Painting A Wall Mural Yourself!…
To many people this project could sound quite frightening. Maybe you have an idea in your head already? Why not make it a reality then? Just tell yourself that you can do this! All you need to do, is remain calm.
Let’s move to your first step. It is very important that you do not have a greasy or dirty wall to work on. So get your rubber gloves on and wash down the wall.
Once this is dry, you can make a bit of a start by giving the wall a coating of paint or a primer. This should, in fact, make it easier to paint your mural.
Don’t get old feet now! What you will need next, is some paper, like a sheet of A3, a pen or pencil and a ruler. You now have to draw what is called a grid and you do this on the paper first. Like a plan, in fact, particularly if it is a fairly large area you want to cover. What you do, is to draw 2 inch squares to make the grid and then you draw your design on this. When this is completed you then basically transfer the grid on to your wall.
You can do this by using a chalk that will show up on the wall and you should not encounter too many problems when you try to remove this later. So, if you take each 2 inch square from your sheet of paper as a 2 foot square on the wall, you should get the gist. If your area is small you could do 1 inch to 1 foot! Whichever you do, the amount of squares need to be exactly the same as the grid you have drawn.
Do not make the mistake of making your grid pretty small, or you may have difficulty getting rid of the chalk marks. Whatever you choose to put in the grid, make sure that it has good, clear, outlines for you to follow.
So you have your paper grid, now you need some paint. What I would say is, try, if it is at all possible, not to stint on this. A good quality paint usually works better for anything. Personally, I would try to use an acrylic paint, if you can afford it. Then you paint the grid so that each square will be identical from the paper to the wall.
It is essential too, to be using a good brush. If money is an issue with the paint, use an ordinary house paint for the background part and just use acrylics for the main details.
Do not paint blindly on, as you need to stand away from it from time to time, to get the full effect of what you are doing. You may have to select a paint that will stand up to the sun.
Anyway, the paint needs a matt finish to it, so you will not suffer from the light bouncing off it. I really think when you have completed your mural, it would be advisable to, as protection, add a coat of a clear varnish. This will be a bonus later when you want to wash and clean your mural.