I have always wanted to paint a mural, but it was never something that ever manifested. That is, until I received word at the beginning of July that I had been selected to paint a wall at Unità Manhattan Beach. I was excited, but also a little anxious. I had just a week to figure out: how do you paint a mural?
I planned my design, bought my paints, and hoped for the best. Come along with me and let’s see how the process went!
After learning the measurements and logistics of the space, I planned out my design digitally. I decided to wrap my design around walls of the room, so I indicated the corners on my design. Because I usually work digitally, this took no time at all, but I wasn’t thinking about the physicality of the mural–painting three walls takes a lot longer than painting one!
After deciding on my design, I gridded it out. This way I could transfer the design accurately onto the wall.
After drawing the grid onto the wall, I began to transfer the design.
By the end of Day 1 I had drawn the whole design onto the wall and started painting. I tried to paint large areas and colors that would need a second coat so that they would have time to dry overnight.
Optimistically, I had hoped to finish on in two days, but by the end of the Day 2, I was just hoping to fill in as much of the background as possible. I managed to fill in almost all the blue by the time I left. Leaving just about two hours of painting for Day 3 before I could focus just on touch-ups and cleaning lines.
Finally, I started Day 3 thinking optimistically that I would be in and out in less than three hours, but realistically it took the same as the first two days and I left Unità around 6pm. It was a long day, but not unpleasant. I spent the time video calling with friends, listening to music and podcasts, and painting! It was such a needed break from staring at my computer all day.
Overall, I am happy with how it turned out and really enjoyed the process of painting it. I can’t wait to paint the next one!
before
after
(At first I was annoyed at my placement, basically as far away from the hub as you could get. But then I realized, you get this sneak peak as the first thing you see when you walk up the stairs!)