Black And White Chalk Drawings

This is a guide covering Chalk Art.

What is Chalk Art (Definition)?
What is the Origin of Chalk Art/Drawings?
Chalk Art Tips
Tools You Need When Performing Chalk Art?
Different Kinds of Chalks Used in Chalk Art?
What Kind of Chalk is the Best?
Artists Who Used Chalks
Final Remarks

As the chalk definition clarifies, chalk art is when an artist uses chalks for drawing. While chalk was only considered a kid's tool in the past, chalk art has evolved, and many artists use chalk to make astonishing masterpieces. There are different types of chalk, from black, red, white to multicolor.

You need to understand chalk's meaning and select the right chalk and cleaning supplies for drawing with chalk. Then, you can choose whichever brand you like for drawing. Moreover, the easy and practical chalk tips will help you remove chalk better.

What is Chalk Art (Definition)?

As the chalk meaning makes it clear, chalk art is drawing visual images with chalk. Chalk is a white powdery substance that is used for drawing on blackboards or other dark surfaces.

White chalk is made from limestone, while a soft black stone is used to make black chalk. A combination of different substances that include lampblack is used to manufacture black chalk as well.

Moreover, the red chalk is produced using a red ochre or other red earth. Likewise, multicolored chalks are made with a combination of limestone used for white chalk and color pigments.

Before, teachers and students used chalk in classrooms, and artists also used white chalk to add highlights to drawings. Nowadays, chalk art is a recognized form of art, and chalk artists use a variety of techniques for chalk drawings.

They use it on dry paper – a dark background for white and white for multicolored chalks – and blend or smudge it.

What is the Origin of Chalk Art/Drawings?

While evidence shows that chalk art may be as old as the Stone Age, the street art version of chalk art began in the 16 Century in Italy. In that era, wandering artists drew drawings of the Madonna to earn money.

They drew these pictures on pavement and were known as Madonnari. Some say that Modanna has been around since the 13th Century.

Chalk street art also appeared in London in the middle of the 1800s. Those artists were labeled screevers, and they usually drew religious messages.

In the 16th and 17th Centuries, artists such as Peter Paul Rubens used red chalk in significant scale landscapes and paintings. However, his pupil, Van Dyck, a portraitist, used white and black chalks. It's because they worked better in making faces.

Also, Allan Ramsay, a Scottish portrait artist, used chalk too.

Figures such as Michelangelo in history used white chalk to make awe-inspiring sketches. Moreover, Leonardo da Vinci, who also used chalk, was the first to use red chalk.

Furthermore, Rembrandt and Albrecht Durer with his Portrait of Erasmus.

Chalk Art Tips

When using chalk for chalk art, you need to take care of a few things.

If you're drawing chalk art on pavement or street walls, you should take measures to protect your keens, ankles and skin. You can wear pads on keens and ankles and use gloves when drawing.
Never plunge into a drawing. Think beforehand and decide on what to draw. This way, your pen won't stop, and you'll keep drawing without pause. You can also use a reference picture. You can also use a grid to draw proportionally.
If you're not sure how the picture will turn out, make a sketch of it on paper with chalk as an experiment to get an idea of how to make it better.
For drawing and coloring with chalk, begin in the middle part of the drawing and then proceed to the ends. It will make the drawing process more straightforward.
For calk lettering with chalk art, you should use around three fonts. If you use more, it may destroy the harmony of the artwork.

Tools You Need When Performing Chalk Art?

As the chalk art definition states, chalk art is an upcoming art form that is gaining popularity. Therefore, it would be best to have specific tools like canvas or surface, blending material, and cleaning supplies to do chalk art.

