7 crayon techniques for richer, bolder color

A crayon looks simple. It’s a stick of colored wax.

But that wax can blend, shade, scratch and print textures, and most of us stopped asking it to around age eight. Pick up the box again with a few tricks in mind and the same crayons give you smooth skies, deep shadows and fur you almost want to stroke.

Here are seven techniques, in the order we’d learn them, plus a bonus and the mistakes worth skipping.

11. Outline first, with a sharp tip

Crayons have wide, round tips, so it’s easy to slip over the lines. Sharpen the crayon, then trace the inside edge of the shape before you fill it.

The outline works like a little fence: you can color the middle quickly without worrying about the edges. Sharpen again whenever the tip goes flat, especially before tiny spaces like eyes, whiskers and petals.

Tip: no crayon sharpener? Turn the crayon a little as you color. You’ll always be using the sharpest side of the tip.

22. Keep your strokes going one way

Pick a direction, diagonal works well, and keep it across the whole shape. Use short strokes, side by side, each one slightly overlapping the last.

Switching direction halfway leaves patches where the strokes cross. One direction looks smooth and even, even with an ordinary box of crayons.

• Strokes in every direction
• One direction

33. Play with pressure

One crayon gives you many shades. Press lightly and you get a pale, grainy color with the paper peeking through. Press harder and the color turns deep and waxy.

Try a little ladder on scrap paper: five squares, from the lightest touch to the firmest. Now you know your crayon’s range.

Start every shape light. You can always add more wax, but it’s hard to take it away.

44. Blend two colors

Lay two colors side by side, lightly. Then go back and forth over the line where they meet with the lighter one, until one fades into the other. A tissue or a fingertip rubbed over the join softens it even more.

Blends are perfect for skies, water, sunsets and the round side of an apple.

• From light to firm
• Two colors, blended

55. Shade: dark edges, light middle

Contrast makes a drawing pop. Color the edge of a shape with a darker shade, then fill the middle with a lighter shade of the same color. Coloring a pumpkin? Deep orange along the sides, light orange in the middle, and it suddenly looks round.

Then add a shadow where shapes touch: under a chin, between two leaves, at the bottom of a basket.

66. Stipple with dots

Stippling means coloring with dots. Tap small dots of a darker color over a lighter one: close together for deep shadows, further apart for soft ones.

It’s slow in the best way, and it gives fur, sand and tree trunks a lovely texture. Keep the tip sharp, so every dot stays round.

77. Scrape in the details

Wax is soft, so you can take color away as well as add it. Color a leaf with a firm layer, then gently scrape thin lines into it to draw the veins. The same trick works for fur, hair, wood grain and grass.

Tip: use something blunt, like a toothpick or the end of a paper clip. Kids should always ask a grown-up first.

• Dots
• Scraped lines
• Rubbed texture

Bonus: rub in some texture

Place a leaf, a coin or a piece of corrugated cardboard under a sheet of paper, then rub the side of a peeled crayon over it. The pattern appears like magic.

On a coloring page, try it on a background: a brick wall, a wooden fence, a field of grass. Slip the object under the page and rub gently, so the lines of the drawing stay crisp.

Common mistakes (and easy fixes)

• Pressing hard from the start. The wax fills the paper and new layers slide off. Start light and build up.
• Coloring with a blunt tip. Edges go fuzzy. Sharpen often, or turn the crayon as you go.
• Scribbling in every direction. You get patches. Pick one direction for each shape.
• One shade for the whole shape. It looks flat. Add a darker edge or a little shadow.
• Skipping the test. Crayons often look different on paper. Try each one on scrap first.

Your turn

Pick one page and one technique. Color the same shape twice, once the usual way and once with the new trick, and look at them side by side.

Then add the next technique on the next page. Want to choose colors that go well together? Try the recipes in Color theory: how to make colors pop.

Questions about crayon coloring

How do you make crayon coloring look smooth?

Use a sharp tip, light pressure and short strokes in one direction. Build the color in two or three light layers instead of pressing hard once.

Can you blend crayons?

Yes. Color two shades side by side, then go over the join with the lighter one. A tissue or a fingertip smooths it even more.

Why does my crayon stop sticking to the page?

The paper is already full of wax, usually from pressing hard too early. Scrape a little away with a toothpick, then go back over it gently. Next time, start light.

Are crayons just for kids?

Not at all. Grown-ups use them for bold color and texture, and they work well with colored pencils on the same page.