The Hollins Rock

There is a rock that sits near the entrance to the Hollins Campus. It is tradition for folks to spray paint messages on it to welcome speakers, or special programs. In fact, its had so much paint on it over the years, an enormous chunk broke off last summer. Everybody thought the rock had broken, but it was simply decades of paint!
     At any rate, this year we decided to paint the rock with a big welcome to all our ChildLit Graduate programs students - people in the MFA in Writing and Illustrating Children's Books, Certificate in Children's Book Illustration, Children's Literature MA and MFA programs.
     A cow jumping over the moon has become a symbol we use quite a bit here, so I thought it would be a great image for the rock. I bought paints a few weeks ago and waited for faculty to arrive. Sunday morning was the day! I told Ashley Wolff my idea, she did the actual drawing, and then we executed it together. Poifect!
     First we had to cover up what used to be on the rock (a sign from a writing workshop held over the summer).

Then we applied a gradient sky background.

Then the moon.

And then more details. I don't know how graffiti artists do it - spray paint is not an easy medium to work with!

But it worked out okay, and voila! Here is the rock (with the original sketch).

And the rock with Ashley and me, proud as clams, with spray cans in hand.

     So, welcome, welcome students and faculty! I'm looking forward to a great summer term!
     Meanwhile, we'll see how long the design lasts before somebody else paints something new on top!