Brynford Park Mural

This summer, I had the pleasure of taking part in the designing and application of an outdoor mural. This was my first experience with a project of this magnitude and the first time painting large scale outdoors. My hope is that this leads to further experiences and opportunities as the mural process is something I admire and enjoy thoroughly.

This blog post will serve as a detailing of my experience with the project from start to finish, including the sketching and design process, as well as the planning procedures within a group mentality.

First off, here was the wall before any paint was applied.

Everyone who was signed up for the project walked over to the wall. We took measurements and then walked around the community searching for inspiration, although I must admit that I already hoped to paint something that stood outside of the environment and added elements that weren't already a part of the community.

Now for the sketches:

We met with some folks from the community at Northeastern University and sat in a room while they spoke to us about what  they felt was important to Brynford Park. While this was happening, I was sketching in my notebook ideas as they popped into my head. 

From the very beginning I wanted something that focused on the children and around the idea of learning and play. I also wanted to incorporate abstract elements that added to the playfulness.

After completing a few preliminary sketches, I attacked a bigger design concept:

This was the result of drawing things as they came to mind and trying to put an overall layout that had movement. Again, I thought of the child as the client, something that was also echoed in a few of the others who were a part of the mural's creation.

Then, I made another more scaled design sketch to present to the group:

This was shown to the group where we discussed the themes and worked out new ideas and decided on elements that needed o be a part of the finished composition.

Here is a pic of the classroom during planning:

This is around the time that I started looking for inspiration in other muralists. Here are some examples of who I used as personal motivation:

El Mac, Sam Flores, Dabs Myla, Sheppard Fairey, Jeff Soto and many others were the artists that I used as inspiration. The key element in all of their work was the graphic style and nature of their murals.

After discussing the designs I had created, it was time to get back to the drawing board and incorporate the new themes that the group had decided on. Here are some of the sketches leading to the final design:

The Deer became a central element of the work. Making his antlers reflect the symbolization of a tree was an idea I had at the last second of drawing and something everyone decided should become a focal point of the design. Bubbles was another element that everyone agreed should become a large part of the final design.

Here is a picture of me and some fellow artists finishing the final design and a picture of the it:

We used Prisma markers to color in the design and many of the markers did not make it through.

The next step was to prime the wall. Then grid it and the design for easier rendering at the site.

Once everything was ready, it was time to start drawing.

Everyone took a section (or square) and began rendering the images within the boxes. This was where I had to give up a lot of the creative control I had acquired throughout the process. It is quite weird watching others draw what I had already on a smaller format. You have to give yourself to the process and accept the beauty of everyones individual styles and talents. I could not be happier with the end result.

What follows are images taken during the painting process, from starting the outline, to adding color and then line quality and finishing touches. 

Thats me on the ladder.

There is a funny story behind that fish coming out of that rocket. You should ask me if you see me.

Some elements of the mural had to be decided upon in the moment of painting. I free-handed a couple of things after making executive decisions. One such area was the portion above the left Koi fish. Originally, it was to represent a rock pound across the street at the nature center. I felt that it was too detailed and would hinder the flow of the piece, so I painted in wave designs to which Eden colored. This process felt so much more natural and fulfilling. I hope to do things this way in the future.

Adding the finishing touches.

Me painting.

Here is the finished product!

I never actually signed the wall.

FIN