CHALK ART : "Monster Bridge"

This week, I decided to do something fun for the kids on my street. I got the idea when watching them come home from school one afternoon, and thought it would be interesting to see what they would do if I surprised them with a "chalk mural" in my driveway. Judging by their comments of, "Hey...come look at this! It so COOL!", I think my plan worked.

I started out with the idea of a giant suspension bridge hanging over rushing water that was coming from under my broken driveway. I had ordered some "chalk paint" some weeks ago, and finally had a chance to try them out. The colors of all the chalks I had were mostly a bit lighter and more pastel than I wanted. But they did the job for this project. I will probably order some more online from a company that makes chalk for artists to use when drawing on sidewalks for festivals.

As you can see below, it's pretty dangerous for me to cross over.

A day later, I decided to simplify the "broken concrete" edge. Using a house painting brush with water, I was able to erase and blend colors easily. I sometimes painted over areas of chalk with a wet brush to make it cover more solidly, since my sidewalk and driveway is pretty bumpy.

My grandson (who is 5) came over and played on the bridge. We raced across it a few times, then he said that it needed a monster under it. I asked if he wanted a goofy one or a scary one. "Scary!". So the next morning, I got out the chalk and created the tentacled menace that now appears under the bridge.

I will do more murals in the weeks ahead, after a good rain comes. Or maybe I'll get too excited for the next idea I have, and just hose this puppy down.