I had the opportunity to create yoga inspired chalkboards this summer for a client. The ask was to capture their shop and yoga studio to express what they were about. The space was very inviting and offered products for sale as well as yoga classes.
1. Sketch
I have a preliminary meeting with the client to determine their needs and what message they want to share through the design.
3. Digitize
I take the sketches into photoshop and arrange them in a composition that I like. I then tweak the lettering or add in some fonts to create a graphic appeal. In this example I printed block letters and hand drew the pattern inside.
3. Execute
I print my design and use it as reference. I do not add color until the end but I did some test swatches before hand to ensure they were what the client wanted.
I had the privilege to chalk one of my favorite photographs Anya Anti.
For the Street Painting Festival in Lake Worth, I love recreating inspirational pieces for all to see. I have saved this image for a while now and keep coming back to it. I typically chalk portraits of women with flowers. But this one told a story and held a fantastical element that I could not escape. When I asked Anya if I could chalk the piece I was so pleased when she agreed. I think it is important for artists to collaborate this way and inspire one another.
Here are her inspirational comments about this piece:
“As we got farther and farther away it diminished in size. Finally, it shrank to the size of a marble, the most beautiful marble you can imagine. That beautiful, warm, living object looked so fragile, so delicate, that if you touched it with a finger it would crumble and fall apart. Seeing this has to change a man…” – James Irwin, Apollo 15
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All my life I’ve been fascinated by the wonders and the mysteries of the universe. You can only start trying to comprehend it. The outer space is deep and mysterious. But also dark, empty and hostile. No matter how much it can captivate us and make us want to explore the stars, no matter how soon we might be forced to leave the Earth in search of “more space”, everything and everyone you ever knew is on this little blue marble we call home. – Anya Anti
Its all about the process
My assistant colored the whole background and added stars to the work. I chalked her favorite flower, forget me nots.My chalk box includes Mount Vision, Eternity Arts and Koss chalk pastels
Final Chalk Drawing – 12x12ft
The Breakdown
Sunset after the rain photographed by Shawn D Moss
Lachlan’s favorite snack is goldfish. One of the few words he knows is fish. He loves the fish tank we have and he loves aquariums. Let’s just say the baby is all around fishy! We wanted to create an imaginative piece where his favorite snack comes to life around him.
We had to prime this very slick surface with chalk paint.Close up of the surface. It was very hard to work on.
It rained most of day one but we worked hard the second day to complete the art just in time. I was focused on drawing the 3D face. It was stretched so that made it complex to draw. What my mind wanted to see was not what I was drawing from my grid.
We were able to get some great shots posing on the goldfish box and the fish.
I had to point out the amazing cake from the artists reception. This is one of my favorite festivals. Everyone was so nice and accommodating. The beautiful chalk cake!
Community chalk art based on baseball card designs.Zach led the community workshop. He is so good with kids!Jessi and Cathryn chalking a piece together.
This year at Chalktoberfest I had the honor to recreate an image of one of my favorite artists Johannes Vermeer. I chose to draw Milkmaid. The contrast of blues and yellows add mystery to this work. I really enjoy how vermeer captures everyday life and makes it intriguing. I was hesitant to do the old masters theme but I am glad that I had the chance to put myself in their shoes for a few days. I found myself wondering how Vermeer would approach the creation of this piece. Did he draw the milkmaid first or the room she is in? Was he cold and sore like I was while drawing on the ground for two days? I really enjoyed mixing my blue pastels to create just the one that would cause her to pop off the ground. I never thought much about the process but recreating it really puts it into perspective. I made sure not to crop out the negative space in the top right. It really evokes the mood in the painting.
I had a wonderful time chalking and an even better time reuniting with my fellow artists. Chalk artists from all over the country came to create old master drawings. We spent the evenings playing games and singing. Chalk art was the glue that brought us all together. It is nice to learn from each other. There are many chalk art masters like Joel Yao, Chris Carlson, Bridget Lyons, and the Chalk Guys. So much talent in one spot.
Zach and I were on the news to introduce the festival.
Images of Marietta Chalktoberfest Chalk Art of Vermeer’s Milkmaid
Our Georgia Chalk Artists Guild has grown so much in the year that we have been established. This past Sunday we had our very first Mini Pop Up Chalk Festival. Atlanta Streets Alive is an awesome event backed by the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and the city of Atlanta. Peachtree street was closed for a long stretch from Midtown to downtown. They had a bicycle parade and the street was open for people to walk, run, bike and play. The event is meant to encourage individuals to get out of their cars and enjoy the city. We were chosen as a vendor and were very excited for the chance to draw on a road that is never free of traffic. Located right next to the Fox theater we were able to hear Broadway singing as we chalked. Here are some of the highlights…
We started by setting up a sign and putting out some chalks. I planned a few large collaborative drawings for audience participation that Zach managed.
I had invited fellow artists Kristen, Adam and Jaimie to do chalk art demos with me. It was their first time chalking and they really enjoyed trying it out.
Kristen drew a cover to her favorite album.
Kristen’s work in progress
Adam and Jaimie also chalked some nice pieces.
Jaimie’s Jack Skelington
Adam in the zone.
Zach is really great with kids and directing the collaborative pieces. The pop up chalk fest was really about educating the public about using chalk as an art form. Many people were inspired by the process and wanted to chalk.
Chalk artists can be any age
Paul started the witch drawing and gets the hang of it
I kept to my demo most of the time but also got people to help me fill in the orange on the leaf or add some shading.
Marc helps fill in some orange
We really enjoyed a successful day on Peachtree Street making new friends and sharing the craft with so many people. Keep your eyes peeled for more events in the coming months.
If you’re interested in organizing your own event, please reach out to us and we can help you get started.
I was honored to come back to the Marietta Chalk Festival a second year in a row. It is such a rewarding experience to chalk by so many talented people. This year there were even more people from Florida and some from California. It is popular to have festivals in those states because the weather is nice most of the year. This year’s theme was fall. I really enjoy drawing portraits so I decided to draw a fantasy character who is a woman with horns. This is absolutely my favorite piece I have drawn so far. I am never really upset when they are removed or washed away but when the street opened up I nearly cried. I put everything into this piece and it really showed.
This year I was given the opportunity to create the Atlanta Maker Faire poster and t-shirt designs. On top of that I was asked to be included in the event as a 3-D sidewalk chalk artist. I am very happy with the way the designs turned out and had fun trying such a large scale chalk piece.
I always start with sketching. The Maker Faire team was looking for something Atlanta related that also incorporated activities from this year’s makers. I did some research and compiled some words and images that I thought encompassed the idea of making, doing and creating. I then took my sketches and formed them into a composition using tracing paper. I did this several times, tracing and re-tracing until I was satisfied with the design.
