Lessons from a mural project
Getting it done is more important than getting it “perfect”
I struggle with perfectionism and a fear of failure. I put all this pressure on myself to be great at something as soon as I start, and the truth is very few people are. This opportunity allowed me to face that fear, to train my brain to not think about anything but finishing what I started. TBH I did not walk away from this feeling the sense of achievement that I thought I would feel. But a few days in, I'm realising now that this was in fact a significant step for me as an illustrator. I enjoyed the process, lost myself in painting, experimented with techniques, and ultimately got it done!
Draw what you love!
This was part of a competition and I chose native snacks because I absolutely love drawing food. Why was this decision so important? Because when I started to struggle at the mid point, when I only had large blocks on colour on the wall and I couldn't see the final picture, when I thought I didn't have it in me, it helped that I was drawing something I love. Something that makes me feel connected to my community, my family. Bonus: I also picked colours that I loooove working with.
Everything is going to take longer than you thought it would
Pretty self explanatory but honestly I had so much to learn about wall textures and how it takes the paint, how many layers I'd need to saturate the colours or get to the opacity I needed to hide my dark pencil doodle grid. Also, will probably not be doing pencil doodle grids anymore!
Comfort & Function > Form
I wore the baggiest clothes, comfy shoes, the biggest rimmed hat, an apron, a lanyard (from @knotty) for my phone that I tucked into my apron pocket so it would be within reach but not swinging around. I didn't get the most aesthetic pictures of myself, but ooof was I as comfortable as I could be for 3 days under the sun? 100%
For supplies, I brought a small rolly cart to hold the paints, mixing cups, brushes, used rags, and anything else that needed moving around.
That step stool was as helpful when painting at 3-4 ft as it was at 6 ft - it was well worth carrying it back and forth from storage
KISS - Keep it simple, Suri
So we chose topics about 2-3 days before we had to start, I was nervous and went through 3-4 concepts before deciding to go with the simplest one because I wanted to make sure I had enough time.
The first day went by without a hitch, I got the sketch and background on the wall, I had some of the snack and plate shapes blocked in. At this point I was questioning if perhaps I'd kept it too simple.
On day 2, I got to the site at 6:30-7 am, started painting in more shapes and realised I needed more layers of paint. By 10 am the heat had gotten to me and I was exhausted. I drank my electrolytes and kept going, but I had to take 2 long-ish breaks to recover well enough to be able to work again. The breaks were also an opportunity to work through some mistakes I'd made. Day 2 ended with and early pack up due to rain, and I wasn't nearly where I thought I would be.
Keeping it simple meant I went back on day 3, nervous as hell, but knowing I'd finish. Ofc, if there isn't a time element to your mural, take as many breaks and as much time as you can!
