Chalk art showing up throughout Kansas City. The pros from Hallmark show how it’s done
Some artists prefer to work in total isolation.
But Chris Russell is not one of them.
The 32-year-old lettering artist at Hallmark likes to bounce ideas off of his colleagues in the studio and pick the brains of his bosses about particular designs.
“I’m kind of wired more as a social creative,” he said.
So the seven weeks since Hallmark closed its Crown Center offices have required a lot of adjustment. And for him, the assignment to sketch a giant piece of chalk art onto a Shawnee driveway was, at the very least, a refreshing change of pace.
“It’s nice to get outside, especially now that we’ve all been working from home for so long,” he said. “It’s nice to get out.”
Like many companies grappling with the pandemic, Hallmark has closed its corporate headquarters, furloughed staff and halted production lines at factories.
But even as much of society has come to a standstill, the artists who bring the Hallmark brand to life are still busy creating cheerful cards and products for future holidays and celebrations.
This week, several of those artists turned their attention to driveways and sidewalks around Kansas City, where they sketched out messages of gratitude for healthcare providers and other essential workers keeping the world going during the pandemic. The company has also made millions of thank-you cards free for customers to send to relatives, neighbors and healthcare workers.
In bright chalk, the artists drew messages fit for a greeting card:
What you do matters. A lot.
Caring heart. Capable hands. Incredible courage
For all you do. For all you are. All our thanks.
“This is a new way to show how we can care for each other,” Russell said.
He spent hours Wednesday filling in a 20- by 14-foot patch of a friend’s driveway. His message read: “Not all heroes wear capes” in a font reminiscent of a comic book cover. The project was intended to thank medical professionals, grocery store workers, postal carriers and other essential workers, he said.
He hunched over on his knees as he perfected the shading of each letter. Some of the concrete required multiple passes as gusty winds carried off large clouds of chalk.
“I think I might be done,” he said, before attacking the concrete again for some final touch up.
By the end, his black jeans and sweatshirt were dusted with chalk remnants and his hands were caked in powder.
“All right, I’m done,” he said after surveying the creation.
Russell said the words held special meaning for him because his wife is a nurse.
“She’s kind of the superhero for our family,” he said. “So the stars kind of aligned from an artistic standpoint.”
When he works on greeting cards or other products, he usually doesn’t get to see the reaction of the end customer. But his artwork Wednesday got attention around the neighborhood as families on walks eyed his progress. In the quiet suburban street, drivers slowed to a crawl to get a look.
Allie Smith, a senior artist in Hallmark’s lettering studio, covered the sidewalk in front of her home with three words: Kindness is magical.
Written in multicolored pastels, “kindess” was etched in all caps, with the word “magical” set in a flowing script font.
“I think that’s a really important message right now — being kind to everyone around you,” she said. “I think it’s the perfect way for Hallmark to help express our gratitude for people who are working right now.”
In the Hallmark studio, artists use all kinds of materials, including chalk, to create designs for greeting cards. Chalk is fun to work with, Smith said, because it can easily be layered — an artist can use a lighter color to shade a shadow around a darker one, for instance.
But chalk is also a beloved family activity that’s especially popular now that kids and parents are largely stuck at home. And it’s no coincidence that the Hallmark-owned Crayola brand is a big seller of sidewalk chalk products for kids.
Smith said she has noticed lots of chalk art projects on walks around her Brookside neighborhood. For the amateur artists looking to tackle an ambitious design, she suggested making a plan.
“I would say don’t be afraid to sketch out some ideas on a piece of paper before you do it. Or take a picture of your sidewalk. Plan it out beforehand, especially if you want to do lettering,” she said. “Chalk is fun.”
