Learning calligraphy requires a lot of time and patience. Before you can begin writing your letters, you have to understand different stroke methods and their effects. 

If you don’t have the time or patience to learn authentic calligraphy, faux calligraphy is your best bet. Learning faux calligraphy using chalk markers is typically the go-to route for business owners, restaurants, coffee shops, teachers, or art students to create an eye-catching visual piece. 

Keep reading our beginners guide to faux calligraphy using chalk markers to achieve an authentic calligraphy look with a fraction of the time and effort. 

What Is Faux Calligraphy?

Faux calligraphy is a way to achieve calligraphy-style lettering without a brush pen or dip pen. Faux calligraphy is created by going over certain parts of your lettering with bold strokes and filling them in to create a look of dip pen calligraphy. 

Learning faux calligraphy is an excellent way to build muscle memory for traditional calligraphy so that you will know all the basic lettering shapes.

Materials Needed for Faux Calligraphy

Before creating your beautiful chalk marker art, you must gather the appropriate materials. You will need:

• A chalkboard or clean, smooth surface
• A wet rag or wipe
• Pencil and eraser
• Chalk markers
• A ruler
• Masking tape (optional)

When using chalk markers, you want to ensure you’re using them on a non-porous surface. If you’re using chalk markers on a chalkboard, you must season the surface first because you will have a tough time erasing the artwork if you don’t. 

If you’re NOT using a chalkboard, you need to ensure that your surface is spotless and rid of any ghosting. Ghosting is when past artwork still appears faintly on the surface, even after cleaning. Cleaning your surface with a mix of water and vinegar is the best way to rid your surface of any excess chalk or ghosting.

Cover the entire surface with standard chalk to season your chalkboard, and then wipe it clean. This step is essential to prevent ghosting and give you a clean surface to write your faux calligraphy. 

How To Fake Calligraphy With Chalk Markers

Once you have all the supplies you need and have seasoned your chalkboard or prepared your surface, you’re ready to go!

Step 1: Come Up With a Concept

Think about the message you’re trying to convey. Are you adding images or effects to your artwork? You want to convey a clear message to your target audience. Take your time and think of ways to create a creative and eye-catching piece of art using faux calligraphy.

Step 2: Sketch Your Letters

Grab your notebook and begin to sketch out the words in your handwriting. This step is essential to any calligraphy piece, even using chalk markers. You want to get familiarized with the wording and each letter. 

Once you’re familiar with the words, count the number of letters your message contains so you will know how to format your piece and center the wording. You should ignore small details during this step. Instead, focus on the perfect composition for your lettering. 

When you’re satisfied with your final drawing, you can prepare your surface. Create multiple wording variations to find the concept you like the most. Once you find the best idea for you, you can start your final sketch with your details, images, and lettering effects.

Step 3: Prepare Your Surface

After creating your sketch, it’s time to make the final piece. You can mark guidelines on your surface using masking tape to divide the surface according to your drawing. This step is essential to ensure you have enough space for your masterpiece. You won’t have to worry about taking up too much space or using too little when you prepare your surface. You can skip this step if you’re using a small chalkboard or a smaller surface. 

Step 4: Draw the Letter’s Skeleton

After preparing your board, take out your erasable white chalk marker to draw your letter’s skeleton. This means writing the letters on the board without the added thickness or effects. You want to keep enough space between your letters to ensure you have room to add contrast and thickness. 

Step 5: Add Thickness and Contrast

After perfecting your lettering, it’s time to add a little spice to it. Draw the letters again on top of their skeletons. Make sure to take your time on this step. You want to ensure that each letter’s thickness, contrast, height, and spacing are consistent. 

If your letters are slanted, you want to ensure ALL your letters are slanted. You want your piece to be almost flawless before wiping away extra lines or mistakes.

Step 6: Add the Final Touches

The last step to creating a faux calligraphy masterpiece is to add the final touches and effects you want to your board. If you wish to add designs and patterns to your artwork, this is the time! By adding the final touches to your artwork, you can upgrade your faux calligraphy piece, and no one will ever suspect you as a beginner. However, if you don’t want to add images or patterns and wish to keep it minimal, use this step to check for any imperfections to fix.

And voilà! You created faux calligraphy using chalk markers!

Additional Tips To Perfect Your Faux Calligraphy

There are many ways to make your faux calligraphy stand out. Consider these tips when planning your next masterpiece.

• Practice makes perfect: Don’t worry if you don’t perfect it on the first try! Keep practicing different fonts in your journal to improve your faux calligraphy.
• Try adding contrasting elements and colors: To add more personality and contrast between words, play with different lettering effects and colors.
• Avoid mixing too many fonts: Only mix two or three fonts to prevent your piece from feeling cluttered.

Faux calligraphy is a chalk marker enthusiast’s best friend. Our erasable chalk markers create a perfect look of authentic chalk without the extra mess! By using our beginner’s guide to faux calligraphy, you will be a pro in no time. Remember to keep practicing and try new fonts to expand your lettering abilities.