GIANT Colour by Numbers - Interactive Creativity for Events
Since Summer 2021 we have been brewing up a small side project for Pickle. We had the idea to create large scale artworks more of a collaborative experience, why not share the fun eh? We thoroughly enjoy the meditative process of painting/colouring and bringing something to life, so we developed a way people can get involved…
BUT HOW DOES IT WORK?
Let's break this down:
We (Pickle Illustration) with guidance from the client OR working alongside the clients chosen community, develop a design for your mural, bespoke to your message. The design will be busy, colourful and with varying shapes for the participants to colour.
This design (in outlines) will then be wallpapered on an existing wall or a temporary board to allow your community to add the colour. We bring the board, easels and paint pens all numbered to match the sections on the board to your event.
You enjoy a creative, engaging event AND a bespoke mural/artwork to brighten up your space even after the event has finished.
LETS TEST IT
Through a collaboration with Leicester based printing company StandOut Graphics we began to develop a way to get our illustrations onto a large scale board. This required some initial testing to get to grips with how feint the lines could be and how big the shapes needed to be in order for the participants to get the most out of colouring (and not run out of steam).
See us here testing a design/colours in Lauren’s garden. Shout out to Carole (Lauren’s Mum).
OUR FIRST EVENT
We ran our first live event at The Rising test, as part of Severn Arts ‘Arches’ Festival. The event was for 30 participants over an evening of various arts activities. Our activity was nestled alongside spoken word, dance and interactive light installations. Our two easels, board and pens were incredibly easy to set up and all fit inside Lauren’s small car! Bingo.
THE BENEFITS
So why does it work? We got some feedback from the event’s participants and producers and have listed the benefits below…
Accessible Creativity- The concept is simple, the task easy and the board not daunting due to the fact multiple people could colour at the same time. People felt they could happily join in no matter their colouring experience!
A Conversation Starter- The participants felt they could open up and talk to others who were also colouring on the wall. The shared task took away the anxiety around being in a space with strangers, it was a lovely benefit we weren’t expecting!
Easy Set Up and Take Down- It took us all of 15 minutes to get the activity set up. A flat floor, good lighting and a bit of space is all that was needed.
Flexible Duration- Depending on the size of the board, the task could last for as long as you’d like!
A Memento- The team at the Severn Arts event now have the piece hung up in their offices as a memento of the event and it adds a splash of colour to their walls.
Relaxing and Meditative- We heard great feedback on how relaxed people felt when colouring in the design. We had a lot of people keep coming back throughout the event and it was great to give a mindful task amongst the liveliness of the rest of the event.