Bus Shelter Mural Program
Tips to Help Your Mural Last

Mural created by Josh Skolnik
Located at Queen Anne Av N & N John St. in Seattle

Dust off and clean the panels before painting.

Dusting off the primed panels with a dry towel and then using mild soap and a wet towel on the panels will insure that the paint will adhere better to the primer. Your panels have been stored outside and may be very dusty. Lightly sanding the primer with medium sandpaper will give you a smoother surface, if you prefer; but it is not necessary. If you sand, wipe the panels with a damp towel after sanding and allow to dry before painting. Don't forget to shake or stir the paint before using.

Do not use felt-tip marking pens or "permanent" markers on your mural.

Felt-tip or permanent markers will smear when Metro applies the protective coating. Acrylic paint pens or small paintbrushes can be used for outlining, but make sure it doesn't look like graffiti.

Large, flat areas of color can attract graffiti.

Large, one-colored areas and especially large white or yellow areas can attract graffiti. Breaking up large areas with a design, or blending colors reduces the chance of vandalism. Mottled (multi-shade or colors) blending tends to be more successful than flat, graphic style painting in deterring graffiti.

If you want to include words or phrases in your design, paint them neatly or in a creative way that won't attract graffiti or be perceived as graffiti. Avoid using questions. Questions beg for an answer, and someone might answer it with graffiti right on your mural.

Including a short poem or quote in colorful designed script can add a very nice touch to a mural. Simple brushstroke lettering, if not done carefully, may be perceived as graffiti that was added to your mural. The school or group name can be included in the design, approximately 2" tall. Keep in mind that Metro will include a sign at your shelter with your group name and a description about your project, from information you supply to us.

Faces and figures can attract graffiti.

A mustache on Mona Lisa? Eyeglasses and buckteeth on a pretty face? Anatomy added that the artist did not originally intend? It is more likely to happen on larger, near-life-size figures and faces. If you include human figures in your mural, think of ways you can position or shield target areas on figures to minimize the possibility of graffiti.

Paint over all primer

Do not leave the white primed areas unpainted. If your mural includes some white areas, use white paint in those areas. If left unpainted the white primed areas will turn yellow and look dirty when Metro applies the protective clear coating.

It is generally easier to paint the background colors first, before painting the foreground details. Consider if it would be best for your particular group to paint the panels with background colors before drawing the main artwork designs. White should generally be an accent color or used to lighten the other colors. It is also useful to add white to transparent colors, like yellow, to make them more opaque. White is NOT a natural background color; even snow reflects blue and purple in the shadow areas and yellow and red in the light areas. White can also be overwhelming to the student painters and any color is a good way to get them excited and creatively motivated. The background can always be modified or changed altogether, later.

Do not stack, store or transport painted panels face to face.

"Dry" painted panels can stick together. Although the paint dries to the touch in an hour, the paint needs to "cure" over a period of 3 days to a week; depending on the thickness of the paint layers. Do not stack a painted surface against a painted surface if you can avoid it. Stacking a painted surface against the unpainted back of another panel is usually fine. Any precaution you take in keeping an airspace between panels that are stacked or transported face to face will minimize the chance of them bonding together.