When we think of art, we naturally think of painting, drawing and sketching. But have we ever thought about chalk art? Junior Anna Knott and her mom did as they searched for something to do during quarantine.

“My mom saw the idea [chalk art] on the internet and we drew a cross for Easter with some duct tape to start,” Knott said. “A lot of people liked it and we ended up continuing it.”

Growing up, Knott competed in art contests to develop her interest. She has participated in a few of the art classes provided such as Photography, Ceramics and Design Arts. 

“I’ve done an art contest and won another photography contest three times–two first place[s] and an honorable mention,” Knott said. “It makes me feel good to show my art to others and to be able to make people happy with it. It’s a hobby of mine, but I enjoy it a lot since I was always good at it.”

Knott and her mom began to do many themed chalk art designs based on  movies, cartoons and characters. After running out of their own ideas, they looked for community feedback.

“A couple of months ago, we had to put out a request box since we were running out of ideas and it was overflowing the next day,” Knott said. “It’s the people in our neighborhood who mainly give us our ideas, and it’s been a really nice way to meet people in our neighborhood since we don’t always get to talk to everybody.”

Gallery • 6 Photos

The best comrades in space, Star Wars characters R2-D2, C-3PO, and BB8.

With many ideas coming at them, Knott and her mother are able to finish the designs together in just an hour and continue onto the next requested drawing that was given to them through their request box.

“It’s always fun to see people’s faces and see how they react when we finish a design they requested,” Knott said. “It makes me feel good inside.”

By having the request box, Knott and her family are able to connect with their neighborhood more and take delight in creating designs for others.  

“We have a family with a lot of little kids that go by the house all the time, and we had a neighbor who took pictures of our art with his drone,” Knott said. “People always try to catch us while we are doing our art and it’s so much fun.”

In beginning to draw out a design, Knott and her mom freehand the design with a light-colored chalk and then proceed to color it in once they have finished the outline.

“When we are finished, we are pretty tired and we always think that we did good with our art,” Knott said.

Even though Knott is a junior, she already has a goal in mind for her future.

“I want to be an art teacher when I grow up and work with kids,” Knott said. “I’ve always thought it was weird how kids perceive the world and how they don’t know much about it and I’ve liked that about them.”

Knott hopes to continue to do chalk art with her mom, as she enjoys every minute of it and holds a personal connection to it.

“Art is one of the very few things that I’m confident in and it helps build my confidence,” Knott said. “It puts me at ease.”