A crayon is a tool that can be used to draw or color. It is often made of brightly colored wax crayons. In 1824, an Englishman named Derwent made the first crayons. They are made to make different colors on paper or to help make designs on fabrics and other surfaces, like plaster, where oil-based paints can't be used. Artists and kids often use crayons to color in or draw over pictures that have been blacked out with an eraser.