Get inspired

Red Beach Art Club gets a colourful update

Tucked away in an unassuming shed on Auckland’s Hibiscus Coast is a place where local kids can harness their creativity and let the budding artist in them shine: the Red Beach Art Club.

The concept was brought to life by Georgie Holmes, who sought to set up a creative sanctuary for young people. “I started it as a place for kids to feel safe and have an environment in which they can imagine and create and have an activity that’s not achievement based,” Georgie explains.

However, the shed was in desperate need of a makeover. “We had a wall with early signs of mould and a number of different surfaces that we really needed to bring together with one cohesive colour,” Georgie says. So she headed to her local Resene ColorShop for some key advice and to choose a bright and bold new colour palette to play with.

In-store advice

First up, Georgie speaks to Loch about her mould issue, which can be simply and easily blitzed away with Resene Moss & Mould Killer. It not only neutralises any moss and mildew that’s growing, but it also helps prevent any more growing in future.

When it comes to painting the walls, Loch recommends Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat as the perfect primer, with a topcoat of Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen Kitchen & Bathroom. This paint is perfect for wet areas and those prone to mould as it contains MoulDefender and anti-bacterial silver to help prevent mould growth.

As it’s made from metal, the shed’s garage door required a slightly different treatment. Georgie was advised to first clean it thoroughly with Resene Roof and Metal Wash and then prime it with Resene Pre-Coated Steel Primer. The best topcoat for this exterior surface is Resene Summit Roof as it has a bit more UV resistance.

Georgie headed to her local Resene ColorShop where Loch advised her on which products to use, and helped her finalise her colour selection.

Georgie’s husband Oliver created all the Art Club branding and not only hand-drew all the stencils, but helped with the painting. Walls painted in Resene Rice Cake, Resene Half Turbo, Resene Fire, Resene Half Karaka and Resene Paper Doll, rafters in Resene Paper Doll and window frames in Resene Half Turbo.

A clean canvas

Georgie got to work with all the cleaning and preparation for each surface, once she had removed all the mould. The walls were then primed with Resene Quick Dry, while the old COLORSTEEL® garage door was primed with Resene Pre-Coated Steel Primer.

The next step was, according to Georgie, “making Art Club really Art Club” – and that was done by adding a hand-drawn wall mural. After painting the walls in base colour of Resene Rice Cake, Georgie’s husband Oliver designed the Art Club logo and came up with all the beautiful illustrations, which he drew onto the wall.

Georgie chose Resene colours to match the Art Club branding colours: the long hands were painted in Resene Half Turbo with an outline of Resene Fire to make them pop, Resene Half Karaka was used for the flowers, and Resene Paper Doll (Georgie’s favourite) was used on the rafters and lots of the furniture.

The garage door proved the biggest surprise and Georgie confessed she initially thought it was destined for the scrap heap. However it looks as good as new after coating with Resene Summit Roof in Resene Red Oxide.

Georgie couldn’t be more proud of the space. “I feel like it’s twice as big as it was before;” she says. “It’s so light and bright, with literally just a lick of paint!”

Georgie Holmes started Red Beach Art Club as a place for kids to come and create. Walls painted in Resene Rice Cake, Half Turbo, Resene Fire, Resene Half Karaka and Resene Paper Doll and rafters and furniture in Resene Paper Doll.

The space has been brought to life with a fun and fabulous palette of Resene colours. Walls painted in Resene Rice Cake, Resene Half Turbo, Resene Fire, Resene Half Karaka and Resene Paper Doll, rafters in Resene Paper Doll and window frames in Resene Half Turbo.

Advice for painting murals

Protect the area around the mural by laying down dropcloths.
Make sure your team wears old clothes as they are guaranteed to get paint on themselves – no matter how tidy or careful a painter they are!
Start with large areas of flat colour so that everyone can build up confidence before tackling the more detailed areas.
Make sure you adjust the size of your brush depending on what you’re painting – use large brushes for large areas of colour and smaller brushes for the details and edges.
If using stencils, tape them onto the wall with low-tack painter’s tape (and remove the tape before paint dries over it).
Step back from the mural regularly to check how everyone is going – there’s nothing worse than finding annoying differences when you think the job is finished.
Make creating the mural fun. If the team isn’t enjoying the process, there’s something wrong!
Hang up or display ‘Wet paint’ signs next to the mural to avoid accidental damage.
Don’t rush the work – tired painters will make mistakes. It’s better to work for a shorter time with a fresh team, than a long time with a tired team.
Wrapping a paintbrush in plastic wrap will prevent the paint drying on the brush while you take a lunch break (or overnight). Similarly, put your roller into a plastic bag and tape it around the handle.
If touch-ups are required, work from the top of the mural down. That way drips can be covered up as you work your way down.
For long-term protection, especially for exterior murals, the mural may be overcoated with a protective glaze and/or anti-graffiti finish, such as Resene Uracryl GraffitiShield. Check with your local Resene ColorShop for various options from acrylic glazes (suitable for anyone to use) to engineered coating systems glazes (best applied by a professional).
Accept mistakes as part of the process – they can always be covered up with more paint!