How to write beautifully on a slate board: 2 best ways

Chalk boards are becoming increasingly popular in modern interiors. Firstly, it is very convenient - by hanging such a board in the kitchen, you can write short reminders to yourself about what you will buy and what you should not forget to do.

For a family with children, this is also an irreplaceable entertainment and your wallpaper will remain intact. Chalk boards are used to decorate parties and birthdays, and adults also love to draw on it and leave wishes.

You can buy such a board ready-made and it costs from 10 to 100 dollars, but why? If it’s very simple, you can make a chalk board at home from any base and acrylic paint.

Choosing paint for the board

There are special paints - they are called “for chalkboards”, but you need to spend money on them.

• The peculiarity of such paints is that they are the same acrylic, BUT they contain small solid particles that allow the chalk to linger on the surface of the board.
• If you add any abrasive material to the paint, for example, gypsum, grout, cement, then it is precisely its elements that will make ordinary acrylic paint suitable for painting on it.
• We offer the simplest master class for making such paint using alabaster and black acrylic.

Choosing a board base

You can choose absolutely any base, it could be:

• Any plywood
• Any piece of board, table top or piece of old facade
• Mirror glass or
• Cardboard - take apart the old cardboard box and the base is ready

If you choose wood as a base, then do not forget to sand it and treat it against corrosion - read more about processing wood, cuts and branches here.

Master class: how to make a chalk board

The fastest and easiest way to make a board is to use any cardboard as a base; it does not need to be processed before painting. In addition, after practicing on it, you can move on to larger surfaces.

Ingredients and Tools

• 2 tablespoons alabaster
• 1 tablespoon water
• 3 tablespoons black acrylic paint
• cardboard
• tassel
• dry rag and chalk

Manufacturing process

1. We take alabaster and water in a ratio of 1 to 2, mix and rub the lumps well until a uniform thick mixture is obtained.
2. Pour paint into the container. There should be 3 times more paint than alabaster. Add the prepared mixture of alabaster and water to the paint and mix thoroughly so that there are no lumps left.
3. If you don’t mind and have a technical attachment, you can do this using a mixer. It's faster and more reliable. But if you stir with a spoon, it doesn’t take long either - the lumps will disperse in 2-3 minutes.

If the mixture is too thick, add a little more water, since acrylic paints from different manufacturers have different densities.

• In any case, our mixture with alabaster and paint should be easily applied with a brush, but also not flow.
• After this procedure, our mixture must be quickly applied to the base, since leaving it for a long time is not the best option - it begins to thicken.
• Take a wide brush and apply it to the cardboard.

For longevity, apply 3 coats of paint to the chalkboard . Let the paint dry completely between coats. After the third layer has dried, it is recommended to rub chalk over the entire surface to harden it , and then wipe the chalk with a dry towel.

TIP: The cardboard may sag slightly after applying the paint, but it will straighten out once it dries.

Insert the cardboard into any photo or painting frame and your board is ready!

Gypsum

The main components are plaster (1/4) with paint (3/4). Construction plaster helps to obtain a matte finish after painting twice.

There is no need to sand the board, but it is important to carry out all manipulations very quickly, since the composition dries in a very short period of time.

Chalkboard Ideas

This master class can also be used to paint all or part of a wall. These black wall drawing boards are becoming a whole trend in the kitchen or work area. But before painting, the wall must be treated; for details on how to paint and treat a brick wall, read this link.

You can create a very beautiful wall decor if you make a chalk board on thin sections of wood. You just need to apply the mixture to the surface (description of the mixture in the master class above), make a hole for mounting on the wall - and your original painting is ready. See what else you can do from cuts and stumps in the interior.

How to draw on a slate board? The answer is obvious - chalk. But not only.

Today I will talk about my experiments with different materials.

1. Chalk is round. Because it's easy to sharpen. Excellent material) Expressive, affordable, but... Easily erased / crumbles / smudges. What to do? Use #2

2. Hairspray. It will fix not only the styling, but also the letters.

I bought the cheapest one. It turned out to be Romantica Classic. I took the black one. Because it looked more stylish than white.

