A new window with John Neal a professional chalkboard artist in the United Kingdom starts with him removing chalk window art from a Christmas storefront window.

“It is important to get the window quite clean, otherwise the ink will not adhere.” said John right before he starts. Here in the Zig Posterman labs we like to do our last clean on any surface with denatured alcohol. Matching the window to the shop sign he starts with a Zig Posterman waterproof Violet, or purple marker. The larger markers come in 21 different colors.

Details on Removing Chalk Window Art

We often take support calls, chats and emails on “How long will it last? Do I have to do my work inside the window?” John responds, “Not my preference at all. The ink is good enough to stay on the outside. It is too tedious for yobos (UK slang for a cruel and brutal fellow, in the US we call them pranksters) to scrape off with a finger. In fact one of my clients has a cafe in the town center & the message on his window was left on for 14 months. it just faded a bit but the main writing was still there. having said that, if you spray with a kitchen cleaner or in particular washing soda (sodium carbonate) it virtually runs off in front of your eyes.”

Once the window is cleaned by John removing chalk window art he is ready to get to work.

After the outline he adds layers of blue dark at the bottom and light in the center with white on the top of the letters, providing a nice cool reflective look to the text. After filling in the letters you just “neaten them up” by going over the edges again with violet. Zig Posterman waterproof markers will not lift when you apply them over dry marks. This provides a lot of flexibility in your artwork.

A John Neal Sign making tip and trick!

Use a Zig Posterman wet-wipe to create your guidelines. When done they can be removed with water and not affect your waterproof artwork! In the video he uses dots to provide his guide. You may want to do thin lines if just starting out with window art.

The bottom text “Finish” get’s a similar design with white highlights solid in the center and dashed radiating out the the top and the bottom. To the eye this provides a letter that pop’s out from the glass. Finishing off the letters he uses a 6mm light blue. If you pause the tape at 7:03 you will notice the tip does not have a chisel tip but a flat tip with slightly rounded edges. What John likes to do is pull out his Zig Posterman 6mm tip and turn it around. This provides a more stable 5-6 mm line as compared to trying to hold the edge of the chisel flat.

Another trick, a homemade compass with a marker taped to one tip and a nail on the other side. This along with a suction cup makes neat little circles on the window! Something you may find doing your window artwork, people will stand and watch both inside and out of the shop!

Watch in this video as John Neal mixes font types for interest in the window, but not to much that it is confusing. Be sure to check out his website for a full length downloadable video of how to create signs and artwork with Zig Posterman markers.

Markers used in this video were both 6mm and 15 mm

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2 mm Zig Posterman Waterproof

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15mm Zig Posterman Waterproof

Try our new “Paint Pots” use with any standard brush or foam brush, available in 12 unusual colors.

What is the secret of this marker, why does it remove with Kitchen Cleaner or Windex?  According to our in-house technical expert Mr. Cohasaukee this is simply due to the chemical structure of the pigment based solution.  This chalk ink that makes up the fluid in the marker is safe and water soluble.  If and only if the cleaner has a pH of 10 or higher does it take action on the graphic.

This unique option perfect in preserving or removing chalk window art is not available in many markers on the market today.  Mr. Cohasaukee’s Guide to Chalk Marker Types Used With Chalkboards is helpful in making your selection.  The information is applicable to window art demonstrated in this video too.