Surface:While chalk art is commonly associated with chalkboards or blackboards, it draws on other materials. Cement or concrete is another standard surface for chalk artwork. You can draw with chalk on dry paper, wood, clothes or linen and even cardboards.
Reference Pictures:If you're new to chalk art, you can use existing artwork as inspiration. Make sure it's copyright free. You should print it out and practice with it.
Blending Materials:While you can easily use your fingers for blending, it's much better to use tools specifically designed for this. It's because your fingers can smudge or leave an imprint of the wrong color on your design. You can use tools like foam brushes, foam sheets, and chalkboard erasers for the big area. Blending sticks, cotton buds and toothbrushes can come in handy when adding fine details.
Cleaning Supplies:You can use baby wipes to clean off a wrong line in the drawing. They also work well in cleaning chalk color on your hands and face. You should keep trash bags with you if you're using cement (road, etc.) as your canvas to clean the environment.

Other Tools:Keep rulers and measuring tape in your supplies for lines, etc. Moreover, it would help if you used a container for storing your chalk. It's not a bad idea to keep tape since you can tape the border of your drawings.

Different Kinds of Chalks Used in Chalk Art?

Different types of chalk can be used for chalk art.

First, there's regular chalk, and it has subcategories like large or slim chalk. Then, we have chalk pestles, chalk markers, chalk pencils, etc.

Regular chalks lead to smooth drawing on blackboards and other surfaces, resulting in a powdery and dry drawing. You can use thick chalk to draw chalk drawing, and artists prefer it since it doesn't break easily like the thin chalk.

In contrast, slim chalk is great for adding highlights and adding details to drawings. You can use also chalk pastels for shading and adding fine details to your chalk art. Moreover, it's best to choose regular pestle chalk since it rubs off.

A chalk marker is another type of chalk.

The ink from the marker flows easily out onto a board or a canvas. You can use it like a pen, and your hands won't get covered with chalk. Also, it prevents accidental smudging in chalk drawings.

Similarly, you can use chalk pencils if you're drawing on paper. Like the chalk marker, it makes lines that are crisp and smudge-free.

In addition, you can use it to add details and highlights to your chalk art. There is even a mechanical chalk pencil.

What Kind of Chalk is the Best?

There are many types of chalk brands, and you can choose the one that works for you. For regular thick chalks, Prang Freart chalks are a great choice.

They are soft and come in vibrant colors. If you want more greens and blues, you can try Prang Ambrite.

Brands like Sargent, Chalk City chalk, and Crayola offer great regular chalks. If you're specifically looking for chalk pastels, you can try Koss – they suggest hard chalk.

Chalk markers come in different vibrant shades. Likewise, most chalk markers are packed with dual tips so you can switch designs for your artwork.

For example, you can make thick and thin lines with the chiseled, while the bullet tip allows straight and plain lines. Some brands to look for are Chalk Ink, the Cedar Markers, and Chalkola, etc.

Artists Who Used Chalks

While some people pursue chalk art as a career, others dapple in it as a hobby. Although professional artists make many chalk artworks seen on the street and pavements, most people do chalk art since they are passionate about it.

Nowadays, we have many great chalk artists like Kurt Wenner from Michigan. He is famous for making 3D chalk art, and his latest 3D art, the Lost World, is mind-blowingly real.

His Neptune's Chariot in Hong Kong Disneyland and Dies Irae in Mantua, Italy, is also famous.

Similarly, Julain Beever makes chalk art that makes it seem like the images are three-dimensional when viewed from the right point. Meeting Mr. Frog, Arctic Street Conditions with Soft Drink and This Make Poverty History are his chalk drawings.

Other great chalk artists are Edgar Degas with his chalk pastels and Rajiv Surendra, etc.

Final Remarks

Before getting into chalk, you need to choose chalk that works for you and other tools like baby wipes, etc. There are many brands for regular chalk, pencil chalk, marker chalk, etc., that you can choose for your chalk art.

The chalk art tips will help you make chalk drawings more easily, and you can keep your skin safe with safety pads.

Chalk is an old tool, and many historical figures have used it for different reasons, and this was the seed for the chalk art of today. Chalk artists today make real 3D drawings with chalk, and chalk lettering is popular too.