The Goal: to make it happen

“Don’t fake it ‘til you make it. Learn it as you become it.”

-Keisha A. Rivers

Have you ever said yes to something you’ve never done before? Ever ask yourself why you did or did not say yes?

Recently, I have been asked to create in ways I have never created before and I have said yes. My most recent example is this Jurassic Park-themed mural I created for my friends’ bathroom. When asked, I immediately said yes. Had I ever created a mural before? NO! Did I have all the skills? YES! Why not say yes?

It’s so much easier to think of the million reasons I could have said no so I am not going to cover those here. I am sure you thought of some just reading the above. So let’s briefly talk about why I said yes.

I said yes for two reasons: 1. I was so honored that my friends believed in me to do it, enough so to ask me to do it in the first place and 2. I did have all the applicable skills (I had taken 1 year of art in middle school, 3 years of art classes in high school, and was actually 1 credit from a minor in art in college).

So how did I even begin, taking on such a large project with no experience? This is where my process came in - my ability to break down and plan every step of the way. As I have mentioned before, I want to be for you what others were for me - an encouraging voice with a supportive touch and a firm grip on a process that can empower. And here is a clear, tangible example of how I used my process to turn an idea into a reality.

The goal and purpose were clear. Here was my process: I broke it down into small manageable steps and adjusted along the way (as needed) - always starting with the goal and purpose, then laying out my actions/my plan/my process, and moving on to the execution. Click through the images with captions below to read about it.

A Blank Canvas

My friends sent me multiple pictures of my canvas.

Research & Sketching

After researching jungle scenes, I started by sketching an initial representation of the mural.

Overlaying Color

Next, I added color on top of my initial sketch.

Seeking Approval

After my friends gave feedback on and approved the initial sketch, I drew a finalized version.

Outlining my Canvas

Using my finalized sketch as a reference, I started drawing the larger pieces of the mural onto my canvas.

Background First

I decided to start with a green background color (instead of white) in order to have a full green jungle feel.

Jungle Vines

Then, came the jungle vines. I continued working from the background to the foreground to ensure a clean look with depth.

The Greenery Begins

The research continued through this process as I started free-handing different types of jungle leaves to add variety as you would see in a jungle. Again, working from the background to the foreground, I continued adding jungles leaves and plants.

The Wraparound & Sign

Once most of the greenery was done on one wall I started working on the wraparound of the greenery, establishing my light source and highlighting all the leaves, and painting the famous East Dock sign from Jurassic Park.

Extending the Framed Image

Directly from the movie, my friends hung a framed copy of the infamous port-a-potty scene from the movie so I had to extend it out and make it look like part of the scene.

The Final Details

I outlined the East Dock Sign with a paint pin (because a paintbrush isn’t as reliable), added a few more jungle leaves to finalize the look, and drilled the arrow onto the sign. Yes, the arrow does spin just like the movie…”clever girl.” :)