Tell me your idea
Even if the idea is still vague, we work it out together. Write to me on WhatsApp or by email, I reply within 48h.
School murals, painted by hand
Giulia Dal Bon hand-paints murals in schools: a playground wall, a façade onto the yard, a corridor, a dining hall, a library. She can work during the school holidays if you prefer, painting in odourless acrylic indoors and in quartz paint outside. From 150 € per sqm, free quote within 48h.
Contact Giulia
Tell me your idea, and I will be glad to reply.
The price of a school mural
| Simple motif or line drawingFine lines for flowers, patterns, silhouettes or figures… | 150 €/sqm |
|---|---|
| Fully painted subjectColour and shadow for landscapes, portraits or scenes… | 250 €/sqm |
| Trompe-l’oeil or ceilingThe wall opens onto a false window, a painted sky or a whole landscape… | 350 €/sqm |
| Outdoor façade: scaffolding, where needed, is added to the quote. | |
Free quote within 48h
Where to start?
When you write to me about a mural at your school, here is what happens next.
A photo of the wall with the sketch
Send me a photo of the wall and I draw a sketch straight onto your photo. You tell me what you think. The first two sketches are included.
The quote
Once the sketch is approved, I send you the quote and we set the date together.
I paint the wall
I come and paint at your school, with a brush, and the place stays open while I work.
The walls of a school
The covered playground wall is the largest flat surface a school has, and the one children look at longest: that is where a mural changes the most. Then come the façade onto the yard, the far wall of the dining hall, the corridor to the classrooms, the library, the hall, a games court wall and a site hoarding.
The subjects that hold up best at a child’s eye level are those you can read from across the yard and study up close: a landscape of the town, a map, a tree crossing the whole wall, animals, a frieze of silhouettes, a hand-drawn alphabet. Giulia can also paint a game onto a low wall.
A line drawing, even with many figures, stays at 150 € per sqm. A fully painted subject, with its colour and shadow, moves to 250 €, and a trompe-l’oeil or a ceiling to 350 €.
The work, at the school’s pace
Most schools choose the holidays, and that is the simplest arrangement: Giulia comes during the period you set and leaves the wall finished for the new term. When the work falls in term time, odourless acrylic lets the classrooms stay in use, and she works section by section with the floor protected.
A mural in a school is an event of its own. The children take the time to look, ask questions, and come back each day to see what has moved on. Giulia can have them lay a colour or sign the bottom of the wall, and many schools turn it into a class project: the design is worked out with the pupils, she sets it out to scale and paints it.
Outside, quartz paint is made for façades. An anti-graffiti varnish is offered on a wall reachable from the street, and the protective varnish then allows cleaning with a damp sponge.
Who commissions it, and from which budget
A school wall belongs to the local authority, to the academy trust or to the school itself, depending on the country and the type of school. The request usually starts with the head teacher, a teacher carrying the project or a parents’ association, then goes through the estates or culture department.
Several budgets exist and often combine: the school fund, the local authority’s works or arts budget, and a sponsor or a local association. The quote is itemised line by line and the invoice is made out to the school or the authority.
Your questions, before you order
Can the mural be painted during the school holidays?
Yes, and it is the simplest timetable. Giulia Dal Bon sets the dates with you when she sends the quote and comes during the period you choose: autumn, Christmas, spring or summer holidays. The wall is finished for the new term. In term time, odourless acrylic also lets her paint while the classrooms are in use.
Can the pupils take part in the mural?
Yes, and it works very well as a class project. The design is prepared with the pupils from their own ideas, Giulia sets it out to the scale of the wall and paints it; the children lay a colour, add a detail or sign the bottom. She speaks four languages and works with the teaching team at the pace you set.
Which subjects work best on a school wall?
The ones you can read from across the yard and study up close: a landscape of the town, a world map, a large tree crossing the wall, animals, a frieze of silhouettes, a hand-drawn alphabet or numbers. On a yard façade, a composition that runs the full length gives the best effect. Giulia draws the sketch straight onto the photo of your wall before she starts.
How much does a 30 sqm mural cost in a school?
Giulia Dal Bon paints by the square metre: 4,500 € for a line drawing or a simple motif, 7,500 € for a fully painted subject, 10,500 € for a trompe-l’oeil or a ceiling. The price includes the paint and the materials, the first two sketches and the finishing varnish. The quote is free, arrives within 48 hours and itemises every line.
Does the mural stand up to a playground?
Yes. Outside Giulia paints in quartz paint, made for façades, and offers an anti-graffiti varnish on a wall reachable from the street. The protective varnish then allows cleaning with a damp sponge while the paint stays intact: a playground wall washes like any other.
Can the neighbourhood be involved?
Yes. Giulia can paint during a school or street fair, in front of the families: people take the time to look, they admire, they photograph. For a school that is community life as much as decoration, and the wall already exists in pictures before it is finished.
Who paints the mural?
Giulia Dal Bon, a painter trained at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, where she also studied restoration. She exhibits her paintings in art galleries and paints murals in seventeen European countries. Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, Domus and Sky Arte have written about her work, and her mural of more than twenty metres dedicated to Gaber and Jannacci can be seen in Milan. She paints with a brush, layer after layer, and signs the work if you wish.
What paint is used, and how long does it last?
Indoors, odourless acrylic colour: the place stays open for the whole of the work. Outdoors, quartz paint, made for façades, with anti-salt varnish by the sea and anti-pollution varnish in the city. As a finish Giulia applies a protective varnish: the mural lasts a lifetime, and the wall wipes clean with a damp sponge, leaving the paint intact.
Where does Giulia travel?
To seventeen countries across Europe, from big cities to small villages. She comes to see the wall, or works from your photos and measurements when everything starts at a distance. She speaks Italian, French, English and Spanish. Write her the name of the town and she will tell you how she would go about it; travel costs and logistics are agreed together.