Arty Farty? Yes, and proud!

by Danielle Mc Mahon

I was accused recently of being one of those arty farty types. One of those who was trying to follow their dreams writing, singing, being an artist, you know, somebody who believes in dreams (sometimes).

This accusation kind of offended me. I rather like the fact that I am one of those creative people, the world would be quiet dull and lifeless is those arty farty types didn't exist. Imagine a world void of colour, art, literature, fashion, photography, film. I don't think I would like to live there very much.

So, this blog is for all those arty farty types out there who enjoy their creative side. Whether they are trying to make a living from it or it simply serves as an escape from the monotony of the real world when they sit down and create something, this is for them! 

For the past couple of months as I pinned my way through Pinterest (a terribly addictive application!) I have come across something called crayon art. The idea is very simple really and the result it something which I personally think would brighten any room of your house or perhaps your office walls.
For this little project you will need:

• a cotton canvas (size depends on your preference)
• a hot glue gun (I did not have one of these so I had to resort to using sticky tape, I am sure regular glue would work also as long as it can hold the weight of the crayon)
• crayons (the main ingredient, colours again depend on your preference)
• a hair dryer
• some sheets of old newspaper

Ok so first things first you need to glue your crayons to the top of the canvas, the order you put your colours in depends on the effect you are going to, the most popular is a rainbow design. You can take the paper label off the crayons before gluing them on or leave it on. Personally I think it is easier to stick the crayons to the canvas if you leave the paper label on the crayon.

Once you have that done the rest is pretty straight forward. You simply have to prop your canvas and crayons up against a wall, on the floor or on a counter top. Make sure all surfaces are well covered with newspaper as wax can be quiet difficult to get off some surfaces. You might not want to do this project wearing your Sunday best either, accidents do happen!

The idea is that once you have the canvas propped up you will put the hair dryer on full heat, depending on the strength of your hair dryer you may not want to have it on full power as it can make things messier than they really need to be. 

Depending on the quality of the crayon melting times will vary. I found my crayons at the bottom of an arts and crafts box in the spare room. These crayons had not seen the light of day for many years but served their purpose in this project. Hold the hair dryer facing down at an angle over the tip of the crayon, you will see when the wax begins to melt. You will also notice that the direction in which the colour spreads down the canvas can be controlled by the hair dryer. 

Once you have melted the row of crayons the whole way across you can decide to go back over certain colours, some melt quicker than others so you may want to go back over the slower melting ones to make them stand out more. 

When you finishing melting leave the canvas to stand for a few minutes as the wax dries. Once it is dry the hard part starts, finding a place to hang your masterpiece so you can show it off to friends and family who come to visit!

So take some time this weekend and get in touch with your inner creativity! You won't regret it, let yourself escape and enjoy the great feeling you get when you create something beautiful with your own two hands!