MURAL DESIGN Why public art?
STEP BY STEP GUIDE
Public art is a great way to inspire everyone in your city including people who may not usually find themselves in a gallery space.Public art creates a great platform for you to have your creative work on display as well as allowing the public to reflect on your positive message. Getting Permission Some advanced planning ensures your art can be enjoyed by all. It is the responsibility of the city or town council to maintain public spaces, so it is a good idea to get written permission from this department before you begin your mural.
GETTING STARTED
IN THE STUDIO
Exploring the Theme We wanted to portray a positive message and imagery for the public to enjoy. We love and are inspired by our city so we decided to combine a composition of our favourite and important landmarks, our portraits and a positive message using text. Find out what games and exercises we used to develop these images in our Exploration of themes section. Silhouette of our skyline We wanted to create our own dynamic skyline. On a large sheet of paper and using photocopies of our favourite landmarks and buildings we created a montage of a new inspired city. This would form the basis of our skyline silhouette. LARGE STENCILS VIA PROJECTOR you will need Images to be made into stencils Photoshop (GIMP free online can also be used) Clear acetate Overhead projector Paper to make stencils Masking tape Markers Blades & cutting mat
Using the photographs of our favourite landmarks and buildings we prepared them for making stencils using the threshold tool in Photoshop (the free online version of GIMP can also be used). We then printed these images onto clear acetate ready for the bed of the overhead projector. We taped together large sheets onto the wall and projected our image. Next, we drew around the parts we wanted to cut out to make our stencil. Top tip A technique I like to use to double-check what I draw before I cut it out is to simply draw a little X on the bits I'll be cutting out, then stepping back and imagining them all falling out. Wrap your stencil up in large sheets of paper to ensure the pieces don’t get tangled or torn when transporting your stencil. Find out more about making stencils here www.instructables.com/id/Large-Stencils-via-Projector
IN THE STUDIO
TEXT Using the creative writing exercise mentioned in exploring the theme, we made stencils of the text to ensure legibility. We used a plotting machine but the projector can be used (as above) or the words can be applied directly to the stencil paper and cut out by hand.
MAKING PORTRAITS
you will need Photographs of people involved Photoshop (the contrast setting on a photocopier can be used or GIMP) Range of patterns Blades & cutting mats Glue & masking tape Through the exploring the theme exercises we developed portraits that could be used in the final composition. We darkened the images using the posterize tool in Photoshop (the contrast setting on a photocopier can be used or GIMP). We printed out these images and cut out the darker parts of the clothing ( jeans, shirts etc.) We collected a range of patterns that related to the theme (peace signs, stars, butterflies, linking hands, lightbulbs etc.) and arranged these patterns behind the pieces we had cut out. Next we enlarged these images on the photocopier using the poster output setting ( Pasterazor or Rasterbator are free online programmes that work also). We then cut around the portraits and placed each one into an individual folder ready to be pieced back together at the wall.
MAKING A SAFE SPACE Our mural was in a busy park in the city centre. We sectioned off our working area with traffic cones and tape to ensure a safe working space as well as allowing curious people visiting the park to ask us questions. We covered the ground and park benches with plastic floor coverings to keep it clean.
PRIME THE WALL It is important to start with a clean wall just as you would with a blank canvas. Ensure the wall is free from dirt and grit . We primed our wall in our base colour using a weathershield masonry paint in light green which would also become the top colour of our mural.
BACKGROUND COMPOSITION You will need: 3 shades of one colour ( Depending on size of your mural 1 litre covers approx 15 square metres ) Paint trays and rollers A ladder Smaller brushes for detail Chalk
AT THE MURAL
Our background consisted of three shades of the one colour ranging from lighter on top to darker on the bottom so the imagery would work in the overall composition. We marked in chalk the highest and lowest point that we wanted our silhouette to be. Using the silhouette from our previous exercise we drew the silhouette of the skyline using chalk. We then drew a line roughly a third of the way up from the bottom which would be filled in with the darkest colour.
Applying Stencils You will need: Paint ( we used four variations of the one colour for buildings and detail ) Spray-paint ( we used a strong contrasting colour to apply detail of our smaller flower, butterfly and bird stencils) Spray mount Masking tape Painting trays Sponges Gloves
We divided the colour of our stencils into darker and lighter tones to create a sense of perspective. Stencils were filled in using the bottom darker colour of our background and a fourth darker tone of our chosen colour to add depth. Application of Stencil Lay your stencil flat and apply a coat of spraymout to the back. All hands on deck for attaching stencil onto the wall and secure with masking tape. For the larger stencils we applied the paint using sponges and a dabbing technique. TOP TIP Don’t have too much paint on your sponge or you may lose detail in your stencil For the smaller stencils we used spray paints. TOP TIP Keep the nozzle moving quickly over and back on your stencil to avoid the spray-paint dripping on your wall. APPLYING the Portraits You will need: PVA GLUE Sponges or brushes Flat pieces of heavy card Masking tape Varnish ( for outside application) Piece your original portrait back together, use masking tape if it is windy ( only attach it to
the back as it can remove the image if you attach it to the front )
Apply Glue to the wall using a sponge. Carefully lay image onto the glued surface. Get rid of any air bubbles using a flat piece of heavy card. TOP TIP Be sure to press from inside out to release air bubbles and smooth paper. Quickly cover entire surface area in a thick coat of PVA glue ( a sponge works best but a brush can be used ) When the PVA has dried apply a coat of varnish to seal the imagery.
Launching the mural Public Art is a great way to express your creativity as a group and convey a positive message to the city. For our mural we made a stop motion piece documenting the application and posted this on facebook. We also contacted a local newspaper who wrote an article about our piece of public art and the message in our mural! Check out our other resources at
http://www.mayfieldarts.org/youtharts/you tharts/resources.html Check out our other resources at: http://www.mayfieldarts.org/youthart/youtharts/resources.html