Video Transcript
Hi, I’m Aysha Tengiz, an artist based in London working across illustration, animation, and textile design. I hold a degree in illustration and have been fortunate enough to have been commissioned by some of the world’s biggest brand and media companies.
Today I’d like to take you through the process I follow when starting a new mural project.
I was recently commissioned by London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital to create a painted mural on the front doors of the hospital. The theme for this project was Biophilia, the idea of connecting with nature.
I always begin by sketching out very rough ideas and drawings onto loose paper. Here I’m working on Winsor & Newton 90gsm sketching paper. Personally, I prefer to sketch ideas on single sheets as it keeps my work more fluid.
Now that I’m happy with my illustrations I can start to consider the colour palette. I always lay down my colours next to each other to see that I’m happy with the choice. As you can see, I enjoy working with very bright primary colours.
I’m painting straight on to clear acetate because it will mimic the glass doors of the hospital. For the outline to the illustrations, I am using acrylic paint so that it does not smudge with the gouache later.
Remember to add the eye detail of the bird before the gouache layer.
A good tip is to outline the colour, which will give the illustrations even more definition and added structure.
The paint I’m using to fill the outlines is Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache because the Opaque matt colour is perfect for creating bold, vibrant artworks.
As you can see the acetate gives me a good idea of how the final mural could look. A great way to check your colour palette works is to hold the acetate up to the light and look through it like a window.
Normally I would put the colour down first and outline it with black after, however in this case because I’m painting on the inside of the glass doors and the viewer approaches from the outside, I will be working in reverse.
As you can see, this approach is a great way to prepare for any painted mural on glass.
I hope you enjoyed the video
Here is the finished commission.