Amy Jones operates Art Signs & Murals in Aurora, CO.
I met Lynn Kubic, the owner of Jurassic Pets, on a cold-call in Thornton, CO. Her windows were large, and I knew painting signs and graphics for this type of business could be fun. Plenty of space for advertising! Lynn already had a small vinyl sign on her storefront windows, with a lizard and her
business name, but she was excited about a window mural with numerous creatures. The Thornton store is located on a sloped parking lot with poor exposure to Washington St.’s busy traffic, so I knew we needed bright colors to attract optimum attention. I also knew I could enhance her existing vinyl sign by adding bright colors around it. I see many vinyl signs that underachieve in terms of visibility. Often, a colorful background or letter outline makes all the difference in effectiveness.
The 6.5 x 40-ft. Thornton mural features eight animals. I painted the top 2 x 4-ft. windows and the main 4.5 x 4-ft. pane. There are lower, 18-in. x 4-ft. windows I didn’t paint. Window murals can guide the viewer to the front door. In both locations (the other store is in Lakewood, CO), I designed the creatures to direct viewers’ eyes toward the entrance, just like influencing eye movement in a painting toward the focal point.
The Lakewood store features five, painted, 3.75 x 6-ft. windows, which makes the overall mural 18 ft. long. Here, I painted six creatures. There are three doors; the one Lynn didn’t want people to enter is primarily covered with the mural. Prepping the glass is fairly simple, but important. I wipe the dust off and then use a regular glass cleaner.
Next, I wipe the entire window with mineral spirits. It’s also the only thing I add to my paint if there are temperature variations, or if I want to facilitate blending colors. I spend significant time mixing colors. Steering away from a standard color gives richness to the image. In general, 1Shot® enamels include primary and secondary colors on the color wheel. Often, I use a complementary color (opposite colors on the color wheel) to “grey down” the color. For example, if a blue is too bright, I will tone it down with orange. I hand-mix most of my browns using every primary color (red, yellow and blue) to make the most beautiful brown. You just can’t get that in a can. Whenever I use black, I add a bit of blue. It just makes the color deeper and more rewarding. My sky blue always has a drop of yellow. Really, it is often just a few drops of one or two colors to bring the mix to a new level.
I line my pallet box with foil so I can change colors simply by putting foil over the last hue I mixed. At the end of the day, I just take all the foil out and throw it away. I’m ready for the next day.
I worked closely with Lynn and her employees to decide which creatures to showcase. They fetched some reptiles from their terrariums so I could photograph them. I was never brave enough to hold the spiders, but I did hold a very small, baby snake! Many Jurassic Pets clients are very knowledgeable, so I needed to capture all the unique characteristics and subtle differences of the animals, fish, reptiles and bugs. So, in addition to the staff’s input, I researched online.
With plenty of photos and different angles, I produced a very rough and basic pencil sketch for customer approval. The challenge was to have the overall mural make sense – the design flowed with creatures from land and water.
To begin onsite, I roughed in basic shapes and elements with a grease pencil on the outside of the glass. I used 3-in. Shur-Line trim rollers, and then blocked-in shapes with a white, latex primer. Both murals were painted with 1Shot lettering enamel I purchased from Midwest Sign & Screen Printing Supply. The paint is durable and vibrant, and the colors don’t fade quickly.
Over the years, I’ve become very proficient with my Luco Talaoutkey squirrel-hair quills. Working quickly, I use them for details in any weather. But, if I’m painting in direct sunlight or warmer temperatures, regular sable brushes ensure less hair breakage and brush damage to an otherwise expensive Luco brush.
Working fast helps me to create “artistically” and not think too much about exact lines. Everything is freehand. The primary characters are always strategically placed according to traffic flow or any visual obstruction. The background is designed and painted onsite. I believe it was important to not block out all the light and also allow visibility from inside the store. I wanted to show depth and 3-D to give the customer “an experience” when visiting Jurassic Pets.
I worked 4-5 days at each location. Every day, customers brought their children to visit and see the amazing creatures. I then realized the window mural was more than advertising; it was a part of the community.
I’ve been lucky to have opportunities to paint signs, windows and murals all over Colorado. Most Colorado municipalities promote art. Few require permits for artwork, but some need approval from a cultural committee. Some restrictions on window signage limit the area, but they usually don’t require a permit, only compliance.
Generally, everyone appreciates exterior art, whether it’s on a window or the side of a building. I’ve found that handpainted signs or murals have an appealing “richness” about them. They don’t look like stickers. In the last few years, I believe more and more clients have opted for handpainted signs or graphics.