Designing Murals - The Process from Start to Finish
Painting murals is one of the best things I have ever set out to do, apart from getting a dog!
It makes me ridiculously happy to see an idea come to life and see how a client responds to it.
Having worked for companies for most of my working life as a freelance artist, I finally decided it was time to work for myself and only do jobs that made me happy. I worked on tv and films as a painter and the hours and lifestyle just weren’t for me. The pay was great! Don’t get me wrong, but for me, it’s more important to do work that I love and if I’m going to be working 12 hour days, then it should be on something I really really enjoy.
With more and more people becoming interested in filling their lives with colour and happiness, it became clearer to me that this was definitely the right path to go down.
I love showing people behind the scenes over on Instagram and the process that goes into making a mural, so thought it would be a good idea to have it on here too!
If you’ve been thinking about getting a mural for your space, then these are the steps that you would go through.
the space
When planning and designing a mural, there are lots of factors that you have to consider. The size of the wall, the texture, where it is, budget etc. this can affect the design you go for and also what the client wants. It always helps to have photos from the client so you can visualise the space. You also have to consider whether it is an indoor or outdoor mural as textures like brick and breeze block take longer to paint.
sketching
When the space has been considered, the pen and paper comes out to sketch out ideas and rough drafts. It helps me work out the shapes that I want to use and composition before I’ve even thought about the colours. It’s an easy way to work out how I can translate what is in my head, down onto paper.
digital drawing
Once I’ve chosen the drawings that really tickle me, I turn them into digital drawings on my iPad where I can play around with the colours and composition. It can help me see what is working and what isn’t. When I’m super happy with a set of designs, they are sent off to the client where they can choose which one is speaking to them or if they have any changes they want to make until they are 100% happy with the design.
Mapping out the design
When myself and the client are happy with the designs, a date is chosen to come and paint the mural. I map out the design on the wall, depending on whether it’s indoor or outdoor, it could be done with just pencil, or I may masking tape the design onto the wall.
painting
Most paints require 2 coats of paint to get great coverage on the wall. Depending on the size, design and texture, on average a mural can be painted within 1 or 2 days. I have developed my process and style to make it as quick and effective as possible, to make it easy for the clients to have an amazing new mural.
peeling the tape
This is my favourite part! Seeing the mural come to life. Once the tape is removed, the clean edges are revealed and you can see the crisp lines appear and the mural take shape. I love it!!!
your mural is finished!
Once the tape has been removed, there may be some final touch ups. The paint will be dry almost as soon as I have finished.
Now it's time to sit back, relax and have a gin while you admire your new piece of art!
If you’ve enjoyed this process and would love to have your own piece of happiness, then head over to the murals page for inspiration or the mural pricing page.
I would love to bring colour and happiness to your space!