In recent years I have been fortunate to take on a few mural projects that have allowed me the opportunity to take my art to a bigger scale. It is a major shift to go from a 8x10 inch sketchbook to a 10 foot wide wall, and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t intimidating. That being said, I enjoy a challenge, and its been fun to explore the process and refine it over a few walls.
I was recently contacted by the awesome folks at Lawrencetown Surf Co. about a mural project they had in mind for a wall in the surf shop. I was stoked to dive in, and got to work drafting some concepts based on a photo of the wall. After some initial rough sketches, we all met up at the shop to get into the details. Its always fun to connect and collaborate with passionate folks like Nico and Jill, and after we shared some ideas and a few laughs, I left with a solid plan.
Mural work is all about the logistics, and the first step is to get the concept on the wall, which can be easier said then done. Doodle grids, and expensive projectors seem to be the standard approach but I wanted to try a quicker, cheaper approach with the awarness that it might not be perfect. I just wanted a way to get my sketch on the wall, so I could then tweak it as needed. I used a sheet of 8” x10” plastic and a sharpie to draw the concept, and then turned out the lights. I propped up my phone on the ladder and used the flashlight to project the delicately balanced artwork. It was a janky setup, but it did the trick.
Once the pencil work was on the wall, I started in with some paint markers. My plan was to paint the line art and color it all in like a large colouring book page.
I split up my time on the wall over a week, a few hours at a time, and it was so rad to be in and around the shop on a regular basis. The staff are all great and were super supportive of the work I was doing. I was stoked to hear all the positive feedback about the piece. looking forward to the next one.
A few still frames from the week:
