A Mural Turned into a Story
I wanted to create a piece that felt like a moving book that leads up to the final mural as the ending scene. This piece ended up becoming a digital story book inspired by Setsubun—the beginning of spring. This story is inspired by Japanese culture and folklore. I created illustrations that fit the style of the mural and wrote a narrative that told the story of the seasons changing that was whimsical and imaginative.
Seasons Change
Dissect it
I had to pull apart the mural. The end piece had a giant octopus that was painted on a cinder block wall which meant the photos I had you could see the texture of the wall in the painting. I had a couple of decent photos but when I first painted this piece I didn’t know the importance of documenting my process as I do now.
Storytelling
I imagined telling the story of seasons changing. In some of my research for the initial process for designing the mural, I learned the significance of nature and the marking of spring and rebirth so I started looking into folklore and characters that could support the narrative I wanted to create. Above you see the Yuki-onna—a snow woman I used to help winter stay.
Imagine
If I could tell a story and then paint a scene for each part wouldn’t it be magical if that scene could move? I thought about trying to tell my story to a child and watching their imagination run wild watching the scene unfold.
Roles: Muralist, Mural Designer, Illustrator, Animator, Storyteller, Author
Software: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, Procreate
Skills: Aerosol Artist, Muralist, Mural Design, Community Group Organizer