The Happy Farm Mural

Over the past week I had the pleasure of painting this 240 square foot Happy Farm Mural at New London Community Childcare Center in New London, IA.

The request from the client was to create a happy and cartoon styled farm scene with vibrant colors and lots of surprises for the kids to see. Since this mural was going in the hallway where their toddler age kids walk the most, I thought back to when my sons were toddlers for inspiration. I tried to put animals and objects in the farm scene that young children recognize and get excited about. (Did anyone else’s kids really love pumpkins?) The client also sent me about a dozen inspiration images she had collected over the years for ideas. I used all to create this rolling, layered farm scene with lots of little surprises for the kids to find. Some of the objects/animals included are: a robin, owl, frog, turtle, ducks, oyster, worm, mouse, cow, pig, horse, rabbit, goat, spider, cat, tire swing, pumpkins, butterflies, bees, chickens, eggs, apples and even a playful kitten ready to pounce.

For paint, I used interior latex paints and Chroma Mural paints. I used a myriad of brushes from my stash and some new tools from the hardware store too. I had help from my amazing husband Nils to get the line work on the wall, and a wonderful paint assistant Ella worked with me for about 7 hours total.

In total this mural took 48 man hours to complete, and is 8′ x 30′ (240 sq. ft).

Enjoy this video journal of the creation process, as well as images below.

If you have a mural or large format project that you would like me to consider, please fill out the questionnaire found on on my Murals and More page.

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