School Holiday Peace

It is week 2 at my Southall school and it is the half term holiday so there are no children about and very few teachers. Only a short 3 and a half day week this week as Monday was a Bank Holiday and Friday the caretaker wanted to shut up early as there was no-one around. I still managed to get a fair amount done, though.

As you can see, I have started on the left and have been painting the major objects in the mural one at a time. It's slow going painting onto brick as the irregular surface means that you can't do grand sweeping brush strokes but I am really enjoying painting this one as I'm getting lots of positive feedback from the public that walk by.

Tuesday this week was interrupted for most of the day by heavy rain which meant that the main front wall couldn't be worked on so I started on the left hand side wall leading into the entrance.

Painting a mural in public

I started a large commission this week, painting an outside wall of a school in London. The infant and junior school is situated in the Southall area of London and is right on the High Street, so the mural that I am painting is attracting lots of attention!

As you can see it started off as just a plain brick wall. It measures approximately 10ft high by 30ft long. Around the left hand corner it continues up to the main entrance for about 12 feet which shall also be painted and also the small wall to the right will be included.

I spent the first two days this week cleaning the brickwork and then painting it white to act as a primer. Having a white undercoat also makes the top coat colours brighter and more vibrant. The door was also stripped, sanded and then primed ready for painting.

After week one I have got most of the basic design marked out and started on the background colours and a few of the higher details. I like to start at the top of a mural and work downwards if possible. It's quite rare that I drip any paint these days but starting at the top eliminates the problem of dripping onto previously painted areas. The best thing about this job is the enthusiasm of the children who all seem really excited to be watching the mural develop!

VAT or not to VAT

I'm starting work tomorrow on a large mural for a school in Southall in London. A curious thing occurred, they contacted me just a few days ago with concern that I wasn't registered for VAT.

I explained that although I do pay tax and am registered with the Tax man I earn below the annual threshold (currently £68,000) and choose not to charge VAT. I thought that customers would be happier if I didn't have to add an extra 15% onto the bill but I was wondering if others below the threshold find it beneficial to charge VAT.

I suppose it does give a more professional image when you charge VAT.

Additions to a wolf mural

This is a Wolf mural that I painted a few weeks ago. Since I finished it the customer had seen an adorable picture of a White wolf cub and asked if I could add it to the painting which I did yesterday. I also added a few more rocks and suchlike in the foreground.

Creating a simple pattern

A nice simple mural to paint today. It's more interior décor than mural if I'm honest as it is just a simple leafy pattern in a bathroom.

It's painted solely in black. I started with a simple wavy line running from the floor to the wall by the mirror and then I added leaves and extra stalks.

It's all painted freehand and only took a few hours to complete.

Out and about

After a quite successful exhibition last week at which I met quite a few people interested in my work I shall be spending the day visiting those prospective clients and pricing up what they would like painted.

Ashford, Sevenoaks and Dartford are all on my timetable today!

Trompe l'oeil conservatory

This is my latest work.

It's painted in a conservatory showroom on the back wall of what is called an Orangery.

New to Blogger

I am quite new to the world of blogging. I have been running a blog on my Freewebs hosted website but I'm not sure that many people can find it as I don't think it is picked up in rss feeds, so I have decided to try out Blogger.

My old blog can be found here.

My name is Dean Tweedy and I'm an artist who has specialized in murals since 1994. I travel to your premises and paint straight onto the walls to produce murals that are both beautiful and durable.

In the past I have completed many commissions locally, nationally and internationally ranging in size from a single wall in a child's bedroom to trompe-l'oeil in dining rooms and bathrooms, to large public works of art on the sides of buildings.

I have completed many commissions in reception rooms and commercial properties. I also work in schools from infants to high-schools and like to involve the children either in the design process or in the actual painting of the mural itself.

Murals can be situated virtually anywhere on walls, ceilings or floors, interior or exterior. Special varnishes can be added for protection against knocks, weather or even graffiti.