Crayon on Canvas?

I saw a simplified version of this idea posted on Pinterest, and I thought, hey, why not improve upon it?

Supplies:
Small canvas (mine is 12x18)
3 - 64-pack crayons
1 butterfly
several small craft flowers
1 large craft flower
blue craft paint
clear tacky glue
craft fencing
embossing gun


So, for me, the only thing I had to buy was the canvas and the embossing gun. I've always wanted one, so I used this as an excuse to buy it.  I suppose you could use a hairdryer, but that blows much more and would be messier.


Start by washing the canvas with the blue paint.  I put a silver dollar sized amount in a plastic cup and added about 1/4 cup of water.  Mix it together and use a large brush to paint it on the canvas.  Let dry.  While it's drying, sort your crayons. It took all the yellows, greens, and some light tans from 3 boxes. Using the tacky glue (I use Eileen's clear) glue each crayon down with a strip of glue. I decided not to uniformly place the crayon labels. I thought it would look better at random.  Let dry for several hours so the glue is completely dry.  Turn the canvas upside down. Place newspaper around your canvas, and work in an are where dripped crayon can be scraped off. I used the newspaper, and still managed to get some on the table. With the embossing gun, begin melting the crayons.  The papers will discolor slightly.  Continue melting until you reach desired drip length.  The wax dries pretty quickly. Be sure to trim off excess plastic on the flower backs with a wire cutter before gluing.  With the tacky glue, glue down the flowers and butterfly. Measure out the lengths of fencing. Cut with wire cutters or craft knife where needed. At my son's suggestion, we made an open gate on ours. He said it looked inviting that way, like someone would want to go in and play.  I thought it was cute, so we went with it.  Leave the finished piece for a few hours to dry completely.  In order to prop the gate open, I glued it, then placed the glue bottle under it while it dried, leaving it at the angle I wanted. 


Next, I am planning to experiment with the leftover crayon color groups to make different scenes. Stay tuned!


Scarlet