How I started in Muralism

This is my first official blog post. YAYYY!
You will have to forgive my grammatical errors, English is my third language. So I tend to make some mistakes.

I decided to write this post because I get this question constantly: “How do you get started?" and here is the answer of how I started:
Back in 2019, I was doing working on my sketchbook. I happened to do a gouache sketch and posted it on Instagram.
At the time, I was not thinking about Instagram as a tool at all (and I still fall short on my social media game sometimes, but that is a different story). My friend Julia Prajza, who is also a muralist, told me she was participating in Outside the Box Toronto. So, I asked her how to get one of those as I thought my little gouache painting would look amazing in a box. Unfortunately, the call for submissions was closed. However, there was another program I could apply to and that was the Bell Box Mural Project. This box, I explained, was in honour of the Amazon Rainforest. Coming from Colombia, I am extremely interested in showcasing the importance of nature, and the dangers of global warming. I put in my application, with very few expectations, and to my surprise, I got in. I painted my first box that summer.

The box is located in College and Spadina. It took me 6 days (now it takes me 1.5-2). it was a learning curve. I had no idea what I was doing. However, lucky for me, I had friends in the community and I reach out to ask about tips and troubleshooting. It was very scary but also magical. I took a lot of time researching my colours, my brushes, and a watched a bunch of “how-to videos.”

It was an incredible experience, I was hooked. From there I jumped onto bigger walls. I have used spray before and have tried lots of different materials. In that 2019 mural application, I found my path. I love what I do :) Thank you Bell Box Murals Project for given me the opportunity, and believing in me.