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10 Tips to the Ultimate Sidewalk Chalk Art Adventure!

A Guide for Creative Kids & Gutsy Grown-Ups

By Chris Dunmire, www.creativeslush.com

Every summer you see stacked buckets brimming full of colorful sidewalk chalk lining the toy aisles of your favorite big-box store. Your kids tug at your shirt-tail begging you to buy some for once this year. Or maybe you're secretly curious about what chalk art can unleash in you, you big ol' kid-at-heart. No matter. You give in and load a bucket full 'o fun into your cart and then wonder what you're supposed to do next. Wonder no more... this guide will illuminate the way to the ultimate sidewalk chalk art adventure for you and your kids ... or just for you!

Tip #1: Happy sunshine makes happy artshine. No artist (big or small) likes to be too cold or too hot while working outside, so be weather-wise. For best results, work when it's sunny out because the sunshine will infuse you with positive energy and illuminate your path to wonderful artistic expression. Plus, you'll actually see what you're doing!

Tip #2: Have the necessary 'tools of the trade' on hand. Your checklist:

[ X ] Sidewalk Chalk (assorted colors)
[ X ] Towel (to sit on, concrete's tough on the tush!)
[ X ] Simple Cartoony Lessons or Sketches
[ X ] Optional: Hooked-up Garden Hose (washes off art)

Tip #3: Find a nice clean stretch of sidewalk to work on. The painter has his art canvas and the weaver has her loom. Your "canvas" is a blank stretch of concrete sidewalk and your medium is chalk. Pick a place where you can do your sidewalk chalk art without distraction and without being a distraction to (or in the way of) others. Be sure it's relatively clean and free of debris, dirt, and ants enjoying a pile o' popsicle sugar water.

Tip #4: Pick one cement square to begin on. It can be overwhelming to see a long stretch of blank sidewalk canvas in front of you. Take a deep breath and relax. You don't have to fill it all up with beautiful chalk drawings. All you have to do is pick one square and begin there at whatever level you're at. If your art wants to flow outside the lines and into other squares, that's fine. But for now, start at square one.

Tip #5: Remember, everyone is creative. Before you make one mark on the sidewalk, remind yourself of your vast capacity for creative expression. You need not doubt or question your ability to be creative because it's an innate part of who you are. Remember, creativity is your birthright. Besides, if you weren't a creative person, how could you possibly be outside with chalk in hand ready to go? One of the sure traits of a creative person is being open to experience!

Tip #6: Warm up with light doodly play. If this is your first time doing sidewalk chalk art, take a few minutes to experiment with this new medium. Squiggle and squaggle. Feel the chalk give way as you pull it across the rough cement. Experiment with line, shape, color, texture, and pressure. Learn how to use chalk on this unique canvas. And if you've done sidewalk chalk art before, use this time to warm-up and reacquaint yourself with your tools. (Psst... if you're an expert chalk-artist kid, try not to show up your parent(s) too much!)

Tip #7: When you're ready, doodle/draw with more precision. If you've had enough play (you can always go back to playing later), think of something you'd like to draw. Then begin by outlining your idea on the sidewalk. Details aren't too important right now... just the main concept. You can draw lightly at first... and then outline it with thicker, darker lines later. If you're following a cartoony drawing lesson, that's fine too.

Tip #8: Graduate to more details. After you have your outline done, try filling in the details. And then step back and look at your drawing. What do you think? If it needs more work, have at it. More color, more details, thicker lines? When you're satisfied, proudly sign your work. Your creation is finished.

Tip #9: Record your creation. It's a fact of life: sidewalk chalk art is impermanent. This means if you draw something really nifty and want to keep it, you'll need to capture it on film before it washes off the sidewalk during the next rain. And think: If you take pictures on your digital camera, you can upload them to your blog and write about the experience or e-mail them to your creativity-supporting friends on the other side of the world. Please, capture this experience — it's now a piece of your artistic history!

Tip #10: Draw more. And more. And MORE! How did your first sidewalk chalk art creation turn out? Hideously horrifying or perfectly pleasant? Celebrate your creation (or cut your losses) and move on. Then do another. And another. And another one after that. Soon you'll find yourself drawn into a blissful realm of creative process that makes the whole world outside of you just melt away. And you just might find this playful form of art wonderfully addictive!

If not, it's just a bucket of chalk, right? And if you're without your own kids to use the rest of it up, some other kidlings in the neighborhood will love to have and use them. All was not lost for you, dear kid at heart, 'cause now you have a new artform to 'chalk up to experience'! •

© 2007 Chris Dunmire www.creativeslush.com. All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce this article elsewhere without my written permission. (08/23/07)

About the Author | More by Chris Dunmire
Chris Dunmire is an artist, humorist, Kaizen-Muse creativity coach, and the driving force behind the popular Creativity Portal Web site. Chris inspires people of all ages with creativity articles, printable playbooks, and fun projects such as her world-famous Dollar Bill Origami Money Plant.