People We Admire: CJ Hughes from CustomChalk

Image from Custom Chalk on Etsy

We love seeing great artists who appreciate design, art and chalk as much as we do. We have definitely found just that in CJ Hughes of CustomChalk!

CJ has a knack for typography and this is flawlessly translated into his many custom chalk pieces. Some other big brands have noticed as well, such as the Rachel Ray Magazine and even the Super Bowl!

This Tennessee native proudly proclaims that he was the child who “sat in the corner in school and drew dragons on his notebook.” Hughes channeled his love for drawing into a graphic design job for some time, until his wife convinced him to draw a chalk mural- and boy are we glad that she did! Chalk art has turned into a full-time job for him and he now travels all around the U.S. making custom chalk art murals, while also creating prints, custom chalk pieces and videos in his studio. See just how he does it in a time-lapse video on his website.

We also admire his technique! He uses chalk for most of his pieces, but for some works he uses a permanent white pencil that is water resistant and smudge free, making shipping the pieces a breeze. Using his graphic design skills, he has also developed a digital “fake chalk” in which you can order a custom digital piece and experiment with the layout yourself!

What artists do you admire? Share with us in the comments below or show us on Pinterest by tagging Chalkboard China, tell us on Facebook or tweet at us at @ChalkboardChina.

We would love to hear from you!