Throughout the week of October 15, Shawn spent his time in the cafeteria of Helen C. Cannon Junior High School, creating a mural of the school's mascot, a cardinal.
He first made a sketch of the cardinal on paper, then made a grid on the paper, and on the wall. The purpose of the grid was to make it easy for him to draw the cardinal on the wall with exact proportions, doing 1 square at a time.
Shawn used numerous shades of red to capture the detail of all the feathers on the bird.
During lunch, the students stopped to admire the artwork and watch the artist do his magic. Shawn was very impressed with how polite the students were, and how many compliments he received from them.
Many students stopped by after school and between classes to ask questions. Shawn readily answered them, and even allowed them to paint on the wall themselves. The students here learned one of many tricks that Shawn uses. They used a small roller, and lightly pressed it against the wall to create the look of leaves on distant trees. Later, Shawn used his airbrush to paint the branches and limbs. Many students were hesitant to paint on their school's wall, but with reassurance, they dove right in. The phrase of the week quickly became, "Don't worry, he can fix anything!"
The school's art teacher brought in a few of his students and Shawn was able to explain how the airbrush works. Seeing the look on the students' faces as they painted and controlled the airbrush was very inspiring for Shawn.
At the end of the week, the mural was completed. Now, the school will always have this picture of their bird, flying over a beautiful scenery.
Special thanks to Mr. Manzanares and Ms. Koning for allowing Shawn to come in and do what he loves most.
