• 60 signs

Chalkboard Art Ideas for Menus, Welcome Signs and Weddings

Three signs to letter, each with its layout and the two lettering styles to pair on it.

Chalkboard Art Ideas for Menus, Welcome Signs and Weddings

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  1. Ribbon banner with folded endsBanner, capitals only. Flat middle first, then a folded tail each side. Fill the folds solid white.
  2. Fairy lights looping across the topBorder, script and capitals. One sagging wire, a bulb every few centimetres. Smudge a soft halo round each bulb.
  3. Laundry sign: wash, dry, fold, repeatStack, tall capitals and script. Four stacked words, a tiny peg between each. 'Repeat' in script with a looped arrow.

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All 60 signs

Easy 19

  • Bake sale board with a bunting header Banner, capitals only. One letter per flag. Bakes and prices in two tidy rows beneath.
  • Birthday board with the age in a starburst Stack, shadow capitals. The age is the biggest thing on the board. Name above, streamers from the corners.
  • Bunting, one letter per flag Banner, capitals only. A sagging string, then triangles. Count the letters first so the word is centred.
  • Cards and gifts sign with a ribbon bow Stack, script and capitals. Two loops and two tails make the bow. 'Cards' and 'gifts' in script, 'and' small.
  • Double-line frame with notched corners Frame, slab and script. Two ruled lines a finger apart. Cut each corner with a small inward quarter circle.
  • Fairy lights looping across the top Border, script and capitals. One sagging wire, a bulb every few centimetres. Smudge a soft halo round each bulb.
  • Guest book sign with a curling arrow Stack, script and capitals. 'Please sign our guest book', then an arrow that curls down toward the table.
  • Herb pot labels on small tags Label, capitals only. One word per tag, a sprig of the herb beneath. Rule two guide lines first.
  • Laurel of two branches meeting at the bottom Wreath, serif and script. Two curved stems, leaves in pairs pointing up. Leave a gap at the top.
  • Lemonade stand sign with the price in a starburst Stack, shadow capitals. 'Lemonade' across the top, a jug in the middle, the price in a jagged star.
  • Pantry jar labels in a line frame Label, capitals only. A thin rounded box with the word centred. Same letter height on every jar.
  • Pantry shopping list with chalk on a string List, slab and script. 'We need' across the top, eight ruled lines beneath. Tie the chalk to the frame.
  • Pumpkin row along the bottom edge Border, shadow capitals. Pumpkins of different heights. One bat top left, a web in the top right corner.
  • Ribbon banner with folded ends Banner, capitals only. Flat middle first, then a folded tail each side. Fill the folds solid white.
  • Shoes off, please, with a row of boots Stack, slab and script. 'Shoes off' in slab capitals, 'please' in script. Boots in three sizes beneath.
  • Signpost with three arrow boards Arrows, capitals only. One post, boards pointing alternate ways. One or two words per board.
  • Soup of the day inside a steaming bowl Stack, script and capitals. Draw the bowl big and letter inside it. Three wavy steam lines rise to the header.
  • Spring border of tulips with a bee's dotted path Border, script and capitals. Tulips along the bottom edge only. The bee's dotted path loops round the words.
  • Valentine border of hearts on one looping line Border, script and capitals. One line runs round the board and loops into a heart every hand's width.

Menus and specials 9

  • A-frame sign with an arrow to the door Arrows, slab and script. Three lines at most: what, how much, which way. It is read at walking pace.
  • Bakery board: fresh today, with wheat ears Stack, serif and script. A wheat ear curves up each side. 'Fresh' in script, the bakes in capitals.
  • Breakfast menu with a half-sun header Stack, tall capitals and script. Half a sun with ruled rays. 'Breakfast' in tall capitals, the dishes in script.
  • Coffee menu with three cups drawn to scale Columns, capitals only. Cups in a row, small to large, prices beneath. The drinks list runs down the left.
  • Dinner party menu: starter, main, pudding Stack, serif and script. A small diamond between courses. Course in capitals, dish in script.
  • Ice cream flavours, one scoop per flavour Columns, script and capitals. One tall cone down the left. Each flavour name sits level with its scoop.
  • Market stall price list under a fruit crate List, capitals only. The crate spans the top. One line per fruit, the price flush right.
  • Pizza night toppings list with vote boxes List, slab and script. A slice as the header. A small square before each topping takes the tally marks.
  • Today's specials with a price column List, slab and script. Dishes left, prices right, dotted leaders between. Underline the header twice.

Welcome and kitchen signs 8

  • Coffee station sign: but first, coffee Stack, script and capitals. 'But first' in small capitals, 'coffee' in big script, a steaming cup beneath.
  • Front door sign: shh, baby sleeping Stack, script and capitals. A crescent moon and three stars on top. 'Shh' in script, the rest in capitals.
  • Guest room welcome with the wifi details List, serif and script. 'Welcome' in script above a ruled box for the network name and the password.
  • Kitchen house rules, numbered in circles List, slab and script. Five rules at most. Number each in a circle down the left. Vary the sizes.
  • Kitchen opening hours, with a joke last line List, slab and script. Breakfast, lunch and dinner with times. Last line: closed when the cook sits down.
  • Laundry sign: wash, dry, fold, repeat Stack, tall capitals and script. Four stacked words, a tiny peg between each. 'Repeat' in script with a looped arrow.
  • Weekly meal planner, seven boxes Grid, capitals only. Day names down the left. Rule the boxes firmly, then wipe only inside them.
  • Welcome sign with the family name on a ribbon Banner, script and capitals. 'Welcome' in script above. The name in capitals on a ribbon with folded ends.

Wedding and party signs 9

  • Baby shower board with a washing line of clothes Banner, script and capitals. Tiny clothes pegged across the top, one letter of the name on each.
  • Ceremony sign: pick a seat, not a side Stack, serif and script. Four short lines. 'Seat' and 'side' in script so the rhyme shows.
  • Dessert table sign with a three-tier cake Stack, serif and script. The cake stands on the left, full height. Letter to its right, ranged left.
  • Drinks menu under two clinking glasses Stack, slab and script. Glasses on top with three spark lines. Drink names in capitals, contents in script.
  • Order of the day with an icon per line List, tall capitals and script. Times left, events right, a small icon between: rings, glass, fork, cake.
  • Our story timeline: met, engaged, married List, tall capitals and script. Three dates down a dotted line, a heart at each stop. Years in tall capitals.
  • Photo booth sign: grab a prop, strike a pose Arrows, shadow capitals. Moustache, glasses and hat along the top. A fat arrow points to the booth.
  • Seating plan with a laurel round each table number Columns, serif and script. One small laurel per table. Guest names in plain capitals to read from a distance.
  • Wedding welcome sign with two names and the date Stack, script and capitals. A small line on top, both names large in script, the date in spaced capitals.

Seasonal borders 8

  • Autumn border of falling leaves Border, serif and script. Pile the leaves deep along the bottom and thin them toward the top, as if settling.
  • Easter border of eggs in three patterns Border, capitals only. Stripes, dots, zigzags, in turn. Tilt each egg a little so the row looks hand-laid.
  • Give thanks wreath of wheat and berries Wreath, script and capitals. Wheat ears all lean the same way round the ring. Berries in threes fill the gaps.
  • Holly and berry corners Corners, serif and script. Three spiky leaves and three berries per corner. Leave a glint of board on each berry.
  • New Year board with fireworks from the corners Corners, shadow capitals. Bursts of straight lines from both top corners. The year in the biggest numerals.
  • Snowflake border, big flakes outside, dots inside Border, tall capitals and script. Six arms per flake. Let the flakes shrink to dots as they near the words.
  • Summer corners of lemons and leaves Corners, script and capitals. Two lemons and five leaves, top left and bottom right. Leave the other corners bare.
  • Sunflower corners for late summer Corners, slab and script. Half a sunflower peeps from each bottom corner. Cross-hatch the centres.

Banners, laurels and frames 7

  • Arch of words over a straight line Stack, tall capitals and script. Draw the curve round a big plate. Rule a second curve for the tops of the letters.
  • Circle badge with words round the rim Frame, capitals only. Two circles from a plate and a saucer. Words run round the gap, a star each side.
  • Frame built from four curly brackets Frame, script and capitals. One bracket per side, points outward. Add a small diamond where the brackets meet.
  • Full wreath of mixed leaves and berries Wreath, script and capitals. Draw round a plate. Three leaf shapes in turn, all leaning one way round the ring.
  • Scroll with curled ends for a long line Banner, serif and script. A long flat strip with a spiral curl at each end. Shade inside the curls.
  • Ticket stub frame with scalloped ends Frame, slab and script. A wide box with half circles bitten from both short ends. A dashed tear line inside.
  • Wavy ribbon banner in three sections Banner, script and capitals. The middle section sits forward, the outer two tuck behind. Letters follow the wave.

How it works

Menus, kitchen and welcome boards, wedding signs, seasonal borders, and the banners, laurels and frames that hold the words: 60 chalkboard art ideas to letter indoors. Each one names its layout and a lettering pairing, then says where the words and drawings go. Six groups sort them, and Easy holds 19 for a first board.

Read the full guide

The lettering pairings, in plain words

A good sign uses two styles and no more. Script is joined, flowing handwriting, best for one or two big words. Capitals are plain block letters for anything read fast, such as prices. A serif is the small stroke on the end of a letter's main strokes, and a slab is a serif drawn very thick, which shouts nicely on a specials board. Tall capitals are narrow and stretched. Shadow capitals carry a second line to the lower right.

Set out the board before you letter

Rule a pair of faint guide lines for each line of wording. Count the letters in a line, spaces included, and start from the middle one so the line lands centred. Give the most important word the most room. To fake the thick and thin of calligraphy, write the script word, then double every downstroke and fill it in.

  • Rub stick chalk to a wedge on rough paper. The edge draws thin lines and the flat side fills banners.
  • A chalk marker gives a crisper line, and its ink is water-soluble. Test it on a hidden corner first and check that it wipes off your board.
  • For easy chalkboard art, start with a border. It frames whatever you write, even plain handwriting.

Questions and answers

What can I use as a chalkboard?

Any board painted with a dark matte paint will do, which is all many blackboards are. Slate was the original surface. For a sign, a framed offcut of painted board hangs well, and an A-frame board stands by a door, the way restaurants and bars chalk up daily specials.

How do I fix a mistake without wiping the whole sign?

Wrap a damp cloth round one fingertip, or use a damp cotton bud, and lift only the wrong stroke. Let the patch dry before you chalk over it. Wipe the guide lines away the same way once the lettering is done.

How is this different from pavement chalk or a whiteboard?

A chalkboard sign is lettered once and left up for a week, a season or a wedding day, so it rewards slow, careful layout. For big pictures on the ground, see chalk drawing ideas. For countdowns and wipe-off games that change daily, see whiteboard drawing ideas.

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