Murals: Park Bench Pop Art Mural

Murals can be painted anywhere. This art lesson on painting a mural on a public park bench shows how pop art can add some life to otherwise dull brown benches. Students in grades 5 to 8 will find it fun to work in groups to design and paint pop art murals on park benches.

Materials:

• Exterior paint in basic colors – scarlet red, canary yellow, bright blue, black and white
• 5 small house paint brushes - 2 inch
  
• large white paper measured to the size of the park bench seat and back rest
• pencil, ruler or tape measure
  
• pop cans - (I used Orange Crush, Sprite, 7 Up, Coke, Pepsi)

Step 1: Preparing the Students

Show the students examples of murals, wall murals and even sports murals from the internet, local pictures or a local field trip. A website which explains the difference between murals, graffitti and cover ups can be found at:

http://www.wishwallmural.com/learn/urbanwallpainting.htm

Explain how murals are beneficial in stopping graffitti artists from tagging public places. An article about students in Texas who painted to beautify public places can be found at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31820409/ns/local_news-dallasfort_worth_tx/

If using pop art as the mural design, show examples of pop art found on posters, walls and other objects such as shoes. Andy Warhol's pop art can be found at: http://www.warhol.org/education/index.html

Teachers can find lessons, resources and tours of the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA at this site. Explain how the colors, size or repetition of pop art can make an object stand out. Art found in unexpected places can also grab your attention.

Step 2: Draw the design

Using the pop can, draw in pencil the dsign of the main logo on the paper for the bench seat. Then design the main image that will be on the bench back. For example, if using an Orange Crush can, use the fruit to be centered on the seat back, and use the word CRUSH to be on the bench seat. Try to draw the design as close to the pop can as possible.

Step 3: Paint the Main Design

Using the primary colors, mix paint for other colors needed. Teach students for example, how the primary colors blue and yellow make different greens, depending on how much yellow or blue is used. Add black to darken the color and white to lighten it.

Have a group of 5 students work at each bench. Tape the bench seat design on the bench to refer to it often. While 5 at a time are painting, the others can play in the nearby playrground. Have one student paint the main letters such as Sprite, Coca Cola, crush, 7-Up or Pepsi first.

Others should paint in the main color of the background. Supervise the general painting of the bench and adjust for knots in the wood or spaces between the wood. Have younger students work on the background being sure to cover in even strokes in the same direction.