A lot of artists who want to get into the world of murals started just like me.. wondering "how do I get someone to give me a wall". I furiously googled and asked my artist friends who already had mural work under their belt, how they got started and they all told me the same thing "someone reached out...", "so and so had this extra wall...". The answers from google were slightly more infuriating because it was "make good art" and you're probably thinking the same thing as me, HOW CAN I DO THAT WHEN I CANT PRACTICE?! Jokes aside there were tons of "ask a friend for a wall" and "offer to paint one for free".
Well the truth is, you quite literally can. The very first actual unpaid mural was at my grandmothers' house in her newly renovated bathroom. She heard me compliantly frequently that I was having trouble confidently telling a place I could paint a large wall mural without ever having done so, so she kindly offered her bathroom. She likes elephants so I painted exactly that. It literally gave me all the confidence I needed but the only issue was, it wasn't like people were exactly flooding my inbox with mural request after that.
I did however continue to work on larger and larger paintings, while working on my own unique style.. then it happened to me. Tampa Walls reached out asking If I wanted to do a mural. Full disclosure, I already worked with the gallery owner in charge of creating Tampa Walls. I was so excited that I immediately responded that I would love the opportunity and was fully transparent that It would be my first exterior mural of that size. It worked out wonderfully for me, they were incredibly understanding.
They helped me through the design phase, went shopping for paint with me to make sure I had enough supplies, came out to check on me while I was painting and just made the overall experience delightful.
I highly recommend anyone interested in getting started with murals have some practice, looking back it seems silly but if a good friend or relative trusts you enough to allow you to paint a mural I highly recommend it. Having a strong and unique style will go a long way in getting mural work.
Thanks for reading and if you're still trying to get your first mural. Make great art and good luck! :)
Quinn