I just completed my largest and most challenging mural yet. It measures ~16 × 7 ft, outdoors, on the beveled and textured surface of my garage door.
This is my most recent of three murals of increasing size and complexity. With 5 colors requiring three coats each, this one took me about 40 hours to paint, on top of ~10 hours combined design and setup time.
This composition was drawn in Procreate, in layers corresponding to each color, with the intention of projecting each layer on the wall as I paint.
Being my first outdoor mural, I assumed I’d be able to create enough shade to see my projection faintly during the day. I spent a morning rigging tarps off the eaves in different ways before coming to terms with my error. All tracing would have to take place after 8:30 pm.
The design is a tribute to the ecosystem surrounding my home. My garden feeds and shelters so many creatures, and I cultivate it as much for them as for myself and my community.
As I progressed through my paint layers, I lamented that the mural had been visited by all those featured (black-capped chickadees, ladybugs, bees) except for my resident raccoons. On the last night of tracing, a blessing occurred.
If you'd like to see more murals from me, consider hiring me to design and paint one for your space.
