Our Process
It's not our job to paint the walls
It's to do everything else, so that every member of the community gets to paint the walls.
It turns out everyone loves paint by number, and everyone loves getting to paint on the walls. We create an activity that people of every age and talent level can participate in, and we provide a process that leaves a work of art that everyone can contribute to and be proud of.
Design
Local. Special. Fun.
We have the experience to help shape a mural design that will work for the community and the participants.
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We'll find inspiration in the local tradition, themes, and the purpose and activities of the mural's setting.
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We'll tailor the complexity, color palette, and verticality of the design to the age range and number of participants we'll have on the day of the activity, then review it together to ensure we've captured all the details correctly.
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(Asian rhinos have one horn. African rhinos have two.)
Trace
Day 1
Our volunteers bring the design and a projector to the appointed place, and get to work. We'll clean the wall, prime it, and then transfer the outlines of the mural design onto the wall.
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When lighting conditions or electrical availability prevent us from using a projector, we copy the design using the grid transfer technique.
Mix
Getting the right colors
Matching blended real world paint colors to a digital design is tough. Based on the mural design, we'll identify the colors we need to bring pre-mixed, and which colors should be mixed on site.
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We bring an experienced painter and designate them to be the palette master. It's his or her job to mix paint, match swatches to the elements in the design, and work with the section leaders to make sure they have the right colors (and only those colors) for their part of the wall.