Commissioning is a strange thing. Either the client knows exactly what they want and I am left delicately negotiating something that will fit their budget and my artistic capabilities or I get a totally open brief because they love the expressionist acrylic motorsport paintings I create. So where exactly do you start when you have a blank wall in front of you and a totally open brief?

Here’s my nine nuggets :-

1. Measure the space you are painting very carefully for creating scale drawings.
2. Look at what is around the space that needs to interact with it (sight, sound, action and the people viewing it every day – it’s their space!).
3. Research what has gone before for the theme of your work … any existing murals out there?
4. Discover what the client and their customers are interested in – you want them admiring and talking about the work.
5. Go and look at murals on a similar sized space with viewing access similar to yours.
6. Talk to other mural artists about the tools and paints they use.
7. Find an artists’ group or other artist to bounce your ideas against.
8. Remember every ten minutes preparing will really save time in the final execution.
9. It’s supposed to be big and bold so get inspired to ditch the fine detail.

And the rainbow that leads you there …

10. Clear goals to ensure that you remain on target.  Help with this came courtesy of some goal-mapping and coaching sessions with Elaine Proctor-Stroud and Jan King.

A bit more about this mural is in the next blog.