What to pay attention to: ✔ do not fix the entire composition with varnish at once. Draw a letter somewhere on the side of the board and test it on it. ✔ if sprayed too close, the chalk can get wet, flow, and your work will turn into a sad sight. ✔ spray the varnish with light movements, evenly, do not pour it into one point. Basically, imagine that you are a cross between a ballerina and the Tinker Bell fairy.

Once fixed with varnish, the chalk composition will not be erased by hand movement. Everything will hold tight and will not get dirty or smudge. Washable with a wet cloth. You'll have to rub it. Sometimes almost invisible marks may remain.

3. Dry pastel.

I used a set of “Petersburg” art pastels.

Wonderful stuff. ✔ does not crumble, unlike chalk. ✔ adds brightness to the composition ✔ you can create beautiful shading ✔ more durable than chalk Washable with a wet cloth with some effort.

4. Oil pastel.

I have Pentel.

✔Strong, bright, does not smear. For centuries. ❌Washing the board after it will be a big challenge.

While dry pastels can be easily wiped off, oil pastels set and firmly adhere to the board in a couple of minutes. I don’t know what will happen if it stands on the board for a month.

I do not rule out that you will rub and cry.

Absolutely everyone, without exception, likes to draw in preschool age, and most importantly, such a pastime helps to comprehensively develop the child, helping to improve fine motor skills and imagination, patience and color perception.

In this regard, many parents not only do not interfere with children’s arts, which threaten a sudden change in the design of the parts of the apartment accessible to the child, but also promote their children’s interest in such a hobby as early as possible. In such conditions, wax crayons are almost an ideal option.

Chalk surfaces in the bedroom interior

There are usually no strangers in the bedroom. It is everyone's personal space. Here your creativity will not receive unpleasant reviews. Don't be shy, enjoy making your fantasies come true in real life. In the bedroom, you can paint anything on the wall: chairs, cabinets, one of the headboards of the bed.

Peculiarities

The first analogues of modern wax crayons appeared many years ago - these were art pastels. The material, which today is also more perceived as intended for children's creativity, was previously actively used by serious artists for sketches, and sometimes even full-fledged paintings.

In the old days, only the artists themselves could make such pastels for their needs, who manually mixed pigments with wax, resulting in planed blocks of the desired size and color.

Of course, modern wax crayons differ significantly from classic pastels and even from the product that is called “pastel” today. This material is sometimes used as a component for real art, while wax crayons can fairly be called the “cheap” version for children.

Advantages

The modern market offers a huge variety of drawing products to choose from, and many of them are well suited even for the youngest children. However, wax crayons are an excellent solution for babies aged one year, and all because such a product has a number of useful qualities:

• Safety. It should be noted that parents should still carefully study the composition of crayons before purchasing, since not all manufacturers are conscientious. However, the composition of wax crayons does not necessarily require the presence of harmful chemicals, so even small children can use them without fear for their health.

• Softness . Wax-based crayons have a fairly high fat content, due to which they leave a bright, clearly visible mark on almost any paper. This is very convenient for kids who do not yet have the strength in their hands to press confidently.
• Convenience. Chalk, unlike most other drawing tools, writes from any side. If you still need to learn how to hold a pencil correctly, then you can take the chalk either side - it will still draw.

• Possibility of improving technology. Due to its special structure, this material does not break, so the baby will not have to worry about crumbled, quickly deteriorating chalk. However, if desired, you can sharpen it with something sharp, because thanks to this you can adjust the thickness of the line left. If you need to remove incorrectly drawn or simply unnecessary details, just use an ordinary eraser - and the paper will become clean again.
• Reusing crumbs . If the stick crumbles a lot, causing it to be used unproductively, then this is not a problem, because the resulting crumbs can be reused. To do this, you need to collect it by color and heat it in the oven - a temperature of several tens of degrees is enough to melt the wax. After this, the warm thick mass must be given a shape resembling a stick or another more convenient one, allowed to cool - and the product is ready for further use.

