Three years into chalk art as a self taught artist and I am still learning even today! Here’s the chalk art essentials for beginners that I wish I knew on day one. SAVE this post and use it to get started!
Start with these supplies and level up when you’re ready:
1. Sidewalk Chalk. This one’s a given, but grab what you’ve got and get started. Brand really comes down to personal choice. My favorites are Loddie Doddie and ​⁠‪@CrayolaLLC‬ . Both have the most vibrant colors.
2. Chalk Pastels. Level up to these when you’re ready. You can ditch the sidewalk chalk all together for these or use both. I use both on my driveway and mostly pastels for chalk festivals. Blick Art Studio and Koss (Amazon) are my go-tos. Sargent Art is another good brand. And ​⁠‪@target‬ has a good starter set for only $5 (you’ll go through them faster though). Go for anything that’s soft or chalk pastels, do NOT use oil pastels.
3. Tempera Paint. This is water-based/washable craft paint. Basically chalk paint but WAY better than what’s marketed as chalk paint. Blick’s Student Grade is my go-to.
*Be careful! Though it’s washable, chalk pastels and tempera paint can be more difficult to get off of some surfaces. Power washing almost always takes care of it though if Mother Nature doesn’t. Test a small space before starting and make sure to get permission if it’s not your property.
For blending supplies, these are my go-tos:
1. Pool Noodle: Cheap and effective! Some types of foam packaging work well too.
2. Gloves: I HATE the feeling of chalk on my hands. Weird combo when you’re also a chalk artist, but it’s a hard pass for me. Gloves keep me mostly in the safe zone, but I still end up a mess and keep baby wipes on hand. 😁 Use your fingers/gloves to blend and save your fingers from going numb. I couldn’t feel my fingers for days after the first large piece I did in my driveway. Not fun. Maybe you’re driveway is smoother than mine though 😂
3. Carpet Square: This is a secret weapon of chalk artists.
With anything in chalk art, it will all depend on the surface area, weather conditions and artist’s style for what will work best. Experiment with lots of things to find what works for you!
What else would you like to know?
Follow for more chalk art as a self taught artist and time-saving tutorials so you can get wherever you’re going faster than me. 🤗💚
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