A little pencil doodle that got out of control... I haven't done a lot of pen and ink work, but I am really enjoying it! It is fun spending the time to get the detail in... I guess that patience comes with having kids as I never would have sat through that before!
photo by NickwestoverJob Shadow
Dana Lacey, Financial Post Business
Published: Tuesday, September 04, 2007
WHO: Claire Watson
JOB: Founder of Chalk It Up, a Gabriola Island, B.C.-based company that designs and sells custom-made, illustrated chalkboard menus for restaurants and cafes.
NUMBER OF BOARDS SOLD: Four hundred and counting since Watson created the company in 2001. Most end up in cozy cafes and chain restaurants in the U.S.
IN DEMAND: “I got into chalk art when I worked in restaurants. When I started up the business, I thought I’d do mainly vinyl signs, with chalkboards on the side, but the chalkboards totally took off. I launched a website and started getting the odd online order — and then it went crazy. We’ve been busy ever since. Right now, I have about 24 clients on the go and the studio is packed full of chalkboards.”
DAY IN THE LIFE: After getting their six-year-old off to school, Claire and her employee/ husband, Adam, go to their studio, which is connected to their house. She designs and colours the boards, and he builds the frames and ships them off to clients.
PERKS: “All our friends hate us. We both work from home, I colour all day, and last winter we took off to Cuba for six weeks.”
TRICK OF THE TRADE: To prevent smudging, Claire sprays each board with sealant.
BIGGEST ORDER: U.S. restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday ordered 75 boards, an order worth US$30,000, prompting Claire to hire a helper. “I didn’t want to draw that many hamburgers on my own,” she says. The order took six weeks to fill.
PET PEEVE: Clients who want too much text on one sign. “If you’ve got a novel on a two-by-four, it’s not going to work.”
Photo and Article By Bruce Mason, Gabriola SounderOn the surface the scene at Chalk It Up Signs and Graphics appeared slightly chaotic. Adam was finishing wood frames on sawhorses out front while Claire took a breather on the steps with three-year old Rowan in tow, and seven year-old Finlea caught a second wind after returning from a sleep-over at a friend’s house.
As of last week they had created and shipped 47 original works of art in August alone, while Claire worked on her solo exhibition,opening Thursday at Artworks, inspired by a six-week family vacation to Cuba last winter.
She has finished illustrating two ESL children’s books for OxfordUniversity Press, produced her first editorial illustrations, created and launched a second website for her artwork, the first showcases the family business that will be featured in The Financial Post, next Tuesday.
“Go with the flow,” advises the self-taught artist who, with her husband and partner, Adam, has captured customer attention and raves from Lethbridge, Alberta, to Brazil, Taos, New Mexico, and Hong Kong.
In a world that is awash in dull, plastic, computer-generated signs, they are creating smudge-proof, water-repellant, hand-illustrated chalkboards, ideal for restaurants, theaters and markets, anywhere artful signage is an absolute must, including custom work for private individuals.
With no marketing, aside from a website, they have become leaders in the field, with clients such as: Columbia, Northwestern, and Notre Dame Universities, Boston, and Dominos Pizza, CitiBank, Honda, and IMAX. A US franchise ordered 72 chalkboards.
Most work they ship by UPS, but every 10 days or so Adam goes to Nanaimo with larger signs, including one 5×10 feet (and four 2×3 feet) to New York. The largest to date: 4×19 feet, in pieces.
“I’ve been pumpin’ out signs full time for about five years now, about 400 in total,” Claire recalled. “But it started about 12 years ago. Working in the food and beverage industry, I was the one who wrote out the menu boards.”
When her first daughter arrived she kept busy by ‘doodling.’ Then, while walking around Sidney - their home, before Gabriola - they spotted a new restaurant, walked in, and out, with orders for six signs.
Unexpectedly Chalk It Up took off. Now with two daughters, the couple works from home, determined to bring art and design back into signs.
Adam is a talented woodworker and shipwright by trade. “I work the design side and he builds, paints, and frames them, which enables us to provide complete custom work,” Claire reported. He also goofs off with the kiddies when needed,” she added. “If only we could teach him to colour in the lines.”
To keep up with the demand - there is a seven week wait - they have hired Trina Swift, an extra pair of hands when they are burning the midnight oil.
“I never thought I’d be working for my wife and building tree forts for kids,” says Adam, who takes justifiable pride in brewing espressos and in the recent purchase of a 36-foot Cape George Cutter sailboat.
Visitors are warned they may have to dodge a naked three year old. And clients are advised that they may hear a toddler yelling for cookies when they call.
“The music and espresso machine are always on and the place is filled with chalkboards, but we do take our work and our clients very seriously,” the Watsons say. “We are a business, yes, but we are also people, and passionate that every order gets that personal touch.”
Working under pressure, they cater to folks who are starting or revamping a business, a stressful venture in itself, offering them unique, affordable and functional artwork to dynamically promote items, increase store traffic and sales, and leave a lasting impression.
The medium they have created over time is top secret. They have added banners made with chalk-like fabric, far more punchy than plain vinyl and new coloured chalk markers to write in daily specials.
They offer a full range of design services from logos, to business cards, brochures, newsletters, posters, websites - truly a one stop shop to anywhere in world.
And they joined “1% For The Planet,” donating part of their sales to grassroots environmental organizations.
What appears to be chaos is built in by design by nature, a synergy originating in “going with the flow.”
Their house - the first they looked at - had an attached studio and workshop - and around every corner on Gabriola they discovered beaches, a school, Arbutus Building Supplies, easy access, high speed Internet, and a “fantastic community.”
“I get to design and draw every day,’ said Claire, whose medium for the exhibit is oil pastels on paper. “I was inspired by the people and the culture of Cuba and I thought what better way to spread it around.
“I figure Mojitos, Cuban music and Adam smoking one of his last Cohibas outside,” she added, “should draw a crowd, our first venture into the arts community.”
“Her opening’s going to be a party - last one of the season,” promised Kathy Ramsey. “Colours of Cuba,” runs until September 12th at Artworks.
For more infomtion, visit: www.chalkitupsigns.com and www.clairewatson.com.
