DIY - How to Design a Chalkboard Perfectly Every Time AND Free Printable! -

Hi there! I found an antique chalkboard at a local antique store and knew I had to get it. Being a teacher, I really love finding old schoolhouse items. Working on growing my collection! 🙂

My inspiration came from my vintage strawberry drawing that I recently found. Isn’t this perfect for summer?

First, download one of my free printables at the bottom of this post! 🙂 It is setup to print on regular 8.5″ x 11″ printer paper, but you can adjust the page size to fit your chalkboard in the printer settings.

When it prints, it will print a section of the printable on each page. Tape them together.

I use graphite paper to trace over my artwork, and it will transfer directly onto your chalkboard. Here is the graphite paper I use. I got it from Hobby Lobby a few years ago and its lasted a long time!

There are 2 sides to the graphite paper. One side has the graphite (the darker side), the other does not. Place the side with the graphite facedown onto your chalkboard.

Then, lay your taped-together artwork on top of the graphite paper. Use a pen or pencil to trace the outline of your artwork. It will transfer the graphite directly onto the chalkboard so that you are left with a faint outline of your artwork on the chalkboard.

This would probably be a good time to note that my wonderful husband gave me the idea to use the graphite paper – he deserves some credit, right??

Use chalk or a chalk marker to fill in your artwork! For this chalkboard, I used a chalk marker because it is a very rough surface. I use the finer point for the thinner lines, and the thicker marker to fill in large spaces. Here’s what I use! Pretty sure I got them from Michael’s. Don’t forget your coupons. : )

And that’s how I get my chalkboards to look great every time! I have to give major kudos to the artists that free-hand their chalkboard art. I’m always in awe when I see one free-handed.

Don’t forget to download your printable below! There are a couple of different options if you choose to print and frame them. I would love to see how your artwork turns out!

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