MOLESKINE® Cafe Milano - Mural Design

Discover the creative process behind this project, as well as some useful advice I wish I had received earlier in my career.

Enjoy! :)

Before we start, let me give you a little bit of context about this project:

MOLESKINE® is my favorite sketchbook brand and I have filled a ridiculous amount of them over the past decade. So many that, years later, they decided to publish my first book -HOW TO PLAY WITH LETTERS-.

After over a year of collective work to create this book, the plan was to launch it
in their MOLESKINE café located in the center of Milan.
They organized a book presentation to which they invited Calligraphy Master Luca Barcelona and Designer Franco Achilli, with the core idea of exchanging with the public about our common love for letters. I loved this idea!

It was while planning this trip to PizzaLand that the idea of painting a mural in their Milan location during the week came into mind. The café has two floors connected with a long staircase, in which there is a big "triangle" wall.
At this point, the plan seemed complete!

When I arrived in Milan, we went straight to the MOLESKINE® Café.
I was amazed to discover how many different types of coffee machines they had,
it really felt like I had entered a chemistry lab rather than an Italian café.

My research for the mural design started at this exact moment, all these machines were so trippy and I wanted to draw them all!

The main idea was to create a composition mixing Hand-Lettering, Coffee related illustrations, and some quotes. In the initial plan, I imagined that the illustration would be painted in black & white to create a parallel with the way I draw in my own sketchbooks.

But when we arrived on-site, we analyzed the wall again and came to the conclusion that, in order to limit the number of customers falling down the stairs because they got distracted by the mural, we would paint it in light grey instead.

-->Note for those who start doing this kind of project.
Keep in mind that when you work on a project remotely, doesn't matter how well you planned the project, there will always be some adjustments to make on-site.

In order to put all the chances on your side, here is some advice:

Always ask for as much information as you can receive from your client such as:
-Plans of the wall with measurements
-Photos of the wall from different angles
-Photo of the wall with a person next to it for human size reference.
-Video of the wall and its surroundings
-Photo of the surroundings of the wall
-Ask if they have ladders available on site and if yes, what's the size of the ladder!
-If you know that the time to work will be limited, ask the client to protect the floor
and delicate surfaces ahead of your arrival.
-Ask if there's a convenience store/supermarket near to the spot,
if not, bring some sandwiches, healthy snacks, and lots of water.
-For those who drink, think about bringing a little beer or two for the end of the day,
it is always good to have a look at the wall while sipping on booze. :)

Cheers!

For those who would be interested in getting their hands on my book
HOW TO PLAY WITH LETTERS, it is available on my website.

www.RYLSEE.com

LAST WORDS:

Since I'm a kid, I'm fascinated by the idea of drawing on a big scale and the impact that this gives to an artwork. Over my years of practice, I have learned a lot of practical and technical things that can be beneficial to other creative minds.

Because murals/ street art wasn't popular when I started and because I grew up in a small village in Switzerland, there was no one around me to advise, help or share their experience with me. Therefore I had no other choice than to learn by myself,
one mistake at a time. :)

To be honest with you, I sometimes that platforms like DOMESTIKA would have existed back. I found it amazing to see how one can learn pretty much anything from someone else's experience and grow from it.

If you aspire to do mural projects like this one, good news!, it is totally possible!
You pretty much need only two main ingredients:
Paint & Motivation
_____________________________

To help you a little here is a mini step-by-step list to paint your first mural.

1. Select a drawing of yours that you like:

I advise you to start with a simple drawing, not too many colors or details.

2. Trace a grid over your drawing:
the grid will divide your drawing into segments.

3. Trace the same grid on the wall with a pencil:
Now that you have your grid on the wall, you can redraw the segments from your sketch onto the wall. Keep in mind that it doesn't have to be exactly the same, it's just a drawing.
Remember to step back often to make sure that the proportions are looking good.

4. Start filling with the paint:
When you have traced the sketch onto the wall, you can start filling the shapes with paint. (if you paint indoors like, in your room, you might want to protect the floor before starting to paint.
Note: usually acrylic paint is a little too thick to be used straight onto walls. Water it down with a tiny bit of water until the texture becomes like a yogurt.

5. Take your time !
Muralism is a kind of art that takes a lot of time, and that's ok!
Depending on the size and complexity of your design, some murals can take months or more to be achieved, but keep one thing in mind.
This is not a race!
Enjoy the process, learn from every stroke you make, and, last but not least:
Have fun! :)

I hope these advice came in handy for you,

Let me know in the comment section if you would be interested in me doing an actual full course about mural painting.

Cyril :)