On a recent trip to a Whole Foods market, I was observing the signage in their store, which featured text and hand-drawn images on black backgrounds. The signs gave the effect of chalk on a blackboard. I wanted to replicate the same look (without chalk or a blackboard), so I pulled out my art supplies and gave it a go.
For the design, I started with a pencil sketch of a circular frame and a floral theme. I hand lettered the short phrase “You deserve flowers” in the center using a lettering style that has been popular as of late.
To create the chalkboard effect, I redrew the design with a white pencil on 11X17 black construction paper and used a white Sharpie® oil-based paint marker to fill in the lines. Due to the absorbent nature of the paper, I had to retrace the design elements several times to build up the white. A final retracing of the design with the white pencil this time helped darken the lines even more and added to the overall chalk effect.
Although I was pleased with the white on black image, I opted to add color to the design to bring more attention to the floral objects. Overall, I think the result was a success.