Second Grade Crayon “Batik” Heart Art

 

Inspired by pop artist Jim Dine, my second graders enjoyed designing their own “heart art.” I found the idea for this project here, but learned a few nuggets along the way:

1.  Test the paper. The 76 lb. construction paper I purchased basically disintegrated when placed in the tempera water. However, thicker construction paper leftover from the previous art teacher worked well. We used 9″ x 12″ pieces.

2. I gave “thick, waxy crayon that you could scrape off with your fingernail” directions. This was true, but projects with imperfect coloring—thin white gaps—allowed more black to saturate and presented a more unified piece.

3. Students gently crumpled their papers into a ball and then unraveled them. I gave each student one latex glove for their dominant hand. Using the gloved hand, each student placed the “flat,” wrinkled paper into a rectangular plastic bin with diluted black tempera, pushed down their project to make sure it was covered with paint, pulled it out, and placed it on a drying rack. (Don’t leave it in the water too long!) If areas are missed, black paint may be added with a sponge brush.

4.  Even with the thicker paper, we had a few small tears. However, the tear lines matched the overall desired batik effect and were not noticeable when the project was adhered to a black background. (Update: The following year, I purchased a different brand of 76 lb. paper, and it worked fine!)

5. A coat of gloss fixative made the projects pop.