I started work on the first mural this week…
I usually use a grid for transferring my working drawings to a larger canvas/board/paper for a painting, so I am used to that procedure but not usually to those proportions! The mathematics involved are what I’m used to doing, but I always double check as I don’t want to start and find that the proportions are out, and the teacher who taught me mathematics would not have ever considered that I would be using them to paint murals many years later!
I started working on them on Monday, and it took me a while to draw out the grid (and do the maths regarding the division of whats half of 17.5 inches…. for instance) and start drawing out the images in pencil on the wall, after it had been slightly sanded down to make sure the paint stuck to it. The second day I was able to fine tune the drawing to make sure the images in it flowed as shapes, and by the end of that day I had started painting the left hand side of the mural.
On the third day I was able to get far more paint on the wall, to the point when the female owner of the club walked in the door about 4pm her immediate reaction was "WOW!" so I knew my concept was working with her fabulous and positive reaction! I was also delighted that the colours look great.
The fourth day I finished the whole of that third on the left hand side and it certainly has the wow factor, I’m delighted with it.
The fifth day I carried on with the bottom right of the painting as it joins in the concept on the left hand side, and then I will paint the upper right side which is the most complicated part of that painting. Normally I would paint top to bottom, but in this instance I can’t for the way I’ve done this design.
Each day I’ve been there I’ve got on well with the painting. Some parts of it will be easier than others and I expect to get on well with those. I have no idea how long it will take me, but this one will be quicker than the other one, having said that, there are parts of the other one that will be done quickly too.
The paintings are designed to look ok in natural light or artificial light when the room lights are on. And so far look great!