Something is covering the walls between rooms 2403 and 2405 in Beverly Hills Intermediate School — and it’s not wallpaper.

It’s the artwork and creativity of the eighth grade advanced painting students.

“The renovation that took place on the former Dobie High School really transformed the building,” said Lisa Anders, the school’s advanced art teacher. “In the process, they stripped the school of any identity, turning it into a real blank canvas.”

But in the world of art, blank canvases are made to be painted on, so Anders took advantage of the opportunity at hand, creating a year-long project to cover the walls of the art wing with a floor to ceiling (7’7” tall by 104’10” long) mural of her students’ artwork.

A former graphic design artist, Anders knew how to manipulate photographs and used her talents from her former vocation to create the idea of a collage of student photographs as a mural.

“I wanted something that not only gave a bit of art history but that also created a sense of ownership for the students,” she said. “This is their wall, their project.”

Anders snapped a series of photographs, and then digitally added a collage of masterworks onto the wall. Once the images were printed students traced sections of the montage onto a transparency, which was then projected onto the wall for the students to trace.

In addition to painting the images, students also researched various artists and artworks from the collage, which they presented at the end of the third six weeks. As extra publicity for their efforts, the students also created and displayed “Wanted” fliers around the school for their “crime” of marking on the walls. A lock-in was held after school until 11 pm during the fall semester for students to paint as well.

“Getting started was the hardest part,” said Anders. “We had a lot of problems with getting the sizing right. Now, a 90-minute project just flies by. The students get so absorbed in what they’re doing that they don’t even realize it’s time to pick up.”

Anders is currently writing a grant to travel abroad to see some of the artworks in person. The mural will be finished by the end of the semester.