Purchasing coloring material

Chalkboard paint is popular for restoration processing of furniture. Thanks to its use, the surface becomes matte with a pleasant velvety feeling when touched.

• ease of painting any surfaces;
• high adhesion parameters;
• the ability to solve problems with surface quality;
• no unpleasant odor;
• high drying speed;
• no toxicity.

However, this is a hard-to-find and expensive type of paintwork material. You can find Tikkurila and Siberia products on sale.

Compound

Although the composition of wax crayon seems quite simple - pigment and wax - in fact, in modern recipes everything is much more complicated. Parents should take the time to read the ingredients first, because even with a completely harmless recipe, the child may have an allergic reaction to one or another component.

The production of crayons begins with several types of wax, mainly of paraffin origin, which melt at a temperature of several tens of degrees. After this, fillers are added to the melted mass, which not only increase the total volume of products produced, but also reduce the fragility of the sticks, because without such an addition they would crumble much more.

Despite the fact that paraffin wax itself has a good abrasion rate, stearic acid is also added to the composition, which makes the mark left more visible. After this, the manufacturer is forced to supplement the mixture with other components, for example, additives to prevent the mass from sticking to the mold.

Dyes are added last. Some manufacturers offer consumers a choice of more than a hundred shades of wax crayons, which already suggests the synthetic origin of the dyes used. However, not all companies that make these products necessarily use harmful ingredients, so you just need to choose carefully.

Colors

The modern color variety of wax crayons is amazing - some manufacturers offer more than a hundred shades in their palette. Of course, it is unlikely that you will be able to find a set with so many tones, and a child does not need so many - it would be more correct to call such products “full-fledged professional pastels.”

Children most often buy colored crayons in a set that includes, first of all, all the most basic shades. It should be noted that the colors of this tool do not mix: the shade applied on top will simply cover the bottom. This means that the number of color options in the set represents the maximum number of colors in the young artist's palette.

Occasionally, white wax chalk is also available, sold separately. It is more suitable for drawing on a slate board or even on asphalt, but in general this color is included in most color sets so that you can even draw on paper of any other color.

What to draw

A chalk board for a restaurant, bar or other establishments displays various creative ideas. On the canvases you can write aphorisms and quotes, wishes, recipes for drinks and dishes, unique promotions for visitors, and messages. The walls of bars and pubs are often painted with fonts and patterns that match the stylistic design of the establishment.

Creating an image that will look neat and will not harm the overall picture without special education and experience is not an easy task. To make the inscription beautiful, it is recommended to find a template on the Internet or develop it in an editor, combining fonts and sizes.

Brands

Nowadays, dozens of companies around the world are engaged in the production of children's wax crayons, but in Russia the products of no more than one and a half dozen brands are relatively widespread. They can be roughly divided into domestic, Chinese and foreign.

Among Russian manufacturers, the most famous companies occupy leading positions in the production of creative goods are the famous “Gamma” and “Luch”. You can buy them literally everywhere, the variety of sets is also quite wide, and most importantly, at a low price they give an acceptable result. As a first set, such a gift for a baby would be a good solution.

Types of slate surfaces

In the modern world, designers often use slate boards in their projects when creating apartment interiors. Their sizes as an attribute of room decor depend on the wishes of apartment owners who prefer black and white colors.

Chalkboard is made in different formats, from small to occupying the entire area of ​​one of the walls. You can use them to make specific reminder notes for family members. Can be used as a work of art. Draw with chalk or paints. Slate boards can give any room in the apartment a stylish and modern look. They are not difficult to make yourself or purchase in a store. They are placed on any of the smooth, flat surfaces.

There are several types of slate surfaces:

• slate, named after the hard black layered mineral slate;
• having slate paint as a finishing coating, the surface of which in appearance resembles a blackboard for writing with chalk;
• in the form of wallpaper with a pattern reminiscent of slate surfaces painted with chalk markers.

The most popular are boards with a coating that allows writing and drawings with chalk on them. Paint is used to cover the surfaces of walls, door panels, and furniture elements. There are boards with a magnetic slate surface that has the magnetic properties of graphite.