Cotton Mural
MURAL DESIGN & LIVE PAINTING
The Partner Cotton Incorporated is the research and marketing company behind cotton and the tagline The Fabric of Our Lives. Their Cotton Naturals campaign redefines athleticism around a single idea: comfort is what gets you into "athflow," the flow state where movement feels natural and free.
The Opportunity Cotton was hosting a "Day of Skate" event at Venice Beach with roller skater and campaign hero Jasmine Moore. They needed a mural to anchor the space: something that could capture movement, carry the campaign message, and give attendees a backdrop worth shooting in front of.
The Goal Design and paint a large-scale mural that brought Jasmine's skating routine to life, doubled as a live painting experience, and drove social content from attendees at the event.
My Role Concept Development · Illustration · Hand Lettering · Mural Design · Live Painting
The Deliverables 15 ft x 8 ft Mural · Instagram Process Reel · Mural Reveal Post
The Solution
The brief asked for movement. But movement is exactly what a wall can't do, so the design had to create the feeling of it instead.
The sequencing of Jasmine's four poses was the key decision. Rather than picking the most dramatic single moment, I chose poses that read as a continuous flow left to right, so even standing still in front of the wall, you could feel the rhythm of her routine.
For the lettering, I went with a wobbly, rounded type on purpose. Clean, tight lettering would have fought the energy of the figures. The organic imperfection pulls the whole composition together and makes it feel like it's all moving as one.
The Cotton logo I treated as part of the illustration, not a placement. The cotton boll replaces the "O" in Cotton within the phrase and shows up again scattered through the background doodles. When branding lives inside the art, it stops feeling like a sponsor and starts feeling like it belongs there.
The Process
Studying the moves
Cotton shared reference keyframes from Jasmine's skating videos. I pulled four poses that formed a natural sequence: arm raised, hip-forward groove, hands-on-head sway, confident stride, making sure each figure felt distinct enough to read at a glance.
Layout options
I presented two compositional directions.
Option A had figures left and tagline right, keeping the full message in every photo frame.
Option B alternated figures and text across the full width for more visual rhythm, but risked cropping the message when attendees photographed themselves in front of it.
Color exploration
I developed three color ways.
Option 1: Warm peach/sand (closest to the event moodboard)
Option 2: Sky blue (airy, Venice-beachy)
Option 3: Soft pink (the most vibrant and social-friendly)
The final mural went with option 1, light enough to make the figures pop and warm enough to stay on-brand.
From screen to wall
Once approved, I painted 80% of the mural in advance, then finished it live on-site at Venice Beach, completing the final details as the event unfolded around me.
The Outcome
The mural became the most-photographed spot at the event. Attendees lined up to skate in front of it and capture their content. Jasmine Moore loved seeing her figures on the wall. After the event, Cotton Incorporated brought the panels back to their headquarters, where the mural now lives permanently in the lobby.
