Mandala Mural Project

In a few weeks I will be co-ordinating a group mural project in the school with the grade 9 and 10s. The mural will cover a 10 ft X 10 ft wall in one of the common areas. The theme of the mural is "school spirit" and it will take the form of a mandala.

I like the mandala theme because it solves the overall design problem and leaves a lot of room for changes along the way and input from students and teachers. It also solves the problem of varying levels of skill among the students since they will be applying their contribution to the mural by using stencils that can be carefully drawn and cut before any painting happens.

The biggest concern for mural projects in general is how to avoid any free-hand painting on the wall to make sure there is no build-up of thick paint, no mistakes and no high-pressure situations.

The Basic Steps:

Step #1: BRAINSTORM images that represent school spirit to each student
Step #2: RESEARCH the chosen image
Step #3: SKETCH the image on bristol board
Step #4: CUT a stencil of the sketch (repeat as necessary)
Step #5: the teacher will work with the group to create a mandala pattern using the students' stencils
Step #6: PROJECT a geometric guide on the wall for each layer of the stencil using masking tape or a pencil as a guide (each student will paint their stencil on one layer of the mandala)
Step #7: One by one, the students tape their stencil and paint it over and over around their layer until the layer is full of their image
Step 8: use a paint marker to add detail
Step 9: remove any tape guides and enjoy!

Supplies:
Pencils, erasers, masking tape, bristol board (for stencils and tape guides on the wall)
House paint: 1 off-white for the background and 2 tones for the mural
Brushes/ paint tray
Drop sheet
Acrylic paint markers for details and writing on the wall

* As a side project, have someone film/photograph the mural as the students create it for a fun video of the process. See my tree mural project for an example.

** For some mandala inspiration see this great post on boooooom.