With school just starting, I wanted to share a fun giant crayon DIY tutorial with you today! As a child, my best friend had a giant Crayola crayon bank that I thought was amazing. I created a simple replica version that can be used for back to school photos, an art or back to school party prop, decorating a classroom library, doors, or walls, or any other creative use you can come up with!
These giant crayons actually end up looking pretty realistic. Who doesn’t love a bright, colorful crayon with a sharp tip straight out of the box?
A big thank you to Oriental Trading for sending me some supplies to make this giant crayon diy tutorial!
Giant Crayon DIY Tutorial
Supplies:
- Mailing tubes
- Fadeless paper roll (one for each color)- I used orange and blue
- Paper mache cone that fits the top of your mailing tube (one for each crayon)
- Spray paint (one color to match each crayon color)
- e6000 adhesive
- Scissors
- Glue gun
- Cricut black vinyl
Step 1. Place the paper mache cone on top of the mailing tube. I wanted the top of the crayon to sit inside the top of the tube so it looked better and was easier to glue, but it was too big (see the above photo).
I used scissors to trim about an inch off the bottom of the tube and it fit perfectly!
Step 2. Next I spray painted the cone and the very top and bottom of the mailing tube (since the rest will be covered with colored paper). I wanted to get a coat of paint on before gluing, just to make sure that I got the base of the cone where it would be harder to paint once they were stuck together.
Step 3. Now it’s time to glue! You’ll need a very strong glue- my favorite is e6000. Place some glue along the inside rim of the mailing tube lid, then place the painted cone inside the lid over the glue and press down hard for a few seconds.
Set aside in a safe place and wait about 24 hours for the glue to completely dry. I know it’s a long time, but this glue is incredible and needs some time to completely dry and cure.
Step 4. Once the glue is completely dry the next day, give the top and bottom of the giant crayon another coat of spray paint. Let dry completely.
Measure and cut the fadeless art paper so that it starts and ends a couple of inches away from the crayon top and bottom. Use a glue gun to adhere the paper to the mailing tube.
Step 5. Now for the details! I used some black Cricut vinyl to add some details to the crayons to make them look more realistic.
For the wavy black pattern at the top and bottom of the crayons, I took a piece of black vinyl and cut it into strips. I forgot to measure, but each strip was 6 squares high if you’re using Cricut vinyl. 😉
I free-handed a wavy line on the back with a pen, then used scissors to cut out the individual pieces.
Peel off the paper from the back, and place the two “wave” pieces towards the top of the crayon wrapper to look like a real Crayola crayon.
Repeat for the bottom of the crayon.
Step 6. Last but not least comes the black oval in the middle of the crayon. You could use a cutting machine to cut the oval if you wanted it to be perfectly precise, but I just drew it on the back of the vinyl and cut it out with scissors. Stick the oval onto the bottom half of the crayon, and you’re all done!
Isn’t it pretty? Your own giant crayon you can use for about a million different things! As a former teacher, I can see these as awesome classroom decorations hanging from the ceiling, in a library, on a wall, as props for class plays and performances, or used for individual photos with students.
As a party stylist I see these as the perfect decoration for an art or crafty party, a rainbow party, or for a back to school party.
And last, but most importantly, as a mom, I see these giant crayons as a fun prop for my kids to hold or stand by for back to school (and throughout the year) photos. It would be fun to take a photo of the kids with the crayons each year to see how much they’ve grown!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this giant crayon DIY. I really loved making these, and my kids are obsessed with playing with them! For more learning and classroom supplies, be sure to head over to Learn365 by Oriental Trading!
