Fresh Creative Co. was commissioned by Plasmarl Primary School to help design and paint a mural in the outdoor learning area in the playground.
Take a look at our many other school and community workshops here
The brief was to include elements of nature and a sporting theme. This is because Plasmarl primary school is in such close proximity to the Liberty stadium. Football and rugby are very popular amongst the young people.
Plasmarl is a small and happy school and they are extremely proud of all that goes on there. They have high expectations of the children, both educationally and socially.
We wanted the young people to help with the design and painting while also finishing with a mural painted to a high standard.
Where do we start?
First off we ran a design session with the young people to get them thinking about themes. Football and Rugby were the 2 main choices followed by nature.
Then we decided that the background would use the welsh valleys. As well as the country side as this would be nice and bright.
Next we placed macro images of different elements on top to create a scene.
The school already had the cartoon characters, which were used on their website. So this was a simple task to replicate them on the wall.
Other design elements
Using the school shield was also important. This was a school emblem which featured images of Morris Castle (also known as Castle Graig). Situated off Trewyddfa Road in the Trewyddfa area of Swansea, South Wales. It was built between 1768 and 1774 on behalf of Sir John Morris. To house the families of workers at his industrial enterprises.
Hafod-Morfa Copperworks also appear. Originally developed by Vivian & Sons. Consisting of a core Grade II listed building and additional Grade II listed structures, on the banks of the River Tawe in Hafod, Swansea.
We were also asked to include an urban element to the design so we decided that a word written in a graffiti style would be a great way to make the mural more stylized.
How the workshop works
The young people were given some basic pointers on the history and techniques involved with graffiti. They then helped us mark out Plasmarl in a graffiti style. The mural was to be situated in one of the cages under the school in the playground. Keeping the colours bright and vibrant to avoid making the space too dark.
The area was prepared by taping off any areas to avoid over spray. We then filled any holes and sanded that back. The crew marked up the design to make it easier for the young people to paint.
We split the young people into two groups. The first group was helping with the background whilst the other group helped fill in the different elements. Later this was rotated so all the young people got the opportunity to paint different things.
Finished Pieces
The Fresh Murals Co team had a great time at Plasmarl primary School painting the mural for their outdoor learning area.
The space is planned for a full makeover with new flooring and seating so with the new graffiti mural the young people should be able to enjoy what was once a dark and unused area.
