How to Paint a Mural

Posted on July 28th, 2009 by aileen

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Do you have dull walls in your bedroom? Want to liven up your family room with an artsy ceiling? Bring your boring walls and ceilings to life and hone your artistic skills with a mural.

Murals are artworks painted on large surfaces like walls, ceilings and floors. The primary concept to remember in making a mural is proportionality. Since you’ll be painting on surfaces larger than ordinary canvas, you have to make sure that elements within your artwork are symmetrical to each other. Here is a guide on painting murals.

Things You’ll Need:

A smooth wall appropriate for painting
Pencils
Paints
Drop cloth
Pain brushes
rollers and sprays
Container with water to wash paint brushes
Stencils, if you’re a beginner and don’t want to draw by freehand yet.

Planning

Look for an appropriate area. If you plan to paint your wall, check if it’s ready for painting. You might have to prepare the surface first before you can paint on it.
Think of what you would like to paint. Knowing what to paint would make it easier for you to know the type of paint and color scheme you need.
Make a copy of your design on paper. Drawing on memory alone might be a bit hard than just copying a sketch of your design. This will also give you a better sense of proportion for the elements of your drawing.
Determine the type of paint you want to use. There are several types of paint that you can choose from. Some of these are oil-based enamel, acrylic and latex paints. You may also opt to use ordinary household paint.
Know how much paint you need. Painting a mural means getting lots of paints. Make sure you have enough for your project.
Decide on what you’ll use for painting. Aside from paint brushes, you may also use rollers and sprays.

Preparing Your Work Area

Be sure you have enough space to move around.
Clear your area of things that may slow down your progress, like furniture, portraits, and vases.
Gather your materials. It’s always a good idea to make sure you have everything you need before starting any project.
Protect other surfaces. If you’re painting a wall, protect your floor or carpet with a drop cloth to avoid spilling paint on these areas.
Prepare the surface for painting. Check for dirt and cracks on the wall. A good surface for painting murals is one that is smooth and clean.

Painting

Use a pencil to draw images on the surface. If you don’t like to draw freehand, make or buy stencils.
Don’t forget to draw big images. When you’re used to drawing on paper or canvasses, it’s easy to forget that you need to draw your images bigger than you’re used to.
Remember to keep elements of your drawing proportioned with each other.
Draw the background images first and then make the foreground layers.
Have a color scheme. Your color choice would depend on your theme. Be sure to have all the colors you need before you start painting.
Use dark colors for the outline of your foreground images to emphasize them.
Step back once in a while to check your creation. Look for errors and correct them immediately. It would be a bit hard to correct errors after you’ve finished painting.
Use light colors for correcting mistakes.
Wait for your artwork to dry.
Coat your creation with a sealer to make it last for a long time.

Though painting murals may be a bit time-consuming, the feeling you get after accomplishing your project is irreplaceable. Let your creativity flow and express yourself. Happy painting!