The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering: Create and Develop Your Own Style - INCLUDES 3 BUILT-IN CHALKBOARDS Hardcover – Illustrated, September 22, 2015

Fun book! Very easy to follow and encouraging in style. I love chalk signs and wanted to learn how to make my own. Let me say, my handwriting is STINKY and if I just handwrote a sign, it would look terrible (I've tried and failed!). I also have no drawing experience. I bought the book because the author swears you don't need to have good handwriting to hand letter a sign and she is very encouraging. She is right! We were having a big party for my hubby's 50th and I wanted to make a sign to greet guests in the hallway. I didn't have time to do all the lessons, but I read thru the book and copied some of the lettering styles and embellishments in the book. My first effort was great and it was too fun - and it only took like half and hour! I had no idea I could draw like this, since my writing is all over the place. Go for it - you never know the talents you have unless you try new things, and this book is an excellent tool to learn to make chalk art!

We purchased this as a gift for a relative who just recently bought a display chalkboard for use at home. She would write notes relating to the season/holiday at hand or inspirational sayings. After receiving this, she has taken her displays to a new level! She is a creative person, but not an artist per se. She said using the techniques and examples in the book, it is very easy to get great results.

My daughter is very creative with chalk, has been her whole life. She is expecting her first child so I bought her a sandwich-style chalkboard (like you see at coffee shops) figuring it will be extra special for birthdays, holidays, announcements, etc. I bought her some chalk markers as well as regular, old-school white chalk...and this amazing book! It is incredible, it has everything from how to season your chalkboard to sharpening your chalk with a pencil sharpener (who knew!!!). Do not hesitate to buy it, you will not be sorry!

Great book to learn how to chalk lettering at home.

I have been a fan of Valerie McKeehan's work for a while now so I was quick to pre-order this book.When it arrived, I dug right in. The author does a great job of breaking down her process and the various elements of a chalk lettering design. She gives step by step advice and encourages practicing each and building skills at each step. The descriptions are clear and she makes the process approachable. She encourages everyone - even those with messy handwriting - to focus on refining their skills and using her provided tips to develop a unique personal style.Whether it works or not will depend on how much I work it. As they say, practice makes perfect. As you would expect with any skill, there is definitely a learning curve and it will improve with practice but this book has essentially everything I need to coach me through that process. I have always wanted to be able to create a beautiful lettering design on a chalkboard and with this book's help, I think I'll get there.

I just received this book today. I started playing with it right away. My husband made me a really large framed chalk board for our dinning room, and I have a friend who does great chalk art, so my plan was to pay her to do my chalk board a few times a year, but I could never find a time when she was available. I saw this book and read all the reviews. I thought I would give it a try. It's really a great book, the lessons are well thought out and go step by step. She says in the book that you do not have to have good handwriting to learn this, and based on the 30 minutes I spent working through her first lesson, I would have to agree. It's well taught. Now I don't have to only change my chalkboard a few times a year, after I go through this book I'm confident I'll be able to change my chalkboard when ever the mood strikes.

This was actually my gift and I'm loving it. I've always been a fan of calligraphy and lettering and wanted to learn a few new fonts and techniques. I got more than I bargained for. This book is packed with not only letters, but different frames, embellishments, how to do shadows (YES!) an more. I love the different projects to try and the chalkboards included actually work just like chalkboards. There is a lined board in the front and then folded boards in the back which you can open and look at the tutorials as you draw...or fold to the back to use sketchbook style. It is a very well designed and thoughtful book and a great value for the money. I purchased the Allary Chalk Cartridge Set, sold here on Amazon, to go along with this purchase and LOVE them. They are a great companion to the book as they are thin chalks in a mechanical pencil type holder that don't need to be sharpened (but can be) and I was very surprised that they weren't waxy. - Denise Cold

I was looking for a book to help me create fun, silly, artistic, beautiful writing in my journals. Some books I looked at in the book store had tons of empty practice pages--more of a workbook than a teaching book. Many more were filled with bright colors, boldly splashed on the pages, with tons of whimsical lettering that looked the same from page to page. I was disappointed and considered giving up. Then I saw this book on Amazon and took a chance. So glad I did! Yes, it is designed for people who want to make creative letters on a chalkboard, but it is a perfect book for anyone wanting to learn artistic lettering. This book provides the most variety of letter styles than any other book I've seen. And the black & white illustrations plainly show the reader how to use shape, shading and letter placement to create lovely lettering. Use those other books for ideas on color, use this one for practical instruction on lettering.