How to make a DIY Whiteboard Calendar ( + Arteza Pencil Giveaway!)

In this blog post I want to show you how you can make a super easy framed calendar for your wall using my free or premium calendar template, and I will also be giving away a set of Arteza Pencils (which have become a favorite of mine after I reviewed them recently when I was searching for cheaper alternatives to Prismacolor Soft Core pencils).

Watch the video and keep reading to learn how!

Disclaimer and affiliation: This post contains Amazon affiliate links and I may earn a commission if you click them and make a purchase (at no cost to you). I am not affiliated in any other way with the brands mentioned in this video or giveaway.

The first thing you want to do is find yourself a good printable calendar. There are lots of different places you can find cheap or printable PDF calendars online, including right here where I have my own free printable coloring calendar that you can download here.

This calendar is great because it allows you to make something completely unique by coloring it with whatever you want, however you want. Each month contains a different patterned background for you (from my Art Therapy coloring books), and has lots of space for you to create a tasks, goals or even a shopping list on the side.

To get this free calendar, all you need to do is go to this page, add the calendar to your cart and checkout.

I also like to offer a premium version of this calendar which comes ad-free with three different designs (one of them being the different artwork from each month of my 2021 Coloring Planner), has both landscape and portrait options and versions which start on either Monday or Sunday (depending on what you want).

The premium calendar is only $5 and you can get it here.

Once you’ve found a printable calendar that works for you, it’s time to build it!

Before you go and get your calendar printed, I’d recommend choosing a frame size and style first at your local picture frame or department store first – so that you don’t get stuck with a calendar in a size that you can’t get a frame for.

I chose an A3 poster frame, which is twice the size of A4, because it’s easy to find here in Australia, and my printer can print A3.
If you are scaling up a letter-sized template (in the USA), you would be looking for a 11 x 17″ frame (tabloid size printing)

Most A4 or letter size pages will scale up fine to this size, without losing quality. Any bigger than this and you might struggle to find a good picture frame (or fit it on your wall!).

Once you have your picture frame, now it’s time to get the calendar printed!

Your local print shop should be able to take your PDF file and print it in the size you want for only a few dollars, especially if your frame is a standard paper size, and even though the printable calendar you have was designed at a smaller size, if it is just black and white lines it will scale up without losing quality.

I would recommend that you have them print it on regular printer paper without any kind of matte or gloss finish to make it easier to color in. (I’ve just used standard printer paper)

Now it is time to color in your calendar, add decorations (you can use anything as long as it is flat so that it can fit under the frame, such as stickers or washi tape) and add in any significant dates or birthdays that won’t change.

On my free calendar I used a combination of Arteza premium pencils and Spectrum Noir Color Blend pencils, which blended really well and were very soft to use. I’d be interested to compare them in more detail against my other wax pencils, so keep an eye out on my YouTube channel for my upcoming videos!

On my premium calendar, I used the Arteza Premium Colored pencils, which have quickly become one of my new favorite sets of pencils! I discovered them in my recent post where I was looking for cheaper alternatives to Prismacolors.

One thing I like to do almost every time I color is to choose a color palette from the Color Catalog. Whether you are coloring a picture or a pattern like I am today, the Color Catalog is full of color inspiration and it’s a really easy way to pick colors so that you’ll never be stuck again staring at the page for ages working out which colors are going to work. Even though I’m confident choosing colors, I still find myself using it as a starting point whenever I go to color something new.

The last step is to trim your page (if required) and put it in the frame!

From here, you can use whiteboard or dry erase markers to write on your calendar. I’d recommend getting the finest tip markers are possible unless you are going for a really big calendar.  You can even write on sticky notes and attach them if you need to.

I’ve used a calendar in my example, however you can also add in meal planners, to-do lists, goal/habit trackers, birthday trackers – anything you need to keep track of and change from time to time. You can get some other printables here.

Since this is my first video for 2021, I wanted to start the year with a GIVEAWAY!

And after being so surprised and impressed with the Arteza Premium Colored Pencils in my latest video, I decided they were the perfect first prize to give away for the year!