Why Artist Ed Reynolds Believes Rosco Supersat Is The Best Mural Paint

Ed Reynolds is a specialist painter, muralist, illustrator, and caricaturist based in Belfast. He is renowned for creating a series of public murals that memorialize Northern Ireland’s people and historical events. Although he considers himself a painter first and foremost, he also regards himself as a traditional muralist that uses mostly brushes, sponges, Rosco Paints, water, and the odd sponge to create rich and detailed pieces of work throughout Northern Ireland. Below, Ed shares details about his artistic process and why he prefers using Rosco Supersat Scenic Paint to paint his murals.

A row of murals Ed painted in the Sandy Row area of Belfast -  still looking great after 8 years! 

I started to use Supersat when I was first working for a Carnival company in Belfast, Northern Ireland. We used it to paint props, both with brush and airbrush. I find the pigment and colour tones on the Supersat really pleasing to work with, in practice and with the finished work.

The mural, Factory Girls, on North Queen St. depicts workers at Belfast’s Gallagher Tobacco factory.

I love the effect of laying lots of different mixes into my artwork and I appreciate the consistency, strength, and quality of the Supersat colours. They really have a high-end look to them. What I like most is that whatever the consistency of the paint-to-water ratio I use with Supersat, there is always a strength in the tonal value to the colour mix.

Ed in front of his mural Bare Wall and Fake Stairwell on Church View in Holywood, Northern Ireland.

I tend to use the same colours and utensils when working on a large mural. I have a large stock of Supersat paint to work from and do occasionally bring in different colours to the mix.

I really love Rosco Cerulean Blue for its consistency and dare I say ‘warmth’?!? Chrome Green is also another favourite, along with Yellow Ochre and Raw Umber. In fairness, if I was to go through my stock, I’d pick out many more, but these colours would be my firsthand favourites. Oh… and the Supersat Raw Sienna also! Mixing it with just a touch of Raw Umber gives me rich and earthy tones… always!

Ed in front of his mural on North Queen St, Belfast.

I usually do most of the work by brush and sponge with the Supersat paint, and later embellish the artwork using spray can paints. For things like highlights and fade, spray works well over the Supersat for that effect. Previously, when I used to work with the carnival company, I would mix the Supersat with a higher ratio to water, to use in the spray gun.

A mural on North Queen St in Belfast showing local inhabitants.

Access and movement are the biggest challenges for me when working on large formats. Either having to use a cherry picker, which I am not a fan of, or scaffold. There’s a lot of having to move about the place before any paint is applied to the surface. I work by eye, instead of using a grid or squiggle app to do large paintings, so I much prefer to move freely around where the artwork is being created and not having to interact with machinery in the process.

Ed’s giant Titanic-themed mural on Donegall Road, which was commissioned by the Belfast City Council, honors workers who built the Titanic and the area’s rich industrial and maritime heritage.

In conclusion, Ed Reynolds chooses Rosco Supersat because they are easy-to-use paints with strong tonal values that allow him to move freely about as he adds different layers into his murals. To learn more about Ed’s work, visit his website www.steadyhanded.com, or follow @steadyhanded on Instagram. You can also browse his collection of paintings available for purchase here.

Supersat Paint For Muralists

Have you ever wondered what type of paint is used for murals? Rosco Supersat is an excellent paint for muralists. These unique acrylic paint concentrates are available in a mixable palette of artist colors and are designed to be diluted with water - at least 1:1 but they can be diluted much more for vibrant translucencies and washes. With such tremendous extendibility, Supersat offers the widest range of artistic effects possible while being extremely economical to use. For more information, explore the Supersat Roscopaint product page on the Rosco website.