Wax paper Resist

I am thrilled to be a part of a new art series all about exploring easy art projects for kids. Did you see all the amazing watercolors posts that were shared last week? I can’t believe all the talented and creative women in this group.

This week we are focusing on resist art for kids (I’ve included links to all the participating blogs at the end of this post).

Wax Paper Resist Art for Kids

We’ve tried a number of different resist techniques on Housing A Forest and love them all. Have you tried using oil pastels and watercolors; drizzling or painting with rubber cement or the classic favorite a simple white crayon? They are all simple techniques that are perfect for little fingers. However, today we are trying something new, and I have to say it may be my new favorite way to create a resist.

Wax Paper Resist Supplies:

Wax Paper ~ the stuff that is in your kitchen drawer
Iron ~ set it to a dry setting (NO steam)
Ironing board or heat resistant surface
Glossy White Paper ~ regular printer paper will work too, but the results will be less vibrant.
Spray Bottles filled with Liquid Watercolors or food coloring
Shallow plastic bin to contain the mess (optional)

Have the kids crumple the wax paper into a ball and then flatten it out. We took 2 different approaches to how we crumpled the wax paper. You can either make a ball, or make calculated folds (like origami). You will see that both produce beautiful results.

(Please take precautions when using a hot iron with kids. You know your kids the best, so use your best judgement and be safe)

Next, sandwich the piece of wax paper between 2 pieces of glossy white paper. Make sure the glossy side is facing in.

My kids enjoy using the Iron under close supervision. For this project, they ironed the paper layers by slowly moving the iron back and forth. Make sure they keep the iron moving, or you will over melt the wax paper. We used a similar technique when making our Watercolor Crayon Shavings.

This is what the paper looks like in the sunlight after it has been ironed. You can see the faint waxy pattern that was transferred. Instead of simply crumpling the paper this time, my son cut circles and then made calculated folds.

Colorful Resist patterns

Ready to make your beautiful resist pattern pop?

Once the ironing is complete, place it glossy side up in the bin. This will help contain the colorful spray. Randomly spray watercolors over the entire paper. The pattern left behind from the wax paper will begin to emerge as the paper is covered in bright spray. Magic!

There were lots of giggles as the patterns appeared. I have to admit, I was giggling right along with them. The patterns are so beautiful!

This resist technique is commonly used for making card backgrounds. I attended a workshop years ago, which is where I first learned about creating a wax paper resist background. Until then, I had no idea that wax paper could be so beautiful.

The image below was created using calculated circle folds (like origami). Amazing! We will be exploring this technique further. It was so easy and the kids loved the process.