We have just completed the most exhausting week ever. We have produced a mural for Waterstones in Hereford, looking at it now, it is wonderful and we should be really proud - but this has been tough.
The project was started a while ago - Alan gave us the brief which was "apples and leaves". We visited Waterstones and asked John- the manager, to give us any more ideas. It was basically up to us as long as it was based on Hereford. We then had a group session, making mind maps and a big initial sketch. There was some great ideas.
We started a new big plan, combining our styles and thinking about the awkward stair/landing space we had to work with. Suzie, Steph, Adam and I went to speak to local printers to explore potential transfer/wallpaper methods, prices were around £30 for a 3ft by 5ft print. At this time we were unsure of Waterstones' budget - we later discovered it as a little as possible. At this time there were some serious group divides in the methods that we could use, there was wallpaper, poster, vinyl stickers, mdf and painting straight on the wall. For the next couple of weeks we made very little progress, due to attendance and this general umming and ahhing.
Eventually we began producing initial individual images that we could combine. We decided that using printouts and pasting our work together as well as working directly onto the surface would create a better image, that would work together. We made a long list, letting people cover areas that they were more comfortable with. We then visited Waterstones with some of our images, they were very laid back and were very pleased with our "grown up feel and toned down colour scheme" that we had selected.
We then finalised our plan - we decided that working on MDF and then attaching it to the wall would be best for everyone. We played with composition and decided to have two very large panels and several smaller ones. We could work on it at college, rather than on the awkward stairs. Getting the MDF was a struggle. Myself, Steph, Suzie, Cat and Rosanna all were vital to the operations as were two very lovely people of Hereford. The smaller MDF made it to our house, were Suzie and Steph primed it. The two large boards I primed at college.
It was at this point that the frustrations started. We spent about two weeks with it just being the three of us. We made the first marks, I tested different paper for printing, and pasting. I printed and stuck my buildings on before anyone from the group had even shown there faces. The mural was to be put up by Thursday at 7am. Tuesday morning we had a sparce set of boards and three very sleep deprived girls. We took boards home and finished them. By half 3 on Wednesday it did look amazing. Steph and Suze had gone to work - and i was close to having a mental breakdown. But Rob Gale kept me sane, and we got the mural to Waterstones where we left it over night.
Thursday morning Myself, Steph, Suzie, Rob and the college Caretakers arrived at Waterstones (it was still dark). After some very scary ladder situations, it was up. And it was awkward to look at first because I had been staring at it for 72 hours. A few days later, we went back and it is great. We did great. We always do. I can however honestly say that I will never try and do anything as a group with anyone but Steph and Suzie - we come as a three and that is all.
