# Cracked Wax Resist Art > Kids draw and color a picture in crayon on heavy construction paper, crumple it several times, paint over it with bright washable paint, then rinse the paint off. Paint stays in the cracks for a batik-like look. It's a good chance to talk about warm and cool colors. - URL: https://www.funlittles.com/art-activities-kids-cracked-wax-resist-art/ - Ages: 5+ · Difficulty: medium · Mess: medium - Time: prep 5 min, activity 40 min - Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class - Skills: art, color-theory, warm-and-cool-colors, fine-motor ## Materials (one batch) - 1 sheet Heavyweight construction paper - 1 box Crayola crayons - Crayola washable kids paint - 1 piece Paintbrush - 1 piece Sink with faucet (running water) (household) ## Substitutions - Instead of washable paint: Regular watercolor paints (With watercolors you don't have to wash off the paint (per the author).) ## Safety - Use washable kids paint, and have an adult supervise at the sink while the paint is rinsed off. - Keep the water stream small and the floor around the sink dry to avoid slips. ## Steps 1. Draw your favorite picture with crayons on heavy construction paper. 2. Color the whole background in a different color. Warm picture means cool background, and cool picture means warm background. 3. Crumple the paper into a ball. 4. Open it up and smooth it flat. Crumple and smooth it at least 3 times. 5. Paint over the paper with a bright washable paint. 6. Cover the entire paper with paint. 7. Hold the paper under a small stream of water at the sink and gently wash off the paint. Stop while paint is still in the cracks and a light shade is left on the picture. 8. Let the art dry, then admire the cracks. Flip it over, because the back is pretty too! ## Tips - Some kids won't want to crumple their beautiful art. Mine wasn't thrilled, so I made one myself first. Only after she saw how mine turned out was she ready to crumple hers. - Pick a bright color for the paint layer. My daughter insisted on yellow and enjoyed it, but for the true cracked look I'd go for purple. - Be careful not to wash off all the paint. You want it seeped into the cracks, with just a light shade on the picture. - Skip regular printer paper because it gets wet. Very thick paper is hard to crumple, so heavy construction paper is the best bet. - The paint gets into the cracks and creates a cool batik design. The back of the artwork is just as gorgeous. - Use the drawing step for a quick lesson on warm and cool colors. ## The original post by TurkeyMom (2014) We are back with our second installment of our [**easy art projects for kids series**](https://www.funlittles.com/art-activities-kids-texture-watercolor-projects/) we are doing with a bunch of our favorite bloggers. Don't forget to check out their beautiful art activities for kids at the bottom of this post. ### Today's topic : Resist Art Resist art is really the most magical of all art activities for younger kids. They are completely surprised by the resist factor of the entire activity and the very first time you do a particular resist art project with the kids, they will be enamored. It happened when we did our super-ol activity , [**animal image resist painting**](https://www.funlittles.com/animal-resist-painting/) and more recently, our [**crayon resist spider webs**](https://www.funlittles.com/halloween-art-projects-crayon-resist-spider-web/) for Halloween. ### Easy Art Projects for kids: Cracked Wax Resist Art Ever since I encountered this art project I have been itching to try this out with my kids. Now that my older is 5.5 years old, I thought this may be a good age to try some more "involved" art activity. Materials - **[Heavyweight Construction](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FSR93I/?tag=blmemo-20) Paper** - **[Crayola Washable Kids Paint](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004UBH3/?tag=blmemo-20)** - **[Crayola Crayons](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004YO15/?tag=blmemo-20)** The idea is super simple. First I invited my daughter to draw her favorite picture and then color the background with a different color. It's best to use a heavier paper than regular printer paper since we will be applying water on the paper. Too thick of a paper will make it hard during one of the steps. Best bet is to choose a heavy construction paper. ( the thicker heavier kind) At this point we discussed "warm colors and "cool colors". If she chooses a warm color for the picture she will choose a cool color for the background and vice versa ( thanks **Art Projects for Kids** for the art lesson!) She choose to do an octopus! ( Yeah, it is always about the animals here) Next step is kinda iffy in that some kids would love to do it and some would out right reject that idea and call you "insane" haha. Mine was not thrilled to crumple her beautiful octopus art. I made one picture myself and crumpled it and proceeded with the art project. She watched the way mine turned out and only THEN was she inclined to continue with the art project. Crumple the paper then open and smoothen it again. Repeat the crumpling process at least 3 times. Once flattened, paint over with a nice vibrant colored kids paint. It is very important to choose a bright color during this step. My daughter really insisted on choosing yellow. She enjoyed the process however if you want to get the true look of the cracked art, I'd go for purple.. Cover the entire paper with paint. Then, under a small stream of water from your sink faucet, wash off the paint! Yeah, such drastic steps right? Be careful to not wash off the entire paint. Wash until you are left with just paint seeped into the cracks and a very light shade of paint on the picture itself. Let the art dry and then admire them. Did you see the paint get into the cracks and kinda create a cool Batik design? The back of the art work is just as gorgeous. Alternatively, you can skip the kids paint and go for regular watercolor paints. With watercolor paints, you don't have to "wash off" the paint. Thanks for reading Our previous installment in the easy art projects for kids series [**Exploring Watercolors**](https://www.funlittles.com/art-activities-kids-texture-watercolor-projects/) Now onto the other fab blogs **Tape Resist on Foil** from LearnPlay Imagine [**Splatter Paint Tape Resist**](http://buggyandbuddy.com/easy-art-projects-kids-splatter-paint-tape-resist/) from Buggy and Buddy [**Clay Resist**](http://babbledabbledo.com/easy-art-projects-kids-clay-resist/) from Babble Dabble Doo **Fabric Resist Art Pillows** from Meri Cherry Blog [**Watercolor Resist Easter Garlands**](http://www.funathomewithkids.com/2014/03/watercolor-resist-easter-egg-garland.html) from Fun at home with kids **Andy Warhol Resist Art** from Art History Mom [**Wax Paper Resist**](http://www.housingaforest.com/wax-paper-resist/) from Housing a Forest **Watercolor Resist Art envelopes** from Willow Day **Resist Art Stepping Stones** from Two Daloo Playful Preschool"