15 Crayon Drawings and Ideas to Try Yourself

Though crayons are often associated with children, they’ve come a long way in recent years. First, adult coloring books catapulted to popularity, and now, there are plenty more creative ways to use the medium. Whether you’re practicing drawing with crayon, coloring for nostalgia’s sake, or making art with your kids, you’re sure to find inspiration in these crayon art ideas. 

How Do You Draw With Crayons and Which are Best to Use?

From Crayola to Caran D’Ache, there is a crayon for everyone. You can stick with budget-friendly sets from Crayola or invest in a more professional brand like Conte (once the medium of choice for Picasso and Degas!)—the difference being that professional brands have a higher saturation of pigment. Both types come in sets of varying sizes, from eight all the way up to 120!

Crayons work best on paper surfaces. Though you can splurge on sketch or artist paper tablets, basic printer or notebook paper is a great place to start. 

Then, grab a reference photo or pick a lesson to follow along, and get coloring!

15 Crayon Drawing Ideas

1. Draw Celebrity Caricatures

Caricature artist Baylee Maroney will walk you through the steps of creating celebrity caricatures—from Morgan Freeman to Jennifer Aniston—using crayons and markers. You could easily adapt this to an all-crayon project, as well.

2. Try Crayon Scratching

The crayon scratching technique—creating crayon drawings or patterns, covering them with ink or paint, then scratching strategically to reveal a design—is simple, but has a gorgeous result. Skillshare instructor Frank Peña’s course introduces you to making your own scratching crayon art. You’ll need a scratching tool, such as an exacto knife or other pointed object, to make scratched crayon drawings. 

3. Draw and Color a Puppy

This puppy drawing is a great option if you’re coloring with your kids. Art teacher Miss Sara walks you through each step of drawing your puppy and coloring it in according to your preferences. 

4. Draw a Hummingbird

Though Skillshare instructor Abinaya Sindhu uses pen and colored pencils to create her hummingbird drawing, you can easily adapt this project for crayon drawing work. The hummingbird’s beautiful hues might also inspire you if you’re coloring a bird in a coloring book.

5. Practice da Vinci’s Drawing Techniques

You may not know that renowned artist Leonardo da Vinci often practiced drawing techniques with conte. In this course, artist and art professor Jennifer Moorhead will show you how to practice da Vinci’s conte techniques with your crayons. 

6. Try Some Line Drawing Exercises

Though crayons aren’t required, they are perfect for this line drawing skills course by illustrator and art teacher Mel Rye. She’ll walk you through exercises in drawing blind and drawing with your non-dominant hand, as well as other ways to improve your crayon drawing skills. 

7. Draw Something Abstract

Who says that your crayon drawings have to resemble anything lifelike? Take a page from Skillshare student Hales G’s book and try abstract crayon art. Put crayon to paper and see what transpires within your shapes and lines!

8. Make Your Own Coloring Page

Crayons and coloring go hand in hand but, instead of turning to store-bought coloring books, art teacher Ria Sharon shows you how to create your own coloring pages.

9. Try Reverse Coloring

If you’ve never heard of reverse coloring, it’s essentially the practice of putting the color on your drawing page before the line work. In this course, you’ll learn about the principles of reverse coloring and how to create your own mandalas, flowers, and other designs using this technique.  

10. Draw Food

Skillshare instructor Suzanne Kurilla’s beginner-friendly course will show you how to draw and color a popsicle, a lime, an ice cream sandwich, and a cluster of blueberries. Though she uses colored pencils, you can easily follow along and replicate her drawing with your crayons. 

11. Melting Crayon Art Ideas

Crayon melting art ideas are everywhere—from Instagram to Amazon! Have some fun by creating these melted crayon art on canvas ideas.

You’ll need non-toxic crayons of your choice, a hairdryer, and a blank canvas to put your melted crayon art ideas to work. Next, affix your crayons, either wrapped or unwrapped, along the top of the canvas with glue. Position your canvas vertically upright on a covered surface (this will get messy!) and turn your hairdryer on to a low or medium heat setting. Slowly bring the warm air closer to your crayons, and they’ll begin to melt down the canvas. 

Note that this project requires a little bit of patience. Don’t be tempted to turn your hairdryer up to full heat—you want a dripping crayon art masterpiece, not a fire hazard. 

12. Draw and Color a Mandala

Skillshare instructor Abhiraami Thangavel will teach you how to draw and color your own mandalas using simple shapes. Crayons will work wonderfully for coloring your mandalas, but they can also be used to draw the shapes. 

13. Use Your Crayons to Study Color Theory

Color theory is an important part of any artists’ body of knowledge and, with this course by Skillshare instructor Christine Nishiyama, you can learn more about color theory and mixing within your crayon art. 

14. Explore a Season in Your Sketchbook

In this course, watercolor artist Anne Butera teaches you how to observe and draw your favorite season, right in your sketchbook. Though she chooses to focus on winter, you can easily fill your sketchbook with crayon drawings from summer, spring, or fall, too. 

15. Doodle

Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best ideas! Follow along with illustrator Nami Bates as she takes you through doodling exercises aimed at relaxation. She covers scribbling, dotting, and hatching—all of which you can do with your crayons. 

Simple and Fun Exercises to Keep Your Drawing Skills Sharp!

Creative Ideas to Improve Your Drawing Skills.

Take the Class