"Bosque de Colores" (Colorful Forest) is a social initiative created by the muralist Gabriel Peña in 2018 to foster creativity and community spirit in La Pradera, a low-income neighborhood located in the south of Guayaquil. The initiative evolved as a collaborative festival where artists paint murals, make live drawings and play music in a park called El Bosque. Families and friends come together during a weekend and have fun with activities been held there.
I had the honor of being invited to participate this past month. Above you can see a quick summary of the project process.
I started developing thumbnail ideas in my sketchbook, scanned each one and posted them on social media as a way of getting more people involved in the creation of the mural. I added color palettes to try and help everyone decide which one was the best option.
When the best fit was chosen refinements were needed. I then began digitizing it using Adobe Illustrator and preparing a grid to help me paint the final art on a large scale.
Below, the entire painting process of "Bosque de Colores".
I received help from friends to whom I'm very grateful. Just drafting the letters and shapes with pencil took me a whole day! With their help, I was able to finish the mural on the next day.
