THE COMPLETE BOOK · FREE TO READ
Drops and Doodles
A spill sends Vince following water into paper, up a towel and across different surfaces. Watch him use a wax crayon and a watery wash to turn what he notices into a new duck picture.
Turn the pagesOr scroll to readAn unexpected spill
Pages 1–2
Oh! My water... ...on my picture.
Explore together · Absorption
Water from Vince's cup reaches his pencil duck drawing and spreads into the paper. Absorbent paper takes water into small spaces among its fibres. The damp patch spreads while the pencil outline remains visible.
Ask together: Where has the paper become wet?
A towel helps
Pages 3–4
I touch the puddle. It spreads into my towel.
Explore together · Water moving into paper
A towel corner touches the puddle. Its wet patch grows while some puddle remains. Water can move into an absorbent towel without wiping. The water has changed location, rather than vanished.
Ask together: What changes in the towel and in the puddle?
Above the waterline
Pages 5–6
Only the tip goes in. The wet patch climbs!
Explore together · Capillary action
Only the tip of the towel strip is in the cup, but wetness rises above the waterline. Water's interactions with the paper fibres and with itself help it move through small spaces. Gravity still limits how far it can rise.
Ask together: Where is the waterline, and how high is the wet patch?
A different surface
Pages 7–8
Will foil soak it up? A puddle on top.
Explore together · Material comparison
A shallow puddle remains on intact foil beside a damp patch in absorbent paper. Foil does not absorb water like the chosen paper. Water can spread on its surface without soaking inside.
Ask together: Where can you see water sitting on top?
A waxy patch
Pages 9–10
My crayon feels waxy. This drop stays on top!
Explore together · Changing a paper surface
Vince makes a dense crayon patch. A drop remains above it while nearby bare paper becomes damp. A thick wax coating reduces how readily water wets the paper beneath it. The uncoated part can still take water in.
Ask together: What is different about the two wet places?
Over the edge of the wax
Pages 11–12
I tip my page. The water runs onto the bare paper.
Explore together · Coated and bare paper
Vince tips the sheet and water runs from the waxy area onto adjoining bare paper. A sufficiently large drop may run downhill on a tilted coating and reach absorbent paper. Tiny drops can remain stuck, so this is not a guaranteed result for every crayon or drop.
Ask together: What happens where the wax ends?
A chosen blue puddle
Pages 13–14
A waxy yellow duck... ...in a blue puddle!
Explore together · Wax-resist art
Vince draws a waxy yellow duck, then brushes a light blue wash across the picture. Colour reaches exposed paper while the dense wax drawing remains visible. Gaps in wax can leave speckles; the coating, rather than yellow colour, matters.
Ask together: Where has the blue wash reached?
A quiet notebook
Pages 15–16
For grown-ups
Pages 17–18
For Grown-Ups A spill interrupts Vince's drawing. Following where the water goes helps him turn the interruption into a new picture. 1-4 Into the paper Absorbent paper has small spaces among its fibres. Water wets these fibres and moves into the spaces. A paper towel can draw in a little spill without being wiped across it. The water has moved into the towel; it has not vanished. 5-6 Above the waterline Water can move upward through a paper towel while only its tip touches the water. This is capillary action: interactions between water and the fibres, and within the water, help it move through small gaps. Gravity still acts and limits the rise. Keep the strip still and look for the wet boundary. 7-8 A different material Intact foil does not take water into itself like absorbent paper. Water stays on its surface and may spread into a puddle. This comparison is about the chosen materials, not a rule that all papers or shiny things behave alike. 9-12 Change the surface A dense wax-crayon coating reduces how readily water wets the paper beneath it. Bare parts can still soak up water. A large surface drop may run downhill when the page is tilted; tiny drops can stick. Wax does not make the whole sheet permanently waterproof. 13-16 Make use of it Press firmly with a wax crayon, then add a light watery wash. Colour reaches exposed paper while the wax drawing remains visible. Gaps in the wax can leave speckles. The wax coating matters, not whether the crayon is yellow. Explore together With a grown-up, try a small spill on a tray, a paper-towel strip in a shallow plastic cup, or wax-resist art. Use non-toxic art materials; keep them out of mouths and eyes. Adults handle foil edges and prepare supplies. Paper, crayons and paint vary: try a scrap first and allow time. No exact height, speed or perfect result is promised.
Open these pages in the readerSources and evidence
Water can soak into uncoated absorbent paper and spread beyond its first contact area; a paper towel can take up a small spill.
American Chemical Society — Waterproof Wonders
USGS Water Science School — Capillary Action and Water
Use absorbent, uncoated paper and an ordinary paper towel. Coated or heavily sized paper may behave differently. The wet patch can darken without added colour; its speed and size depend on the materials and amount of water.
The exact materials pictured have not been physically tried. No fixed soaking time, capacity or instant drying is promised.
With only the lower tip of a paper-towel strip in water, wetness can travel upward above the water surface through the strip.
USGS Water Science School — Capillary Action and Water
Keep only the lower tip submerged and hold the strip still. The rise takes time and varies with the towel; no particular height or time is guaranteed.
Water moves through small wettable spaces in the towel. Gravity still limits the rise; this does not mean gravity has stopped.
A small puddle remains on intact aluminum foil rather than soaking through as it does in the selected absorbent paper.
American Chemical Society — Waterproof Wonders
Use intact foil without holes. Water can spread into a shallow surface puddle; perfectly round beads are not required.
This comparison concerns the chosen foil and absorbent paper. Materials and surface coatings vary.
A thick wax-crayon coating on part of the same paper reduces wetting there; bare paper nearby can absorb water.
American Chemical Society — Waterproof Wonders
University of Florida Harn Museum — Watercolor Resist Painting
Press a wax crayon firmly to cover a broad patch densely. Sparse marks, cracks, washable crayon products and paper sizing can change the result.
Water may form beads or a shallow pool on the wax. The coating does not make the entire sheet permanently waterproof.
A sufficiently large surface drop can run downhill on tilted wax-coated paper and soak into a bare-paper region it reaches.
American Chemical Society — Waterproof Wonders
The picture illustrates runoff from a coated surface onto adjoining absorbent paper, extending the coated-surface demonstration described by ACS. The exact crayon, paper, drop and tilt combination has not been physically tried.
Tiny drops can stay pinned in place. A larger drop may run when the sheet is tilted, but no particular angle or speed is guaranteed. Water can soak into bare paper when it reaches it.
Applying watery watercolor after a firm wax-crayon drawing can colour exposed paper while leaving the crayon drawing visible.
University of Florida Harn Museum — Watercolor Resist Painting
Crayola — A Paper Relief for the Coral Reef
American Chemical Society — Waterproof Wonders
Use non-toxic wax crayons, firm coverage and a light watery wash on suitable sturdy paper. Thin pigment can briefly cover wax before beading, and gaps in crayon can leave speckles.
The picture shows a representative result. The wax coating matters, rather than the yellow colour; results vary with materials.
A story worth keeping?
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