art for wellbeing – Page 2 – Collaborative Art Projects for All Ages

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Quick Takeaway

Group Mural Creation can be simple, inclusive, and genuinely fun for kids when you have the right structure. In this post, you’ll discover practical group mural creation ideas drawn from my experience facilitating over 60 community and school-based collaborative art projects with more than 2,000 participants, using my Pattern Play Collaborative Art framework. I want to help you do the same with clear guidance and helpful digital resources that make group murals easier to plan and lead with confidence.

Group mural creation with Painting Around is Fun - Our Soccer Mural Painted with school kids (primary / elementary) — Group mural creation with School Kids ages 5- 13.

How can group mural creation inspire teamwork and creativity in children?

At Ascot Park Primary School, we embarked on a group mural creation with the Specialist Soccer Team. Twenty-six students came together to transform their soccer practice “Hitting Wall” into a vibrant mural celebrating teamwork.

Using my Pattern Play Collaborative Art approach, the students were guided through three simple stages:

Messy Playing – creativity flowed freely with big brushes and spontaneous marks.
Exploring – detailed layers were added to build depth and texture.
Bling – intricate finishing touches brought the mural to life.

The result is a stunning, multi-layered mural that the school community enjoys daily, reflecting both creativity and collaboration.

Group mural creation 1: underpainting – setting the foundation

The project began with a vibrant underpainting that served as the base layer for the mural. Students used large brushes and rollers to apply broad strokes of primer mixed with colour to the wall, creating a solid backdrop.

We focused on warm tones like red, orange, and yellow. These colours brought a sense of energy and motion and set the stage for what was to come. The underpainting not only helped unify the mural, but it also gave students the confidence to start creating without worrying about perfection.

This stage was all about getting the first layer down and warming up the space for further creative exploration.

Group mural creation 2: messy playing – freeing the creativity

In this phase, students were encouraged to loosen up and have fun with the mural. We introduced a variety of tools—sponges, stamps, templates, and stencils—to add playful and spontaneous elements.

The Messy Playing stage is all about creative freedom, allowing each student to make their mark without fear. By layering bold shapes and spontaneous patterns, the students brought energy and movement to the mural.

This step allowed their ideas to flow naturally, giving the artwork an organic, fluid feeling—much like how a soccer team works together dynamically on the field.

Group mural creation 3: exploring – building layers of detail

With the playful base established, students began to explore more intentional techniques. The goal was to bring depth and complexity to the mural.

They used finer brushes and simple patterns, layering these designs on top of the earlier marks to create intricate areas. Subtle details in similar colours helped the patterns achieve a sense of unity across the mural.

The patterns used were an early version of my Pattern Play visual resources, which I now use for every project and offer for sale in my online shop. For this project, I laminated simple hand-painted pattern ideas into A4 sheets and scattered them around as inspiration. Some sheets were also stuck up to give students examples to copy.

This scattered approach encouraged creativity while allowing students to add their own ideas. Every contribution was guided and celebrated, and each layer added more visual interest.

This phase gave the mural its distinctive character, as students worked in sync, painting around each other’s contributions to create a cohesive design that reflected their teamwork.

Group mural creation 4: Bling – adding the final touches

The finishing stage was all about adding extra sparkle and final polish to the mural. Using a dark crimson for pops of accent colour, along with fine detailing, we added the “bling.”

This stage helped emphasise focal points and gave a sense of completion to the mural. Each student’s name was incorporated into the design, creating a personal connection to the finished piece.

The final touches made the mural truly shine. It was more than just an artwork—it reflected the students’ hard work, collaboration, and team spirit. They were incredibly proud, having ownership of the entire creative process.

Group mural creation: in conclusion

This group mural creation at Ascot Park Primary School not only brought the students together, but also resulted in a stunning work of art. It transformed the “Hitting Wall”, a space they use daily for soccer practice, into a vibrant reminder of teamwork and creativity.

One of the most rewarding moments was hearing the kids run around the corner at recess, squealing with joy and amazement as they saw the mural taking shape. The students engaged in the three stages—Messy Playing, Exploring, and Bling—embracing Pattern Play Collaborative Art.

Through this process, they created a layered, dynamic mural that will be enjoyed for years to come, celebrating both their creativity and collaboration.

Happy Painting!

Charndra,

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Quick Takeaway

Looking for inspiring group art mural examples? I’ve facilitated over 60 community and school-based collaborative art projects with more than 2,000 participants, using my simple Pattern Play Collaborative Art framework. In this post, you’ll see two success stories that show how teams of all ages can create colourful, fun murals—and I want to help you do the same with my helpful digital resources.

Group Art Mural Examples: The Find Your Confidence Mural Created by Teenagers showing a detail of the mural.

What can we learn from two inspiring group art mural examples?

Collaborative art projects offer a unique and empowering experience, especially for young people who may not yet realise their creative potential. At Aberfoyle Park High School, two recent group art murals demonstrate this perfectly. Find Your Confidence focused on fostering confidence among Year 10 and 11 girls, while Find Your Courage aimed to develop courage and teamwork in another, larger group of Year 10 and 11 girls. These large-scale murals transformed blank walls into vibrant expressions of creativity and encouraged students to embrace the collaborative process. Through these projects, the students achieved something truly remarkable.

Group Art Mural Examples: The Find Your Confidence Mural Created by Teenagers showing the work in progress. — A Group Art Mural Example: The ‘Find Your Confidence’ Mural

A group art mural example: The ‘Find Your Confidence’ mural

The Find Your Confidence group art mural at Aberfoyle Park High School was created by a group of Year 10 and 11 girls as part of a collaborative art project. The goal was to boost confidence through public art. The process began with Messy Playing, using large brushes and sponges to prime the wall. Participants then added vibrant circles and patterns in warm colours. As the mural evolved, they layered accessible patterns and finished with a final Bling stage, using paint pens, glitter, and even nail polish. The completed mural became a colorful and inspiring focal point in the school, reminding students of the power of teamwork and encouraging them to try something new. It shows that they can achieve more than they think is possible.

Group Art Mural Examples: The Find Your Courage Mural Created by Teenagers showing the work in progress. — A Group Art Mural Example: The ‘Find Your Courage’ Mural

Another group art mural example: The ‘Find Your Courage’ mural

The Find Your Courage group art mural at Aberfoyle Park High School involved 18 Year 10 and 11 girls, created to build confidence through a public art project. The process began with Messy Playing, using large brushes and rollers to prime the wall. The students then painted circles, blended colours, and added spirals and patterns. Layers of accessible patterns were added to enhance visual interest, focusing on overlapping and refining details. The final Bling stage included intricate designs with paint pens, with each student’s name hidden within the mural.

The finished mural became an inspiring centerpiece at the school, symbolizing courage and collaboration. Students admire it daily as they walk past the canteen. As part of the program, the girls also earned 10 SACE points toward their High School Diploma, alongside other community-based activities.

A brief summary of these group art mural examples

Both Find Your Confidence and Find Your Courage are inspiring group art mural examples that showcase the power of collaboration and creativity in public spaces. These projects gave students the opportunity to explore their artistic abilities while learning the value of teamwork and self-expression. The resulting murals have become lasting symbols of courage and confidence within the school, reminding everyone that working together can lead to truly remarkable results.