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Tips & Techniques

Rules of participation: 
Only NON oil-based Pastels are to be used. The use of any other material is prohibited. The only exception is the use of diluted Tempera paint, which may be used as a thin wash of undercoat. Tempera paint MUST be diluted with WATER.

The Chalk Walk Committee reserves the right to deem any subject matter as inappropriate for this all-ages, noncommercial event. Inappropriate subject matter includes political or commercial advertisement (statements or logos) or subject matter not suitable for children. The committee has compiled a list of thematic suggestions.

The Chalk Walk Committee is responsible for inscribing the sponsor’s name on/near spaces (where applicable).

The Committee reserves the right to limit the number to 2 people working on any space at any given time, with the exception of those who have registered for family spaces.

Non-compliance with these rules may result in removal from the Festival.

General suggestions:

• Bring plenty of water to keep hydrated.
• Bring more water.
• Bring a hat of some kind to provide protection from sunburn and lessen the sun’s glare as you work.
• Sun Block is highly recommended.
• Knee pads or some kind of cushion are highly recommended.
• Plan to purchase individual sticks/pieces of those colors you plan to use the most of in your image. Some swapping of colors with other artists will probably be possible, but if you know that you’ll be using a lot of a few colors, you might want to buy extras of these colors ahead of time.
• Visit the Chalk Walk website Gallery for examples of what was chalked in past years and a list of thematic suggestions.
• Registration begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday and will be possible all weekend. All non-reserved and unclaimed reserved spaces will be released to other artists at noon on Saturday, UNLESS the committee is notified in advance to hold a space beyond that time.

Getting Ready to Chalk: Tips and Techniques
This is a helpful guide to get artists ready for The Fort Wayne Museum of Art Chalk Walk. There are plenty of resources available at The Allen County Public Library for more techniques and ideas.

It is always good to plan ahead. Think of some ideas of what you want to create, draw out some of your ideas and think of what colors you might use.

Sometimes chalkers use a lot of one color. You might want to buy extra of that color. The Fort Wayne Museum Art will have extra pastels and tempera paints available forsale.

 

Preparing Your Square

Materials: tempera paint, paint roller, and masking tape
**Please, use only tempera paints**

Tempera Paint: Water based paint, which provides a great background for chalking. Tempera paint MUST be diluted with WATER.

Paint Roller: A quick way to cover your background with tempera

Masking Tape: A great way to quickly separate colors while painting the background. (Example: Horizon line i.e. Blue-Sky vs. Green-Grass.

Techniques for Chalking

Crosshatching:

Strokes of different directions, one over the other in opposite directions to create the illusion of shadows.

Blending with your finger or aa wet brush:

Used for shading and combining two colors or more, experiment with using your finger, a brush or rag and see which works best for you. 


Broad Strokes:

Use the side of the chalk to fill large areas quickly. Blending together the midtones and some highlights Layering the midtones to create deep rich colors.

Layering:

 

1. Chalk midtones then apply hairspray (fixative) ** It might be a good idea to use tempera and a paint roller for midtones for faster results
2. Chalk shadows then apply hairspray (fixative)
3. Chalk highlights then apply hairspray (fixative)

Using a Grid 

Materials: 
Chalk Line, measuring tape, ruler 
If you are working with several people it might be a good idea to decide ahead of time who will create what or you might decide to grid or section off your square. (Read more about gridding below) 

Why use a Grid?

To divide the square up equally to stop Artistic Napoleons from taking over the square.

• To create a more realistic image
• To help Balance you abstract creation

How do I use a grid?

Draw grid of equal units over your artistic sketch or photograph

1. Mark across the top of the grid with letters and down the side of the grid with numbers
2. Next scale the units to transfer to the larger square (i.e. 1 inch = 6 inches)
3. Measure off and create your grid (We suggest using a chalk line, available at your local hardware store)
4. Mark across top of the square the with letters and down the side with numbers
5. Use the original gridded image and focus on drawing one section of the grid at a time. This will create a surprisingly more realistic image.