“I don’t know what to do with my students because all they have is crayons!”

Have you said that to yourself lately? It’s a sentiment that we’ve heard over and over from art teachers as this school year begins.

Whether you’re teaching virtually and relying on students’ own materials at home, teaching on a cart without the ability to share materials or teaching in person with a limited budget, a lack of materials is always a source of concern for art teachers.

Often times crayons get a bad wrap. They’re usually the bottom of the barrel, last resort of art making tools. But what if I told you that students could create beautiful pieces of artwork using only crayons? And not only that, but learning how to control the pressure of crayons can be a great way to help students develop fine motor skills. I call that a win in my book!

The key is focusing on the possibilities that crayons can offer and not the limitations. And believe it or not, there are LOTS of possibilities when it comes to crayons!

Click the yellow button below to download our “10 Creative Ways to Use Crayons” PDF:

Check out these 10 techniques to help you and your students get creative with crayons:

Technique #1: Create Value

– Press light to create light values.

– Press hard to create dark values.

– Press in-between to create medium values.

When to use this technique: This technique is especially helpful when you only have a limited amount of colors but want to add variety. For example: if you only have 1 green crayon, but want to color grass, tree leaves and flower stems.

Technique #2: Layer Color

– Lay down a light layer of one color.

– Choose another color to add on top. It can help if you color the opposite way to help your coloring look smooth!

– Repeat with as many colors as you’d like to create custom colors!

When to use this technique: This technique is a great way to “level” up a crayon artwork. It unlocks a whole new possibility of colors, especially if color choices are limited.

Technique #3: Use a Color Scheme

– Limit the color scheme to evoke a mood or focus on a specific color family.

– Try warm colors, cool colors, primary colors or secondary colors.

When to use this technique: This technique is a great way to sneak in some color theory without using paint! By limiting the color palette, students can explore how color can affect the mood of an artwork.

Technique #4: Add Contrast

– Create a dark outline around a shape by pressing hard.

– Fill in the shape with the same color, but press lightly.

When to use this technique: This technique is great for middle grade elementary students who are looking for ways to make their artwork look more polished.

Technique #5: Add Variety

– Create a dark outline around a shape by pressing hard.

– Choose a different color to fill in the shape, pressing lightly.

When to use this technique: This technique is great for any age and can add a playful look to any piece of artwork.

Technique #6: Add Texture

– Press hard to create dark texture lines.

– Experiment with different lines; straight, curved, zig zag, curly, etc. Each line will create a different texture.

– Color lightly on top with the same color or a lighter version of the color.

When to use this technique: This technique is great to use on anything with a texture: animal fur, snake skin, hair, tree bark, etc.

Technique #7: Blend

• – Lay down a section of color, and use medium pressure.
• – Choose another color. Lay down another section of color next to the first.
• – Use medium pressure to blend between the two sections using both colors.

When to use this technique: This technique can break up the medium when filling a large area in an artwork, like the sky or water.

Technique #8: Create Texture Rubbings

– Find a flat, textured object; a leaf, cardboard, rubbing plates, etc. Place it on a table.

– Put a piece of paper on top and color with a crayon.

– The texture of the object will show up on the paper!

When to use this technique: This technique can be a fun addition to add emphasis to an area of your artwork or to add interest to large areas. You can color on top of the texture with a lighter color to fill in white spaces if you choose.

Technique #9: Hatching & Cross Hatching

– Hatching: use short, parallel lines that are close together to create shadows.

– Cross-hatching: use hatching first, then add perpendicular lines to create a darker shadow.

When to use this technique: This technique is a great way to add shadows to objects to help make them look three-dimensional.

Technique #10: Pointillism / Stippling

– Use hard pressure to add dots or short dashes.

When to use this technique: This technique can add interest to large areas like grass or the sky, or you can even use it on top of another color to add some dimension.

So this year, don’t fear using crayons – embrace them. The possibilities might surprise you!

Click the yellow button below to download our “10 Creative Ways to Use Crayons” PDF: