How to Paint a Mural with Little or No Experience

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A mural is a wonderful way to allow a child's imagination to blossom and grow.

This process can be pretty easy, even if you don't have the painting talent that you think you might need. All you need is the right tools.

• Overhead Projector
• Clear Acetate Sheets
  
• Paint Brushes - a few good quality ones ranging in size
  
• Drop cloths
• Acrylic paints (I often use craft paint because you can get them in ANY color)
• Bucket for water to rinse brushes between colors
  
• Paper Towels (to wipe wet brushes on)
• Matte Medium or Glaze (this makes the paint thinner and more movable)
  

As an artist, one of my favorite items is my overhead projector. I use it to project an outline drawing onto the wall of what I am going to paint. I also use it for placement to figure out where exactly I want something to be and what size I want it to be. This is a trick of the trade, that would help you tremendously. They can be expensive, so you might want to look into renting one.

Click Here to purchase: 3M Model 1711 Overhead Projector

If you are new to mural painting, I would suggest choosing a simple design, with little detail and shading. This will be less complicated when it comes to painting.

Here are a few simple steps to follow:

1. Reference Pictures - This is very important when painting a mural. It will help you to have something to look at while doing the mural. Use the pictures as you work. I like to use painter's tape and tape them up right where I am working so I can see what I am supposed to be painting.

2. Background - Start with the background (landscape, trees, etc.) If you are painting a large space - grab a couple quarts of latex paint and block in and blend your colors with a large 4" brush.

3. Outline - Use a projector for this. Pencil in your outline lightly onto the wall. If your base is dark, you can also use chalk.

4. Painting - Slowly and carefully fill in the outlines of whatever you are painting. You can use the glaze or matte medium to mix into the paints if you need them to be more fluid and movable.

If you still feel like you don't have what it takes, then there are several companies that produce murals that you can actually put up like wallpaper. There are others that use removable stickers which do not damage when taken down. Here are a few examples of what you can find: