Colorful Etching

I remember doing this project in a Jr. High art class.  The results are stunning and I was so excited to share it with my class this last week. 

Age group: Any

Supplies:
White paper,
crayons,
black ACRYLIC paint (not the tempera-the acrylic covers better and dries faster)
foam brushes,
dish soap,
scratch tools like toothpicks or pop cycle sticks.


Start with a white piece of paper (I used regular computer paper), and have the students color hard and dark with crayons until the complete sheet is covered.  The brighter colors: the better the results.  I kept reminding the students not to leave any white spots.

This is the first step, half way finished.

After their 2nd grade arms were ready to fall off from coloring, we painted over the entire page with black tempura paint mixed with just a drop or two of dish soap.  (The dish soap helps the paint to adhere to the waxy crayon).

I didn't take a picture, but at this point, their projects should be completely black.  The paint will take about 20 minutes to dry.  To pass the time, you could read a picture book about space to the students,  you could let them free draw, or come up with another idea. (Maybe play some Star Wars music in the background).  Also, you could bring a couple of blow dryers, set on low heat, and lightly blow the pictures to help them dry.

Now for the magic!  Use the tooth pics to "etch" out the black paint and make drawings of space so the color shows through. 

It would also be fun to draw spring flowers or jungle scenes.  Really, anything is going to look awesome with this project. 

(Note* if you don't want to use paint, you can also go over the entire project with black crayon.  You have to push pretty hard, but the etching will work the same way).

Let me know if you have any questions.