5 Things I Learned from my First Chalkboard Art

Blogger: Amber Schamel

I have recently found a new hobby that I have been enjoying immensely. Anyone who is on pinterest can't help but notice all those adorable chalkboard sayings. I decided that a chalkboard with inspirational sayings was exactly what I needed in my bedroom. I could put a saying on it, and when I got bored of it, I'd just erase it and make a new one.

Little did I realize...

My first one turned out...not so great. But I did learn a lot in the process! So I thought I would share what I learned, in case anyone else has a hankering to try their hand with chalk.

My First One.

Five Things I learned from my first chalkboard art:

1. It Isn't As Easy As It Looks.
   I am not a real artistic person. I love crafts and DIY, but when it comes to drawing and art, I can't even draw good stick figures. Sigh. Well, if I had known how artistic these chalk things really are, I probably would have given up without even trying. I figured you just pick up a piece of chalk and write in good handwriting. Not so. These babies are ART. Mixed with calligraphy. Did I mention I failed those two classes in high school?
   
2. Pre-Plan your end result.
   I usually google a how-to before I begin a project, and chalk art was no exception. Many of the tutorials that I saw said "sketch out your design before you begin." However, I thought I could eliminate this unnecessary step, since I had a clear picture of what I wanted in my mind. Not to mention I'm horrible at 'sketching.'
   As I began a free-handed design, I realized how much I didn't have as clear of a picture as I thought. Did I want all the words in the same font? Did I want one of the words bigger than the others? Did I want any decorations besides the words themselves?
   
3. Use a Ruler
   It didn't take very many free-handed strokes before I realized that I needed a ruler. My letters were not uniform, and they certainly weren't in a straight line. Not only that, I needed a ruler to make them evenly spaced, and to measure how to get the word centered on the chalkboard. I drew horizontal lines where I wanted my words to be, and then later erased the lines once the words were in place. That's another great thing about chalk art. You can erase mistakes or unneeded lines! AMAZING.
   
4. Sharpen Your Chalk - and have different points.

   

   Calligraphy Point Chalk Stick

   
   While regular boring white crayola chalk is the best (at least from what I've read), you can't just pull it from the box and expect to have good results. You have to sharpen your chalk, just as you would a pencil. In fact, the old-fashioned pencil sharpeners work great. I like to sharpen my chalk into three different forms. A fine point, a wide point, and a calligraphy point. The calligraphy point you'll have to use a knife or the like, and carve off the two opposite sides to leave a wide calligraphy pen point as in the picture here.
   
   
5. Cheating Helps.
   After the disappointing results of my first one, I decided I needed a little more help. I found a tutorial that said you can actually design your art on a word document and then print it. Rub chalk on the back of the paper, then tape the paper (chalked side down) onto the board, and use a pen to trace the design onto the chalkboard. It will leave faint lines that you can then trace and fill in for your final result. It worked marvelously! Especially for an art-impaired individual such as I. Eventually, I may be able to free-hand a nice design, but right now I am content to trace.

After utilizing the tips above, I tried again. This is how my second chalkboard art turned out.

My Second Attempt.

And here's one I did this week for Easter.

My Third. Sorry it's a little blurry.

I've got a lot to learn yet, but I'm finding that they are fun, relaxing, and I get to enjoy them for a while. Now if I can only find more places to hang them...

Are you artistically inclined? Have you ever tried Chalk Art?