Mural Mania!

 

Summer Camp started for us last week and we're already having a blast! We had a group of kids who worked extra well together so I decided it would be a perfect time to do a mural. I love murals. I love their sense of community and collaboration, not to mention the encouragement offered to each other while discussing ideas. As anticipated, the kids did a wonderful job and everyone (including me) had a great time!

 

Materials:

Large Sheet of paper or tag board
*I prefer tag board, which is thicker. You can find it at certain art stores by the yard. Mural paper or any really large piece of paper will work OK though, even with wet media.
Assortment of paints
Brushes
Markers
Scrap Paper
Scissors
Glue
Scrap Fabric

Step 1

Decide on a mural theme, either beforehand or as a group. Occasionally it's fun to have kids just go at it BUT if there are going to be arguments this is when they can occur. You can keep it loose, something as simple as landscape or farm, or more specific. Either way, I find going in with an idea works best. (Our theme was the countryside, I drew out a rough quideline for painting shapes)

Step 2

Set up paper. Whether using the floor or a tabletop, make sure your paper is secure and can handle a little rough handling. (We worked on a tabletop)

 

Step 3

Start painting. Work from the inside out to ensure the whole surface can be reached. I try not to have too many rules once the painting starts, just encourage lots of color and pattern.

 

 

 

Step 4

Add fun elements. Once the mural is all painted you can add houses, people, animals, hot air balloons, etc. with markers, scrap paper, fabric or anything you like!