Like everyone else, the pandemic has limited me to the confines of my home (well, my parents’) for the last year. Being stuck inside caused my dad to go crazy with home improvement projects, including repainting every room. In that spirit, I decided to finally paint a mural, something I've always wanted to try. We have a fire pit in the backyard, and over the years it's served as a nice spot to have cocktails, roast s’mores, and hang out. In the daytime, it’s nice to read while suntanning. It only seemed natural to beautify the area with a nice, colorful mural. And with the launch of Lauren Hom’s Mural Painting for Designers course, the timing could not have been more perfect to start muraling.

Design & Prep

Since we live so close the ocean, I knew I wanted to have a "beachy" theme for the mural, and I wanted to use a short phrase that I could bring to life in a fun way. So I chose "Make Waves." After taking photos and measurements of the wall, I drew the design in Procreate and got buyoff from the client, my family. Then, I created a mockup and drawing sheet in order to accurately envision how the art would look in context. (A drawing sheet is optional unless you have to pass off your design to someone else to install it, but mocking it up is essential!)

Because this was my first attempt at painting a mural, I didn’t want to start out too ambitious. So, I purposefully designed this very simply: 2 words, 4 colors, and with lots of graphic, forgiving shapes. I spent the night before penciling in the design via a projector, using a water-soluble pencil to mark the surface. 

Painting & Takeways

The next morning we were ready to start! I had my mom help paint and my dad photograph the whole process (and my brother continually came outside to ask if we were done yet). This was all a "learn-by-doing" experience. We decided to start with the lighter blue color and work from top down. I tried my best to use the larger (1" angled) brush over the smaller brushes because I felt that yielded a much better texture. I also used painter's tape to keep the sharpest points of the design crisp and the 2-toned letters feel seamlessly contained.

After two days, plus a third day of cleaning up the lines, we were done! We broke it in that night by lighting the fire pit and enjoying cocktails in front of the new decor. Muraling is definitely something I plan on pursuing further, especially as someone with previous experience in environmental graphic design. The only difference here is that I get to install the final product, which makes it all the more rewarding.

See more photos on my portfolio here!