Cameron Clark

If you have a chalkboard, you can make some really cool Halloween chalkboard art without spending a lot of money. Aternatively, you can make a scary or fun design using re-usable (and inexpensive) Halloween stencils.

Essentially, you will need basic items:

1. Your Design or Stencil
2. Box cutter or X-Acto knife
3. Chalk or Liquid Chalk Markers

Halloween Stencil Designs:

You can buy Halloween stencils for cheap, or you can download image ideas for free on the internet. Of course, designs range from extremely simple to complex.

Keep in mind that the more elaborate the image or design, the more work they will require to cut into a stencil. I’ve listed a few below that are unique and interesting, yet they are not overly complicated.

• Pumpkin Face Templates
• Bats Stencil
• Ghost in Window Stencil
• Claw Hand Stencil
• Spider Stencil
• EEK! Stencil
• Scary Eyes Stencil

Save Money by Making Your Own Stencils:

The low-cost alternative to buying specially-made plastic stencil paper at $3-4 a sheet is to make your own stencil.

You can buy inexpensive plastic report covers or sheet protectors at your office supply store. The heavier they are, the easier they will be to work with. However, they typically will cost more. Therefore, keep this in mind when you are comparing items.

For example, Walmart carries report covers for less then $1 apiece. Sheet protectors are another cost-saving idea.

TIP: Another low-cost option is to use heavy card stock or thin cardboard as your stencil form. The thicker the material, the harder it will be to cut through.

Chalk:

A box of plain white costs a few bucks. However, if you want sharp, crisp edges, you may want to consider wet-erase chalk markers. You can buy them online, and I know that the craft store Michaels also sells them.

You can get away with buying just one marker and just using it for the edges. If you have a large object to draw, like a bat, you can use regular chalk to color the shape and then use the marker to finish the surrounding edges.

TIP: A cheap alternative is to use a wet Q-tip around the edges of your artwork when you’re finished drawing to make the edges more crisp-looking.

A big advantage of using chalk as your art medium is that it is not expected to look perfect, but rather more “sketchy”. Therefore, if you fall into the “non-artist” category like me, you’re fine.

Do you want to learn how to do chalk lettering for signs, menus or home decor?

This book, The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering, shows you how to create all sorts of letter styles as well as graphics. Plus, you learn how to develop your own style, which actually makes chalkboard art much easier.

This comprehensive guide contains 60 lessons, including 12 projects where you can practice your newly-learned skills. However, you don’t have to complete all lessons to become proficient in chalkboard lettering.

1. Learn How to Write with Chalk:

First, you learn the basic handwriting and letter styles. For example, serif, sans serif and script.

2. Chalkboard Art Layout Ideas:

Next, you get the steps to making a design layout, including how to combine letter styles together. Plus, you’ll find out how to create that 3D look with easy shadow techniques.

3. Get Advanced Chalk Writing Techniques + Art Tips:

In addition this chalk writing guidebook has instructions on drawing borders and framing to emphasize text. Altogether, you can combine these creative strategies to put together an attractive, professional-looking chalkboard mural – and have fun doing it!

Video Chalk Art Tutorial:

The video tutorial below demonstrates how to make calligraphy lettering. I particularly like the eraser trick with the Q-tip for creating clean, crisp lines because it makes erasing mistakes super simple. =)

Chalk Lettering is Easier
than You Think:

Chalkboard lettering doesn’t have to be complicated to create great art.

In fact, adding a unique frame around your board can transform a boutique sign or cafe menu into something that looks really cool.

For example, check out the sign to the right. You can even incorporate this concept into chalkboard wall art in your kitchen, entryway or home…

Alternatively, you can buy a set of chalk stencils for making larger signs.

Liquid Chalk Markers for Drawing Colorful Chalkboard Art:

If you want to get more artistic, you can incorporate color into your lettering and designs. This liquid chalk marker set contains 32 different colors and reversible pen tips.

Therefore, you have lots of options as far as what colors you can use. Plus, the darker and lighter shades make it really easy to create shadowing on colored letters and objects.

When used on non-porous surfaces, pen marks wipe off clean very easily. For example, chalkboard decals and wallpaper, menu boards, labels, windows, mirrors, etc..

In addition, the pens have a water-based chalk “ink”. Therefore, any marks wash off easy from your skin or clothes (kid friendly too!).

Note: Many people prefer liquid chalk markers because they don’t make a lot of dust.

Plus, this set provides a lot more color options and artistic pen tips, so you can achieve a fancier look with less effort. =)