Calligraphy on Chalkboard Walls, etc

Chalkboards can be created almost any place and then decorated with lovely calligraphic lettering.

All you need is a can of chalkboard paint and away you go.

One common use is as menu boards in restaurants. I've seen feature walls created in home kitchens or hallways. Or you can paint a sheet of signboard or any smooth-surfaced board. You can frame it if you want, or if you've given it an odd-shaped outline, you could simply paint a border around it in another color.

The most unusual item I've ever seen turned into a chalkboard was an old fridge that had been painted with black chalkboard paint, and then used to write on. A little odd, but kind of neat.

As far as lettering goes, monoline letters are probably the easiest to do on chalkboard.

Or drawn letters. Scrapbooking letter designs work well for this.

But you can also do chisel-edge letters. Simply create a chisel edge on your chalk by rubbing the chalk tip at an angle on sandpaper, first one side, then the other to create a V shape. You'll probably need to "sharpen" the chalk every so often to keep the chisel edge.

Another neat idea I recently saw was to smudge the whole of your chalkboard with chalk. Layer it on well and use a damp cloth to smudge it well. Then simply write on the board with a brush dipped in water. What's really neat is that as it dries, a white border forms around the letters. (PS. I tried it on an old greenboard I had at home. Didn't work too well, so I'm still working on it because it really looked neat on the sample I saw.)