Art Techniques | 25 July 2016Crayon Carving Share article facebook twitter google pinterest Crayon carving is the epitome of taking an everyday object used for one purpose and turning it into something extraordinary. The Art of Crayon shows you how crayon can be transformed into sculptural masterpieces. 5Crayons3. From left to right, the crayons are named Robbin, Nib, Mamta, Em, and Branko. This chapter explores a little corner of the art world that many people don’t even know exists—the art of crayon carving. Although the sculptures in this special corner are tiny, they become huge when you look at them closely. It’s because of their perfection. They make you blink and shake your head. You can’t wait to show them to someone else, and you laugh out loud because you can’t believe what you’re seeing. Golden Frog. Part of Diem Chau’s Precious Few series focusing on endangered animals. Crayon carvers are indeed a unique breed. There simply aren’t that many people who have the passion, the patience, the surgeon’s skill, the magician’s touch, and the slightly surreal outlook that allows them to pick up a crayon and think, “Maybe I can turn this into something else.” Yet we have the work of three carvers on these pages: Diem Chau from Seattle; Pete Goldlust from Bisbee, Arizona; and Hoang Tran from Sunnyvale, California, all of whom have placed masterworks in that rarified little corner of the art world. A group shot of endangered animals from Diem Chau’s Precious Few series made for a collaboration with the Philadelphia Zoo These artists tell their stories by painstakingly chipping, slicing, and piercing, until a tiny totem, or portrait, or geometric form emerges from a crayon. It’s the control and the scale that astonishes, because, when you think of it, a crayon is in many ways an ideal material for carving. Wax is only semihard, after all, yet it’s hard enough that you can carve away half of a crayon’s mass and it will still stand tall. It’s another one of those special qualities unique to crayons as an art material. Currency. The collection is based on world currency symbols. A carver’s knives, blades, and mini-drills are not the typical tools of other artists who work with crayon. Working deftly, with steady hands and sometimes a magnifying lens, these artists find carving deeply gratifying, yet at the same time frustrating—one little slip and it’s game over. Time to take a deep breath and start again. The Family. Carved crayon portrait commissioned by Keven McAlester and made in 2009. But when it works, ah! What results is a tiny monument. There is something that appeals to all of us, carver and viewer alike, in taking something that is completely commonplace and overlooked, and turning it into something extraordinary with your own two hands. No matter what the subject, the fact that you’ve carved it from a skinny crayon takes it into the realm of brilliant conceptual art that everyone can appreciate. Not only that, this art form also allows you to play with knives. Buy from an Online Retailer US: 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! Share article facebook twitter google pinterest If you have any comments on this article please contact us or get in touch via social media.
