If you want to know how to paint a wall mural, you've come to the right place. Don't worry, you don't need tons of painting experience - in fact, you don't even need to have any particular artistic talent to brag about. All you need is the right tools, a great idea, and a willingness to roll up your sleeves and dive in.
How to Paint a Wall Mural - The Easy Way
But wait, you say. How can I paint a wall mural without having an artistic talent? Well, even if you barely know how to pick up a paint brush, you can cheat your way to a great looking wall mural without having a Picasso-esque bone in your body. The trick? It all comes down to a handy secret weapon in your arsenal - a projector.
That's right, you are going to use a projector to display the image on the wall, and all you have to do is trace and paint. The hardest part can be coming up with just the right image. If you are the drawing type, you can easily sketch out a design that is to your liking, whether you want your mural to take you away to a rustic Tuscan countryside scene or if you want something a little more abstract to jazz up your room. But if drawing your own image doesn't appeal to you, start mining your favorite magazines, art books, postcards, photographs or anything else that catches your fancy. With your image in hand, it's time for a trip to your local photocopying center.
When you get to the photocopy store, there are two things you need to do. First, you need a black and white copy of your image that is big enough that all of the little lines and designs are clearly visible (don't worry - it doesn't have to be wall sized. Just go for as big as possible without distorting the image). From that black and white copy, you need to make a black and white copy on a transparency sheet - any office center or printing shop can take care of this for you.
Back at home, prep the area of the wall to be painted and pull out the projector. Insert your image and project it onto your wall. To change the size of the image on the wall, move the projector backwards and forwards until it is to your liking (remember to mark exactly where the projector is in case you need to move it before you're finished). Use a pencil and trace your design just like you would if you were tracing a design on paper. Be sure to take your time with any of the intricate parts so it's clear to you when it comes time to paint.
Painting Your Mural
When you are satisfied with the outline of your design, it is time to start painting. Make sure you have enough of each color before you get started to save yourself running to the store in the middle of the project. Start painting the largest areas of your design first with a wide brush, and then use smaller brushes to fill in all of the details. A round brush often works best in the tight spots. Apply additional coats or colors as necessary to achieve your desired look.
But I'm a Good Artist!
If you're lucky enough to have the blood of an artist coursing through your veins, then you can leave the projector behind. Sketch out exactly what you want your mural to look like on paper first - it's harder to make changes once you've started drawing on the wall as erasing may smudge and it can be hard to follow your lines once you start painting. When you are completely satisfied with your rendering of your design, take to the wall and start drawing. If scale is a problem, take some measurements of the area you wish to cover with your mural and plan accordingly. If it helps, you can get a sheet of butcher's paper the same size as your wall and experiment with scale there to get a feel for the size your image needs to be.
After the drawing, paint as normal and your mural is complete!
