I love my blackboard — though it must be really black, so every stroke of chalk stands out crisply, and every smear of chalk means something. I use it for everything: doing sums, making lists, jotting quick thoughts about the many projects I’m always working on. And sometimes I just like to do a quick sketch. It’s only temporary, unlike my sketchbooks, but there’s a freedom in knowing that if it’s naff, you just rub it out. But that’s not even the real reason for doing chalk sketches. I think I like the ease, the fun, the sense of playfulness you have with chalk. And a swipe of the finger revises, re-works, and lets you re-observe or re-imagine. I can see doing chalk drawings as a kind of warm-up before I get my paintbox or pastels out.
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