Color Outside the Lines: Turning Discarded Crayons Into Art

What do you do with a pile of broken crayons?

At Remnants, we see them turn up often, tossed into bins at estate sales, swapped at craft supply events, or donated once the wrappers peel and the points wear down. Perfectly good materials, but rarely used. Instead of tossing them, here’s how you can turn discarded crayons into a bold piece of wall art.

A Crayon’s Second Life

There’s something magical about a new box of crayons, sharp points, bright wrappers, first-day-of-school energy. But once the seal is broken and a few are used up, they lose their luster. That’s where creative reuse comes in.

Rather than letting them pile up or get tossed, I experimented with turning them into a framed piece of wall art. The process wasn’t perfect (and definitely came with some trial and error), but the result was colorful, textured, and surprisingly sturdy. See the full video here >>

How I Made It

1. Gather materials

A simple frame with a cardboard backing (mine came from my own stash).
A pile of crayons, peeled of their wrappers.
Adhesive (after testing a few options, E6000 worked best).
A craft knife or utility blade for cutting crayons.
A cutting mat you don’t mind messing up.

2. Prep the crayons
Peel away the wrappers and chop crayons into segments of varying lengths.

3. Arrange by color
Lay them into a gradient or rainbow sequence. Keeping some tall and some short adds texture.

4. Glue them down
Line them up at a slight angle and glue piece by piece. A pencil grid helps keep spacing even.

5. Frame it up
Once the glue sets, place your finished work back into the frame.

The final piece isn’t perfect, but it’s vibrant, full of character, and a great way to keep “unusable” crayons out of the waste stream.

Q&A: Creative Reuse with Crayons

Q: Can I use hot glue for this?
Hot glue melts wax, so the crayons won’t hold. A strong craft adhesive like E6000 is more reliable and also squished nicely into the broken ends to stand them up well.

Q: Do I have to cut the crayons?
Not necessarily. Uncut crayons lined up in rows or patterns can look just as striking, but cutting adds dimension and makes it easier to fill space.

Q: What if I don’t have a frame?
Any sturdy surface will work, wood scraps, chipboard, or even an old canvas. The frame just makes it easy to hang.

Q: Can I try melting instead of gluing?
You can melt the crayons but not for this effect. The melted wax is more slippery and won't dry in an upright position the way it will when glued.

Why This Matters

Crayons are made from paraffin wax, a petroleum byproduct that doesn’t biodegrade. Every year, millions of pounds of crayons are thrown away. Projects like this one keep materials in circulation, spark creativity, and remind us that even “broken” things still have value.