Graffiti Art: Mental Health

by Lydia Smith
Facts about your topic/ why you chose this
topic
• One in six people are aged 10–19 years.
• Mental health conditions account for 16% of the global burden of disease and injury in people
aged 10–19 years.
• Half of all mental health conditions start by 14 years of age but most cases are undetected and
untreated (1).
• Globally, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15-19-year-olds.
• The consequences of not addressing adolescent mental health conditions extend to adulthood,
impairing both physical and mental health and limiting opportunities to lead fulfilling lives as
adults.

Facts according to the World Health Organization

Inspirational Art for your topic
Edvard Munch’s The Scream was said to have been inspired by his
mental state, how isolated he felt, and trying to block out all
external noises.

This piece of art was taken from the internet and I felt
drawn to it because of the simplicity yet profound
message that it portrayed. The picture shows a girl
holding up a Brave Face mask. The words around it
reads: We get told to put on a brave face... but
sometime the bravest thing is to take the face off.”
Symbols you could use for your piece
Final design with details such as layers/colour
scheme
• The colour scheme that I chose:
• Background – dark blue; Hair - lighter blue; Face and Body – pink;
Brave Face – pale pink; Heart and Eye Shadow - red
Why you chose this design- what does it
represent?
I think that depression is a very serious and important topic especially
among teenagers. There was someone who I knew who committed
suicide at 14 years old. He always seemed to be happy and cheerful but
now we know that that could have been his “Brave Face”. The artwork
that I chose showed that often times we are bravest when we remove
the mask and let others see the true us. Only then can we get the help
and support we may need.
Stencils

Stencils 1-4 Hair Stencil

Final Product
The pitch
I would love to pitch this design to the Young Minds charity. My design
shows what it is like when someone takes off their brave face and lets
people in. The Young Minds charity should use my design because it is
well thought out and made with love as I have known someone who
had his ”Brave Face” on whenever we met him. My design symbolizes
teenage Mental Health. I think that by people wearing this t-shirt or
walking with the design on their bag, will encourage more people to
understand that it is normal and okay to take off their Brave Face mask
and let someone understand what you are going through.
Reflection
• What did you enjoy about this project? What I enjoyed about this
project has got to be our first task when we we looking up “disturbed
art”.
• What could be improved on your design? The blank spaces in
between the stencil layers were a bit shoddy. Next time I will try to
ensure that it’s neater.
• What was your favourite part of the project? My favourite part of the
project has definitely got to be when I saw how the project turned out
at the end.