Crayons are the wax counterparts to pastels, and, even though they’re associated with rough childhood sketches, even fine artists have used crayons from the early Renaissance to today.

You’re not limited to sketching, either. You can use them in encaustic paintings, melt them with a wick into candle moulds, or melt and mix them with hot glue to make bottle sealing wax, or wax for seals.