Jess's Test Studio: DIY Oil Crayons

I love oil sticks, but sometimes I want something that feels less like painting with a stick and more like drawing with a really big crayon. So I experimented with making my own using ordinary tube oil paint, beeswax, and walnut oil.

The result surprised me. These are firmer and waxier than the oil sticks I normally use, with enough resistance to leave wonderfully broken, textured marks. They can be used on their broad sides for big areas of color or on their edges and corners for drawing.

And unlike traditional oil pastels, these contain drying oils, so the marks can gradually dry. My thinner applications began feeling dry within about a day, while thicker areas took longer.

What you'll need

For one color:

• 20 g artist oil paint
• 10 g white beeswax pellets
• 4 g artist-grade walnut oil
• Digital gram scale
• Small disposable metal container for each color
• Double boiler or water-bath setup dedicated to art materials
• Silicone mold
• Wooden craft sticks for stirring
• Nitrile gloves
• Paper or a drop cloth to protect your work surface. I used vellum because I had some on hand.

Important: Keep all pots, containers and utensils used for this project separate from anything used for food.

Choosing your oil paint: I use traditional, solvent-free artist oil paint made with a drying oil such as walnut, linseed, or safflower oil. Because this recipe requires gently heating the paint, I personally avoid cadmium, cobalt, lead, mercury, and other pigments with additional health warnings. Check the manufacturer's label and Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for your specific color before heating it. I also avoid paints containing solvents or solvent-containing additives.

Make your oil crayons

1. Measure the paint and oil.
Weigh 20 g of oil paint into a small metal container. Add 4 g walnut oil and mix thoroughly.

2. Melt the beeswax.
Weigh 10 g beeswax and gently melt it using a double boiler. You only need enough heat to melt the wax; don't allow it to smoke or overheat. 

3. Combine.
Pour the melted beeswax into the oil-paint mixture. The wax may begin to firm up when it hits the cooler paint. That's okay.

4. Warm everything together.
Place the container of paint, walnut oil and beeswax into the warm water bath. Stir continuously and gently heat it just until the wax has remelted and the mixture is completely smooth and uniform.

This two-stage method worked well for me because I could melt the wax first and then expose the oil paint to heat for only as long as necessary to combine everything.

5. Pour into a silicone mold.
Once everything is thoroughly incorporated, remove it from the heat and pour the mixture into your mold.

A note from experience: rolled parchment-paper molds did not work for me. The warm mixture leaked right out the bottom. A silicone mold was much easier and gave me chunky rectangular crayons that I ended up preferring anyway.

6. Let them cool completely.
Leave the crayons undisturbed until they're completely cool and firm, then pop them out of the mold.

And that's it. No wrapper required.

Using them

These aren't meant to duplicate a commercial oil stick. My recipe contains quite a bit of beeswax, so the finished bars feel distinctly crayon-like rather than paint-like.

Try using the flat side to cover large areas, dragging it lightly across textured paper for broken color, drawing with the long edge, or using the corners for smaller marks. Colors can also be layered and blended just as you would with other oil-based drawing materials.

I especially liked using mine on kraft-colored paper, where the tooth of the surface remained visible through the marks.

Do they dry?

That's one of the things that makes these different from traditional oil pastels.

Traditional oil pastels generally contain a non-drying oil. These crayons contain the drying oil already present in the tube paint plus walnut oil. The beeswax itself doesn't dry, but the oils cure through oxidation.

In my first drawing, thin areas began feeling dry within about 24 hours. Drying time will vary considerably with the pigment, brand of oil paint, thickness of application, temperature, and other factors. Thick marks may take substantially longer.

Because this is a homemade material, I can't promise a particular drying time or the same long-term film characteristics as a commercially formulated artist material. I'm continuing to observe how my drawings behave over time.

A few safety notes

Use good studio ventilation, wear gloves, and use equipment reserved exclusively for art materials. Keep the temperature as low as practical and never heat the mixture over an open flame.

Oil-soaked rags and paper towels require special care. Drying oils can generate heat as they oxidize, creating a fire risk when oily materials are piled or crumpled together. Lay used rags or paper towels flat outdoors in a safe location away from combustible materials until completely cured, or store them in an appropriate sealed metal oily-waste container and follow your local disposal guidelines.

My recipe at a glance

20 g oil paint + 10 g beeswax + 4 g walnut oil

Melt the wax → combine with paint and walnut oil → gently warm and stir until homogeneous → pour into silicone mold → cool → draw.