Finding Your First Mural Wall

Here’s the unfortunate truth about finding your first mural wall: most likely, no one is going to let you paint on their wall without any examples of mural work (not even for free). This feels like a no-win situation for a lot of artists: I need a wall to get experience but I need experience to get access to walls! 

Guess what? The mural wall is a myth. 

In the first post of this series I talked about mural myths. One of the most common myths about painting murals is that they need to go on a large exterior wall. The truth is that almost any large surface can be a mural surface, and an indoor mural is just as “mural-y” as an outdoor mural! 

In situations like this I think of my Grandma and her infinite wisdom, “If it’s not Ideal, I deal.” Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need to practice murals on actual walls to get some portfolio-level mural work done. The “wall” you’re using - especially to start - can be anything from a few pieces of paper taped together to a standalone 8’x12’ medium-density fibreboard (MDF) surface. 

Here are some surface options for mural painting with from my own start as a muralist!

Lots of Paper

This might be *the* most accessible way to practice murals for most of us.

Get a big ol’ piece of paper or an entire roll from a print shop or hardware store. Only have printer paper? Just tape a few pieces of together and attach it to your wall.

Large Canvases or Objects

You can use other large objects as a way to practice murals. In the picture, I’m painting on three overlapping skate deck covers.

I’ve also used large canvases from my favorite art store. Depending on what your local store has available, these can get pretty big!

Faux Wall

Attach two pieces of plywood or medium-density fibreboard together and bam! You’ve got a temporary 8’x8’ mural surface. I’m actually a big fan of using a panel of wood from my hardware store as a faux wall. It’s good for working in smaller spaces, for murals that need to be portable, and especially when you’re working in a space where the *actual* walls are inaccessible. 

Like your grandma’s back patio, for instance. 

Deep thought: I was going to make some point about how you can keep reusing faux walls, too. Like, they’re good for practice because you can just paint over them and start again. But you know what? You can do that with any wall. 

Murals are not permanent. It’s paint. People paint over walls all the time! If you do a mural and hate it you can just paint over it with some flat white (or black, I’m not here to judge your emo soul haha) and start a new one.

Actual Walls

And now for the final stage of mural practice: actual walls! First, obviously, you can use your own walls. If you own your home or know the landlord personally this may not be an issue for you. 

But hey, fellow apartment dwellers: did you know that many apartments will allow you to paint walls, even when the contract has a “no paint” clause? The catch is that you have to return the wall to a neutral (usually white) before you move out. Double check with your management company, of course, but don’t assume that a no-paint clause means you can’t use your own walls!

To this day one of my favorite murals of all time was a Beyonce-inspired mural around a mirror in my NYC apartment, circa 2014. I flipping LOVED looking into that mirror because the mural around it made me so happy.

And it was easy to “fix” when I moved out - just covered it up with some interior house paint!

Friend’s Walls

Another option for finding real walls for mural practice is to ask your friends. You probably know a few people who have the space and permission to host a mural in their home. 

Be intentional when you ask your friends for mural space. Murals take time and they eat up supplies. Have a plan for what you want to create. Make sure the final sketch is a reflection of your style and scope as an artist so that you can use the mural as a portfolio piece. 

Tip: Even when you’re doing the first few murals for free (as practice) make them work for you! You should be getting experience, images, and material to share on social media.

Stranger’s Walls

If you have an engaged local following (or any following for that matter!) you can put out a “call for walls” to your audience. I had a great experience where I asked my local followers if anyone had a wall I could use for a mural concept. This “one travels far” mural was the result - painted on the wall of a super-sweet follower who lived near me. 

The benefit of this kind of practice is that you get to paint whatever you want. You can absolutely say you want to do a “travel-inspired mural around 4x4 feet” and leave it at that. Unlike asking friends for wall space (where you will possibly need to compromise on things like size, subject matter, or colors), a “call for walls” can be a lot less restrictive. 

It’s good to have some practice before you do this, though, so you have enough experience to avoid awkward situations like running out of paint or taking way more time than you thought. Save the “call for walls” for the end of your practice run! 

Hot tip: You’ll notice that a lot of the pictures I’ve shared in this article include me (or grandma haha). Make sure that YOU are in some of the pictures of your murals! People are used to seeing art without size context on Instagram - help them understand the scale of the work! 

Hopefully this article has inspired you to think creatively about mural surfaces that might already be in and around your home. These pieces will be the basis of your mural portfolio. If you haven’t already go back and read the previous posts about Mural Myths, Essential Supplies, and Transferring Techniques to set you up to tackle your first larger scale piece.

In the next blog post I’ll talk about finding and pitching clients. I would say “...clients and their ‘real’ walls” but I’ve actually done a lot of client work on temporary or non-wall surfaces so all that practice on Grandma’s patio paid off! 

x Lauren