A couple of weeks ago, I spent an absolutely amazing day working on a mural for 934 Gallery! It's something I've never done before and I want to share a little bit about how it went.
After putting off getting started on my mural by giving myself excuses that it was too hot, or that I had too much other stuff to work on for a couple of weeks, I finally realized I was really just nervous that I wouldn't be good at drawing on such a big scale or on an uneven surface. So, with the thought that I would at least try to get the line art up on the wall, I picked a beautiful Monday to go by and do some sketching. I brought a few acrylics with me, along with a chalk pencil, a sharpie, and some wall paint that the previous owners of my house left in the basement. 😅 Luckily, the gallery had a much larger offering of colors to borrow from when I got there!
The space I was assigned is nestled in the heart of the gallery garden. As I walked up to scope it out, I noticed that there was a little gap under the door, and a cat toy hanging near by. It turns out that there are kitties living under my mural spot!! This made me so happy, as I had already planned to paint something memorializing my sweet Mango who I lost last year 🧡. It just feels right to paint him in a place that's safe and fun for other cats.
Since I already had a finished piece that I wanted to recreate for the mural, I was able to get started on line art right away without spending too much time thinking. I started off with the chalk pencil. It actually ended up being a great choice because I could easily smudge out the lines that weren't quite right with a wet paper towel.
Drawing went much quicker than I expected considering the larger scale and the uneven surface. After I had everything where I wanted it in chalk, I went over the lines in sharpie as I didn't want it to rub off as I continued to work. Then I was ready to get started in paint! In retrospect I should probably have worked in layers from back to front using a paint roller, but I just went right in with a paint brush and started from my favorite bits first.
Once I got into the groove and had come this far, I just couldn't get myself to stop. I wanted to finish! I went in again adding shadows and making the colors a bit more complex and balanced. The final touch was revisiting the background to make more leafy shapes and going back over the line art with black paint. I was honestly surprised how well my style translated to wall paint as it's been quite a while since I painted in anything except watercolor! You can see the final product below, and I included the original concept painting after that for comparison!
All in all it was a great experience, and a wonderful way to spend a day! I think having a finished product to work from and recreate was key in letting me work quickly and efficiently, as I had already worked through the concept once before.
If you'd like to see it in person, it's in the garden at 934 Gallery for 1 year, and there'll be a fun opening of all the murals coming up next month during 934 Fest with music and food from 9/13-9/14! Hope to see you there!