Designing the space
I like to get a really good idea of the space before I start. Often a photograph is enough but when I can I take the taime to visit the space or wall to get afeel for it. Lighting, interior design, colours and the general look and feel of the space or all important considerations bfore getting started.
Devloping a mural theme or idea
This is all about the busienss or organisation. Often I’m asked to do whatever I like, but even if I’m offered carte blanche, understanding who is going to be using the space and why needs to inform the process of developing a theme or idea for the wall.
Personally I am really interested in identity. I love people so I often try to use a portrait where I can. I have a fairly flexible style and often try to convey a dreamlike or surreal atmosphere to the work
Create a draft of the wall art
Unless there is a time constraint I usually create a draft concept for the client. Depending on the various requirements this can take the form of a quick sketch but more often I compose a colour image in photoshop and try and place it on a photograph of the space. This helps give the client confidence in the work and also helps int he next process.
Using quality exterior or interior mural materials
Depending on the outcome I will use either spray enamel or acrylic brushwork. For acrylic I use dulux or british paints exterior or interior low sheen paints. For enamel I use mtn 94. There are a lot of great brands out there but these are the ones I find work the best, give the widest colour range, sit best on the wall, and last the longest.
Street art – Applying the artwork to the surface
If I haven’t created a draft work for the project I will simply freestyle the artwork onto the wall. This is a lot of fun, and with ove 20 years doing this I comes naturally. I don’t even mind an audience! If the project is more specific and I am working to a detailed design concept there are a number of ways to approach it. The thing most people are interested in or struggle to understadn is how to retain the proportions.
Believe it or not working on a larger scale is actually easier for this. There are several techniques that can be used to maintain the integrity of the compostions.
Gridding is a popular technique in which a grid is layered over the artwork and then transposed to the wall. The small squares create a map or guildeline for line placement.
Projecting is another technique that comes in very hand – especially if the concept is elaborate. Using an espson projector enables me to simply trace the outline of the concept onto the wall.
I use those techniques if the artwork is complex, but most often I will simply paint straight on the wall using freehand techniques. I find that but creating large shapes first and then scaling down to smaller shpes this process is the fastest.
That’s the simple process of painting murals I use. If you are looking to try it out for your self feel free to contact me. As well as painting murals directly I have had a lot of opportunities to run mural workshops and love teaching the basics to poeple who are keen to have a go.
Check out the mural folio here