Four Designs, Three Chalkboards, Two Languages, One Verse, and One Strange Crush

I have a confession to make.

I love Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 The Ten Commandments. All three hours and forty minutes of it. And not just because of nostalgia because my family used to watch it every year. Not just because Charlton Heston is so epic, it’s comical, but then loops back to epic again. Not just because that parting of the waters scene and the tornado of fire still impresses me… but because I had a huge crush on Joshua.

That guy (John Derek) was cute. Joshua was my favorite character because (1) John Derek was cute, and (2) the Biblical Joshua was pretty cool. I love that he is a fighter, a leader, and firm in his beliefs. Aside from the fact that it’s one of the few action-packed books of the Bible, I enjoy reading Joshua because I always picture John Derek in that role. I find that reading is even more enjoyable when you have cute actors performing for your mind’s eye.

So, needless to say, I was thrilled to create three different versions of Joshua’s most famous line in chalkboard form recently! Two different friends asked for it for their homes or for their family members. For each piece, I drafted 5-8 different designs, then we worked together to narrow down the best one that fit both of our styles. I always get excited when my clients pick my personal favorite of the draft sketches for their custom piece… and that’s what happened with these! Here are all of my custom pieces for two lovely ladies and their families!

Shini wanted a mix of handlettered type and calligraphy for this 23×35″ board that went over the entrance of her home:

Then I learned how to write the verse in Spanish for Anna, who wanted this for her mama:

When Anna asked for a second board for her sister, I jumped the gun and created a design in Spanish because it was so fun the first time:

…but she actually wanted it in English, so here’s how the last one turned out:

This last board was actually a first in design technique for me because… well, because my toddler is so needy right now that I could only finish the board in the car, after she passed out on the way to my parents’ house.

Before you think it’s amazing that I can do a whole chalkboard in the car — no. Most of it was done at home (on the kitchen counter while Jaya was running circles around me), but I just needed some calm, quiet time to do all the finishing touches.

Ah, it’s so fun to draw on chalkboards, make friends happy, and relive childhood crushes! Do you have any weird old movie crushes?