Chalks are one of the most versatile, readily available and inexpensive mediums of color you will find. Most all stamp and arts/crafts stores carry them. They are usually little squares of chalk inside a plastic snap top container, often coming in sets of several colors.

The first thing you need to know about chalks is what type of surface to use them on. You really need a good matte, or semi matte, cardstock. Glossy just won't work. This is because you need some "tooth" to the surface in order for it to "grab" the chalks.

The next thing you need to know is what types of inks to use for stamping images you will color with chalks. A standard dye ink is not advisable because dye inks will smear under the pressure when applying the chalks. I suggest using a semi-permanent type inkpad that is most often used with wet media like watercolors. A good choice for inkpads would be: Ranger Archival Inkpads, Brilliance Inkpads or StazOn Inkpads. Fabrico and Memories inkpads are also suppose to be permanent when heat set.

Once you've stamped your image wit the appropriate ink on cardstock, you then need to know how to apply the chalks. There are many ways to do this. You can use the following by rubbing them on the chalk square, then rubbing on the cardstock: craft sponges, foam eye shadow applicators, q-tips and blender pens. If you are using a blender pen, pick on small spot on the chalk square and touch the blend pen to it. The blender pen will "wet" the chalk in that area and pick up the color which can then be brushed onto your cardstock. Make sure you pick only one spot on that chalk square and use it.

Chalks are fairly translucent in nature, meaning they are see thru a bit. You can layer color on top of color for exquisite effects.

Chalk work normally needs to be "fixed/sealed" when you are done. There are various ways of doing this. You CAN use hairspray in a pinch, but hey, let's think about this a minute. What happens to your hair when you spray it with hairspray and then walk out into a damp, humid or wet day? If you are going to go to the effort of making a beautiful chalk creation, the least you can do is use a good quality spray sealant to seal it with. Krylon makes good spray sealants, as does Plaid. I use Plaid brand ceramic spray sealant which I buy at Wal-mart. This is a "final" sealant to use when you are completely finished. You can also buy a "workable fixative/sealant", Krylon makes a very good one and I use this too. A workable sealant/fixative is a "temporary" fixative. You work your piece, spray it with the workable fixative, then you can do more chalk work on top of it. This comes in very useful at times. The plaid brand of final spray sealant is NOT expensive, maybe $5 for a big can of it and it will last you forever almost. Krylon workable fixative is a bit more expensive than the Plaid brand, but not that much more, and it will also last you a very long time.

One thing to always remember is to work your colors light..to dark. You can always make something darker...but you can't make it lighter when it's TOO dark.