Crayon Engineer

Dave Rowan talks about making crayons at Crayola

Crayola LLC.

Dave Rowan helps Crayola make more than 3 billion crayons a year.

Scholastic Art: What is your job?

Dave Rowan: I work in research and development at Crayola. I work with a team of scientists to figure out what ingredients to put into all of our great art materials. 

SA: How do you develop crayon colors?

DR: We start by looking at the existing colors and look for gaps in the palette. We experiment by blending pigments together to get the exact shade that we’re looking for.

A: Where do the pigments come from?

DR: We have a library of pigments. Our scientists travel all over the world to find the best colors to put in our crayons.

SA: What else is involved in developing  new crayons and other products?

DR: We test the crayons to make sure they are exactly the right color, and then we make sure that the color hasn’t affected any of the crayon’s other properties. We make sure that the laydown is smooth, not scratchy or waxy. We test to make sure that the crayons don’t break easily when kids are coloring with them or if they roll off the table.

SA: How did you end up in product development at Crayola?

DR: My first job out of school was working for a large chemical company. That was a cool job. But when I found out that there was a job opening in research and development at Crayola, it took me back to my childhood.  I remembered what it was like to open a new box of crayons, see all the fresh points, and smell that classic Crayola crayon smell, and I just knew I had to work here. 

SA: What makes you successful?

DR: I understand that failure is part of the process. If you’re always playing it safe in life and never wanting to make a mistake, then you’re probably not experiencing as much of life as you could. When you’re willing to make mistakes, you’ll learn from those failures and end up achieving great things. 

SA: Do you have advice for students?

DR: Get as many different kinds of experiences as you can, both in school and out. This is the time for you to experience things broadly and widely to find out what you’re good at and what you love doing. 

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