thick waxy layer of crayon is a good way to work out some frustration!

Coloring a thick waxy layer of crayon is a good way to work out some frustration!

I let them know that their design needs to be big and bold because small details will be lost once you crumple and paint the paper with ink. But other than that, they are free create any idea they like! It’s a project that kids can easily choose their own subject for. The majority of my students decided to create abstract designs.

When we use 9″ x 12″ paper the coloring takes awhile, usually two solid days. At the end of the second day I might have a kid that is ready to ink. This year, I used 9″ x 9″ paper instead. Most kids were able to finish coloring during the first class and then ink during the second. I was excited that there was a way to make this a two day project!

I keep the inking at two or three tables that I call kids up to when they are finished coloring. The kids rotate in and out of inking. When they are finished inking, they go back to the coloring table to work in their sketchbook. I decided to make a quick video about how to set up the table for ink. It has streamlined that process to be able to point to the paused video and say, “When your table looks like that, I can give you the ink.”

Crumpling the paper is so much fun for the kids! I make sure to tell them about that step before we even start sketching, so that they don’t feel surprised or sad when I ask them to crumple their artwork. I show them how to open and crumple several times to get cracks in the wax. We talk about how the ink will soak into those cracks, but the wax on the rest of the paper will resist the ink.

My demonstration for inking is a little dramatic. I make a very big deal about how india ink is permanent. I tell them that even if they aren’t inking, they need to walk around the room calmly and carefully during this project. You never know who might be behind you with artwork covered in ink! It is essential that they wipe off all the ink from their paper before they walk it to the drying rack. Cleaning up india ink trails from the floor is no fun!

Getting a good coat of ink without over-doing it can be tricky for a lot of kids. Not enough ink means the cracks don’t show up. But too much ink can mean that their paper tears when they pick it up. I’ve started telling them to “scrub” the ink into the paper with their bristle brush. I also have to remind them to paint all the way to the edges – that’s what the newspaper is for!

I’ve started telling them to “scrub” the ink into the paper with their bristle brush.

The results from this project are stunning! Most quarters, we were working on this project when the Showcase was already hung up. I definitely was tempted to mat their wax resist projects and hang them up in between classes! I’ve thought about re-structuring the order of my projects, but the wax resist is such a perfect way to keep my 3rd graders engaged before a big transition that I think I’ll keep it right where it is.