- 1). Estimate the type of funding you may need for supplies for the mural, which could range from $1,000 to $25,000, depending on factors such as the amount of supplies, size of the mural and playground location.
- 2). Identify a specific wall at a playground for the mural. A good choice is a wall where graffiti already exists. Find out who owns this property. Usually playgrounds are owned by the city as public property, whether they are in a park or at a school.
- 3). Create a design for the mural and sketch it out on a small scale with color. You can do this yourself or recruit local artists, or even have children help with it on their own playground. This all depends on how professional you want the mural to appear, or if it is more of a community project for children.
- 4). Recruit volunteers, whether they are children, friends, artists or organizations. Make sure everyone understands the vision and purpose of the mural. If you desire, interview volunteers and have them sign a volunteer waiver form so you have no legal liability.
- 5). Obtain permission from the property owner to paint the playground mural. You will need approval of city officials, the county or the school board, depending on where the playground is. You will most likely have to fill out forms detailing the mural's idea, the painting in a sketch form, the people involved and the budget.
- 6). Seek funding from nonprofit agencies, neighborhood associations, businesses, local paint companies and hardware stores. You may even get a paint store to donate a supply of paint or brushes. Obtain all the supplies you need, including paint, painting supplies and ladders. Don't forget snacks and water bottles for hydration. The painting supplies comprise a wide range of items, including surface preparation materials, brushes, rollers, trays, rags, buckets, mixing sticks and paint primer.
- 7). Prepare the mural site by clearing out any weeds poking up from the ground onto the mural and remove any old paint from the mural, if possible, by scraping. Seal any large cracks and prime the wall with the paint primer.
- 8). Paint the mural. You will need to plan this ahead of time so all of your volunteers show up. It is usually at least a whole day's process, if not a few days. Lightly supervise the work to ensure everything is going according to plan, and accommodate volunteers with refreshments and conversation. Play some music to keep the energy up.
- 9). Clean up the entire mural site once the mural is completed, throwing out all trash and removing all supplies.
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