DIY Chalk Art

A couple of years ago I found this framed marker board at Home Goods and have been using it as a backdrop above our fireplace for mantel wreaths ... until now!

For this project, I used:

• Framed marker board
• White chalk marker
• Silhouette Cameo cutter
• White contact paper
• Ruler
• Silhouette design - "It's a good day ..." phrase
• Stiff artist's brush
• Plastic stencil - half circle and circle

Knowing the limits of my artistic ability and that I would need a stencil, I browsed through the Silhouette Design Store and the phrase "It's a good day to have a good day" immediately made me smile, so I put the cut file in my online cart, paid 99 cents, and it was mine.

To begin, I used a ruler and drew chalk marker double lines along each side of the marker board to form a chalk "frame."  Then used a plastic stencil to add open half circles and smaller circles at each corner and at the center of each side.  

To remove the chalk where lines intersected and overlapped, a slightly damp artist's brush worked well without disturbing other areas of the design.

Next, opening the cut file in my Silhouette software, resized it to 12" wide and ungrouped it to cut "It's a Good Day to Have a" ...

... and "Good Day" separately for ease of handling.

After cutting the two pieces using white contact paper, I removed the letters and design from the paper backing and was left with an adhesive stencil.

I removed the stencil from the paper backing and placed it carefully on the marker board, being sure to press it down firmly to eliminate any gaps.  

Finally .. the fun part ... filling in the stencil using the chalk marker!

Instead of filling in each letter solidly with chalk, I mixed it up a little by alternating diagonal lines and dots.  Just a bit of visual interest, don't you think?  Can you spot the areas that still needed touching up?  There are a lot!

Of course, after "finishing" it, I had to tweak it by adding a scroll design to fill the blank space between the two portions of the phrase.  

NOW, it's complete!

Have you tried your hand at chalk art on a marker board or chalkboard?  Did you use a stencil or are you artistically inclined and can do it freehand?  

Your comments are greatly appreciated and I look forward to your thoughts and ideas!  I try to respond to comments via email as soon as I can. If your email address isn't available, I will comment here. Thanks so much for visiting!

Shared with:

Savvy Southern Style

 Cozy Little House
The Dedicated House
My Flagstaff Home
Adventures of Frugal Mom
Mila's Little Things
The Charm of Home
 Weekend Craft
Dear Creatives
Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth
Sew Can Do
The Interior Frugalista
Mad in Crafts
Savvy Southern Style
A Stroll Thru Life
Must Love Home