Digital Illustrator / Mural Designer for Series of Story-Driven Site-Specific Murals in New Orleans - Contract to Hire

New Orleans | Proposal-Based Public Art Opportunity

This opportunity involves the development of illustrated, narrative vinyl murals, digitally designed and printed at architectural scale for installation in a public interior space.

Project Overview

The mural concept draws from the geography, natural history, and cultural life of Louisiana and New Orleans. Scenes will combine realistic and lightly fantastical interpretations of life in Louisiana, grounded in place, landscape, plants, animals, and everyday cultural memory.

The visual language should feel human, layered, and story-driven.

This project is rooted in collaboration. I am seeking an experienced illustrator or mural artist to interpret these ideas visually and help build a cohesive mural concept.

Role Description

I am looking for an artist who:

Works digitally but values hand-drawn or painterly visual language

Enjoys building narrative environments and illustrated worlds

Is comfortable working from conversation, reference imagery, and sketches

Has interest or experience in murals, public art, or large-scale illustration

Enjoys collaborative, iterative creative processes

Photographic reference images and conceptual sketches will be provided. These materials are directional references, not templates to execute.

Compensation and Project Phases

This is not spec work. No unpaid tests are requested.

Phase 1: Paid Proposal Development

The first stage is a paid engagement to develop visual concepts and materials for the public art proposal. Compensation will be discussed upfront and agreed upon before work begins.

Phase 2: Final Mural Design (If Selected)

If the proposal is selected by the commissioning body, the artist will be contracted to continue working on the final mural designs, with expanded scope and compensation.

Timeline

The proposal deadline for the public art call is February 6, so availability for a focused, near-term collaboration is essential.

Use of AI

Early conceptual sketches may include limited AI-generated imagery used to communicate scale, tone, or general direction. The final proposal and all finished work will be artist-driven, hand-guided, and human-made.

Next Steps

If this opportunity feels aligned, I’d welcome a short conversation to review scope, timeline, and compensation, and to ensure mutual fit before moving forward.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

— Frank