The Art of Crayon: Draw, Color, Resist, Sculpt, Carve!

by Lorraine Bell

Create astonishing artwork with crayons! Crayons aren't just for kids anymore!Sculptors use them whole, bundling thousands of crayons to create environmental and installation-size sculptures. Carvers pierce and reshape crayons with scalpels, turning them into mini totems, helixes, and portrait busts. Landscape and still-life artists layer crayon shades in works on paper that rival paintings in their subtlety and depth. What will you do?! The Art of Crayon will guide you through a gallery of works by contemporary artists who use crayons as a diverse and dynamic medium. Each chapter includes a specific style of crayon artwork, complete with engaging projects from author Lorraine Bell to help you learn different techniques. From sculpture, to carving, to melted wax and drawing, you'll soon become a master crayon artist!

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference

160 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2016

Reviews

[Blue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expanding my aspirational non-fiction reading from cookbooks, I picked up The Art of Crayons. So now instead of getting excited about food I'll never cook I'm busy plotting art projects I'll never actually execute.

This is a nicely edited book, combining a brief history of the art of crayons, and of the iconic Crayola
Crayons, with a nicely edited selection of artists working with art crayons, and suggestions and instructions for an assortment of projects designed by the represented artists.

My Christmas stocking contained a box of crayons this year. This book has taken my from wonder what on earth I was going to do with them to which art project I should attempt first. I'm going to get started right away...well, as soon as I make some smoked salt, roast a duck, bake some whole wheat bread with freshly milled flour.

[Casseroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL! Great idea book with a few exercises to give you a taste of what the artists' in the book have done with different types of crayons. Great artwork! Check this out!

[Miss Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I skimmed through this book. I was making a nonfiction display of not your ordinary nonfiction and really enjoyed this book. I don't think I have the patience to sculpt and carve crayons, but the talented people I respect, congratulate and admire. Kudos!

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remarkable book (no pun intended)! I'd recommend it to any creative person, particularly for its explanations of the multiple ways artists have used the medium of the humble crayon -- not just making marks with them, but sculpting and also building murals out of the crayons themselves.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fascinating book. It's interesting to see crayons being used in such diverse ways.

[Mycala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crayons are not just for kids. If you don't believe me, just read this book.

Can't wait to try some of these projects with my gorgeous box of 120 colors!

[Becca Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a little while since I read a how to style art book. At their best they’re good for both technique and inspiration and this one filled both. Very helpful!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A unique book that showcases the talents of artists whose work has a connection to crayons, whether they're carving animals into the tops of the sticks or they're creating portraits and landscapes or they're using the crayons to create a pixelated or 3D image, it's endlessly fascinating how people view and use the crayon. I didn't think about the fact that they're generally cheap so artists who might be nervous to get into a specific kind of art start with crayons because other forms are cost-prohibitive or nerve-wracking any other way.

There are a handful of actual "how to" for specific exercises to creatively use crayons to inspire artists but for me, a non-creative in this realm, I liked learning about the approaches to art using it and how a crayon was formed and how it is part of pop culture history.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

A waste of paper. What a crayon is. With a cute motto. And big useless pictures. Than the history. Because the crayon was invented during the Paleolithic??? Than crayon becomes confused with a brand. And the pattern is the same: motto written big, than fluff, fluff, big pictures with no obvious connection with the text, than repeat.

[James Inglis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is colourful and very photo intense. I was expecting more of a how-to on using crayons in art, but that isn't what this book is about. It's more of a showcase of the work of others. If that's what you're looking for then you'll enjoy this one. If you want to learn some skills to use yourself then I suggest looking elsewhere.

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't find much value in the instruction within the book, but the creative artwork within the book was freaking amazing. The sculptures and carved crayons are a feast for the eyes.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly engrossing read! I picked this book up on a whim, and now I really want to try the "Tiffany window" wax resist crayon project.