A fun project that many students love to do in art class is create a batik using shavings from old crayons. As an art teacher, this project is one my students have asked to do since I started teaching many moons ago. This past spring, my grand-daughter asked if we could do an art project together the next time she was at the house. I told her to bring along an old T-shirt and we would create a new shirt for her to wear. Sure enough, one week later she came bouncing into the house with a T-shirt. We created a batik on her T-shirt that she was soon wearing. Create your own batik on a piece of clothing following these simple steps.
Locate a piece of corrugated cardboard large enough for the clothing item to spread out completely on the surface. It is much easier to complete the batik process if the entire surface of the clothing item is flat for ironing.
Things You’ll Need:
Large piece of corrugated cardboard
Butcher paper
Scissors
Craft knife or sharp knife
Old crayons
Old iron
Instructions:
Step 1 – Place the large piece of corrugated cardboard on a flat work surface. Place the clothing item on the cardboard. Spread the clothing item out so it is flat and the surface for the batik is on top.
Step 2 – Cut one or more pieces of butcher paper to slide between the layers of fabric on the clothing item. Turn the butcher paper so the slick side is up. Completely line between the layers of fabric with the butcher paper.
Step 3 – Take the paper wrapper off the old crayons. Position the crayon over the top of the clothing item. Scrape the surface of the crayon with the sharp edge of a craft knife or sharp kitchen knife. Allow the shavings to crop on the clothing item in a haphazard design. Repeat the process with the desired amount of crayon shavings.
Step 4 – Place a large piece of butcher paper directly over the crayon shavings. Turn the butcher paper so the slick side is down.
Step 5 – Preheat an iron to a cotton setting. Place the hot iron in the upper left-hand corner of the butcher paper. Press down and hold it in place for 10 seconds. Move the iron one iron width to the right and repeat the process across the entire sheet of butcher paper. Move the iron down one iron length. Start at the left hand side of the butcher paper and repeat the ironing process. Continue ironing the batik until the entire surface has been heated.
Step 6 – Place the iron in a safe location. Carefully lift one corner of the butcher paper and peal upward. Visually inspect the crayon shavings to see if they have melted. If not, repeat Step 5. Remove the butcher paper completely if the crayon shavings have melted.
Step 7 – Visually look at the design. Add more shavings and repeat the process if more color is desired. If not, peal the front of the clothing item from the butcher paper between the layers. The melting of the crayons will cause it to adhere to the slick side of the butcher paper. Just peal the fabric layer away from the butcher paper. Discard the butcher paper.
The new crayon batik is ready to wear. Batik the back of the clothing item in the same fashion.
When creating a batik on both sides of the fabric make sure to place a sheet of butcher paper with the slick side up on the corrugated cardboard. This will prevent the crayons from sticking to the cardboard when heating the opposite side of the clothing item.
Wash normally but air dry. Do not dry in the dryer. The heat from the dryer will cause the crayons to melt and stick together.
