Chalkboard Art

As a retired teacher, I spent many a day at the front of the room on the chalkboard.

Then came the advent of whiteboards, and our sticks of chalk were relegated to the past.

Since chalkboards are now very much a part of decorating your home, I made one a few years back and have changed it periodically to match my mood or the season.

Here's our chalkboard.

This used to be a floor to ceiling bulletin board since the advent of this home in 1963.  Over time, the cork had crumbled so I basically "halved" it with some beadboard on the bottom and a new piece of smooth plywood on the top.

A few coats of black chalkboard paint, "seasoned" with some white chalk and I was in business.

You can see it's a fairly narrow space, and it's challenging to photograph because there's a counter directly across from it.

But I persevered and did my best.

I pulled out my school chalk and my Blick colored pastel sticks.

These can be purchased easily through Amazon and are fun to work with. 

They also clean up with a damp cloth when you want to change your image.

I have not, nor do I plan to use the chalk markers.  I like the "dusty" look of chalks and markers.  It's a personal choice... you do you!

I also ran two strips of painter's tape along the bottom edge.  

As you work with chalk and pastels, bits of their dust will fall.  Putting a tape "tray" will catch the bulk of that, making clean-up a breeze.

See?

It's a life-saver!

I had in mind to create a Mason Jar with wildflowers.

I started with my plain chalk and drew a jar, working to make the opposite sides as cohesive as possible.

Once I was happy with the general outline, I used a soft blue pastel to trace over and create the "blue" shaded jar.

Using a damp napkin, I carefully erased bits of the original chalk from the board.  This helps to keep the image neat.

I used a white pastel to add spots of light to the jar, giving it a dimensional look.

I worked until I was happy with my whimsical version of a Mason Jar.

Picking up the chalk, I sketched in stems for my stylized tulips.

Like any real flower arrangement, I started with an odd number of large tulips.

I drew the tulips in various sizes and heights to give the arrangement some foundational depth.

I also drew in a branch of leaves to get a feel for how I wanted to place them.

I took a bright yellow pastel and traced over the tulips in broad strokes.  

I also lightly shaded inside the petals to give it some overall color.

Once you use the pastels, they naturally flatten on one side, much like a pencil.  

This allows you to get thin, thick, or shaded lines with just a turn of the pastel or your hand.

I started to add in leaves and branches so that there was less and less negative space in the actual floral arrangement.

I stopped and took a step back to see where I needed to add anything.

Some tiny pink flowers were scattered in and among the larger tulips and leaves.

I also realized that it needed a leaf, draped over the mouth of the jar, directly in front.  This sets the background of the image because it becomes a part of the foreground.

I chalked it in first and then finished it with one of the greens from the pastels.

Using the white pastel on its side, I lightly created "water" in the jar, carefully blurring but not obliterating the stems in the jar.

I also added some shading under and around the jar so it didn't appear to "float" on the chalkboard.

I had a bit of room at the top of the chalkboard, so I free-handed "live simply" as a reminder to slow down and enjoy life.

And then it was done...

In the fall, I will change the image, using Pinterest for some inspiration.

Don't be afraid to copy or use images of chalkboards to inspire you.

I keep my drawings to simple, whimsical images.

I'm not an artist, so these types of creations are easy for me.

It's not necessarily breaking the rules, but I'm definitely setting my own.