An in-progress snapshot. The figures on the foreground are more or less life size.


Another in-progress snapshot. Both pictures above provide the viewer with a good impression of the relative size of the artwork.

Nowadays I rarely take on murals as an assignment, but this one I must admit, was too good to be true and a challenge which was too hard to resist.

The subject matter required a strong and dynamic composition which had been pre-visualized on the computer so the client could also approve the design before commencing with the full size mural.

The painting measures approximately six by sixteen feet. Four Multiplex panels served as a base and came fully prepared with a special undercoat to improve adhesion. On top of that came a multi-layered white basecoat (waterbased acrylics), applied with a large paint roller. Incidentally, the composition has been arranged as such that, when separated, each panel can be used as a smaller painting in itself.

The composition was projected at true size straight onto the panels and all the outlines were traced with a soft pencil. As it turns out, accuracy at this point would save a lot of work later. To avoid overspray and speed up production, I resorted to a special technique. First, all large areas were blocked in with large brushes. Detail and texture was then added with the airbrush and by means of regular brushes.

I have worked primarily with Liquitex acrylic paint and almost every shade of color is carefully mixed beforehand, using my digital reference as a guide. The hands and faces of the people are painted primarily with Badger white and Holbein airbrush colors.
Once the finishing touches are completed, the painting will be sealed with a special transparent, waterbased coating which is used to protect laminated floors. This will make it extremely resistant and waterproof.

The people on the painting are not the pilots of the McLarren-Mercedes team, but the children of the client who ordered the artwork. More about this later. During work, more than 400 pictures were taken. An in-depth step by step article and loads of useful tips for working on large format paintings are planned for the near future!

Marissa -