You can turn a plain crayon drawing into a snowy scene by brushing thinned white paint over it. The crayon wax resists the paint and still shows through underneath.
This craft works for a wide age range, from preschoolers scribbling a scene to older kids drawing a detailed picture, and it makes a nice homemade card. See our crafts page for more paper projects.
What you need
- Heavy paper, such as cardstock
- Crayons
- White tempera paint, thinned with a little water
- Glitter (optional)
Steps
- Have the child draw a winter scene on the paper, such as trees, a house, or a snowman.
- Color the picture heavily with crayon so there is a thick layer of wax on the paper.
- Thin the white tempera paint with a little water, then brush it over the whole scene.
- The crayon lines resist the paint and show through, giving the picture a snowy, frosted look.
- While the paint is still wet, sprinkle on a little glitter for extra sparkle, if you like.
Safety
This is a low-risk craft, but have young children wear a smock or old clothes since tempera paint can stain fabric. An adult should handle glitter with very young kids, since it can end up in eyes or, if swallowed, in a small child’s mouth.
Turn a finished piece into a homemade holiday card, or match it with the soap sculpture in another one of our crafts projects.