I spent a bit of time looking into recreating writing on a blackboard in Photoshop. I looked through some font libraries and brush collections which I could use to create the effect I was after. Then I realized I could create the effect myself myself using invert. This is a tutorial about how to create a fantastic chalk on blackboard texture for use on a logo or font. This is what I came out with using the technique.

Create your word

Use your favourite graphics editor to get your word up on screen. Use whatever font you like or create your own, I used Clarendon, a nice looking serif font. Use a dark fill colour so it’s easy to trace. Print it out.

Trace away!

Get another sheet of regular printer paper, place on top of the printout and trace with a pencil. I used 90gsm thick paper which did the job fine. First draw the outline and then fill in using strokes roughly in the same direction. The whole idea is to create a hand drawn style so it doesn’t have to be perfect. Any mistakes can be erased in Photoshop.

If you don’t hold a lot of regard for the well-being of your monitor you can do it the quick way (like I did) use masking tape to stick your sheet to the screen and simply trace directly. It might sound ridiculous but this works wonders as the screen acts as a backlight and makes it easier to trace accurately.

Finish it

Use a brush to iron out any mistakes, it might be an idea to leave small blemishes in for the imperfect look. When you’ve done so, go to image adjustments > desaturate then image > adjustments > invert. Increase the contrast through image > adjustments > brightness/contrast. I increased contrast to +100 but it’s dependent on how dark your pencil strokes were. You might also want to adjust levels to get the desired look.