A mural artist can be a great profession for someone who has an affinity for art and also wants to make an impact on their community. Public art is an incredibly beneficial way to bring people together and make spaces more aesthetically appealing.
If this is something that interests you, here are some tips for successfully making your dream come true.
5 Tips for Becoming a Professional Mural Artist
#1 Decide Whether You Want to Study
While not all mural artists will necessarily get a formal art education, it may be something that you want to consider. Schools that specialise in teaching you painting skills can help give you background knowledge on the theory that goes into creating your designs.
It also gives you a good opportunity to practice and get your work positively critiqued by experienced professionals. This can be a good place to start to launch your career as a mural artist.
#2 Be Inspired by Others
The work of others can be a great source of inspiration when developing your skills and your unique style. Every mural artist has a distinct style that can be drawn on to form your own distinct style. Motivation can be lacking at any given time, and the stories of your heroes can be the thing you need to push yourself to continue pursuing your own career.
#3 Practice as Much as You Can
You know what they say, practice makes perfect, and this is no exception for a mural artist. Look for any opportunity you can to test your skills on a small or a large scale. It is probably best to start with smaller projects so that you can get a feel for how the process works and how your style fits in with this process.
The more experience you have, the more likely people are to see your work and hire you as a mural artist for their projects. Whenever and wherever you can, practice practice practice!
#4 Develop Your Style
The more you practice the more you will see your own style begin to develop. Allow yourself the freedom to change and adapt as you go until you find a niche that you are comfortable with and that you think is interesting enough to get you hired!
Standing out is a good thing as a mural artist and will help you develop a reputation for yourself. Having your art be distinctively yours will usually mean that you can capture more people’s attention and have them interested in seeing further work from you. While developing your own style may take some time, you have to allow this to happen in order to find success as a mural artist.
#5 Get Out There!
Now that you feel confident with your skills and have had some experience with working on various projects, the only thing left to do is to get out there! Ask around in the community, contact friends and family, contact community groups, do whatever you can to secure yourself some exciting projects.
Public spaces are a great place to start. Whether it’s a local café, a wall in the park, or a wall of someone’s house, these locations make great canvases for you as a mural artist. Contact the necessary parties for permission and have a good pitch ready for how you can brighten up the space with your work. Once you have made an impact with a few projects, there’s nothing stopping you from turning your whole community into a work of art.
