From: Street Art / Murals / Specific to: Placemaking / Street Artist
Street Art Mural Portrait
This stylised portrait mural is part of a series of murals changing the facade and pedestrian experience of a 100m laneway.
The laneway street art is a mixture of styles and colours to help create a diverse array of public artwork.
The laneway is used as a thoroughfare for people going from the park to the shopping complex. As well as a number of businesses within the laneway such as car mechanics, tyre service and a hardware store.
Mural Portrait
This addition of the portrait mural to the laneway uses a mixture of techniques based on printmaking and pencil drawing. The mural itself can be viewed from a distance as well as fun little details as you get closer to the artwork.
The portrait which uses heavily textured styling along with a wood-cut illustrative style sits amongst a solid pattern of geometric artwork.
Mural Portrait Painting Tips
Plan your mural.
Ideally, before you start painting your portrait mural you have a detailed sketch or photograph of the artwork composition to guide you. With this as your guide, you would have already considered the lighting, composition and colours you will use.
Use a grid for accurate proportions.
To create your artwork on a large scale on the wall you will need to use an upscaling technique. YOu could use the squiggle grid method which is popular with large-scale mural artists.
Start with a light-coloured wash.
To begin painting you may find it easier to start with underpainting the artwork. This means using light-coloured washes to help establish the features of the portrait.
Work from background to foreground.
YOu may like to start by painting the background of the mural and work your way forward. This will help you establish the overall atmosphere of the composition and give you a sense of the space you are working with.
Use multiple layers of paint.
Use multiple layers of paint to create depth and dimension in the portrait. Start with a base layer of colour and gradually add more detail and shading as you go. Some artists like to work from dark to light, but there is no hard and fast rule for it.
Take regular breaks.
Painting a large-scale wall portrait mural can be a time-consuming and physically demanding process, so be sure to take regular breaks and maybe do some stretching, eat and drink water.
Assess your progress.
It can be helpful throughout the day to step back from the mural you are painting. Stand where it is going to be viewed by the general public and assess how your progress is going and as expected.
Enjoy the process of painting a portrait mural.
Painting a portrait mural is a long and challenging process, but the end result can be truly rewarding. Take your time and don’t rush the process. And remember that you can easily fix up your work if need be, just be sure to regularly check your work from a distance.
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