We have created eight murals over the past two years, mainly with preschoolers and elementary school students. The primary purpose of our project is to offer a memorable educational arts experience for children. We also strive to create a time and space that nurtures a feeling of connectedness between people from different age groups, social backgrounds, and cultures. An artistically designed mural, a symbol of communal work, remains in the community and is a lasting reminder of the feelings experienced during its creation. We would be honored if you would consider some possible sites for our project.
One of the most unique features of our method of mural making is that no special experience or training is required to draw characters in the mural, yet the participants can freely enjoy designing and coloring their own characters. Through this experience, children and participants feel that the mural is their own work rather than someone else’s. Our artists and designers plan each mural to best fit its location and participants. The murals symbolize ideas such as life, peace, harmony, growth, protection, and prosperity.
Water-based Paint Mural + Workshop Process
Mural Site
Size of the wall = The larger the wall, more impactful the work.
Each level (2-3 meters high) of a 5 meter-long section of the mural takes about 1 hour with about 10 to 20 students and 2 to 5 adult helpers. (More adults are needed to help the students if they are younger). Scaffolding of some sort is usually needed.
Children Participants
We have worked with groups of 25 up to 250 children. For this project, children are divided into smaller groups of 10 to 20 and each group works on the same level for about one hour on the mural.
Mural Design and Workshops
After deciding on the site, the size of the group and the age of the children, our artist and design team will consult with site representatives to design a mural. It usually takes between two and three weeks for the design to be completed. Once the mural design is agreed on, we will set a schedule for mural-making, assigning a group of children and adults for each time slot. We also offer cultural exchange art workshops (See examples below) held simultaneously with the mural creation. It takes two days to complete a mural unless the size of the mural is much larger than those we have created so far. The first day is for preparation and the second day is for drawing & painting. We ask all participants for permission beforehand regarding the use of their photos on our website and in our brochure.
Procedure for the “Sgraffito” mural
Sgraffito means “to scratch,” or “to scrape.” This fresco technique is used to draw on a plaster surface. First, colors are painted on a plaster surface, and then another layer of plaster is applied on top. Finally, the top layer is scraped off along a design outline. Limewater is applied to the surface to cover the paint. The paint becomes calcified and works to preserve the bright colors. This technique was mainly used in medieval European architecture for decorative features.
Learn more about “Sgraffito”
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