When I was a young child I drew on the walls. When my children were little, they drew on the walls. Apparently it’s a rite of passage in my family. My first approved mural was in eighth grade and in college I started my own mural painting business. I have painted over 40 murals in nurseries, children’s rooms, themed bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms, niches, wine closets, playrooms, places of business and ceilings. With all of these murals, I have been asked a lot of questions and have learned a few things that I can share with all of you. See awesome video near the end of the post!!
It’s Just Like a Vinyl, Right?
Do me a favor and extend your hand out in front of you. Now slap yourself across the face with it.
No. No, a custom hand painted mural is not at all the same as a vinyl cut out. To be worthy of the custom mural, you must respect the art and the artist. Too harsh? Hmmm, nope.
True story, someone did say this to me once and so I turned the job down. A wallpaper, vinyl, or adhesive photo is not inherently bad. They can be great, but it is not the same thing as a hand painted piece of art. Comment below if you want to discuss further.
Why Does It Cost So Much?
Just like a custom handmade suit or dress would cost more than off the rack clothes, the same idea applies to a mural. When I paint murals for clients, I scale it to the space, get their idea that they can’t quite nail down to become reality, and customize colors and details to their liking. Not to mention, the years and money spent on the education and training to become an artist. Add in the supplies and time to plan/paint/clean up and the cost makes sense.
How Do I Find Inspiration?
Most often when there is a client, they have a theme or idea already in mind for the space. They just seem to have trouble getting that idea down on paper. Looking at other artwork, fabric design, photos or nature can help spark ideas. I most often take photos or find reference photos to help determine the scale and details of the work. Determining the style you want the mural in is key, too. If you are starting out, keep it simple.
What Kind of Paint is Best?
Paint choice kind of depends on if the mural is outside or inside. Use an exterior grade paint outdoors to withstand the elements. If painting a mural inside, house paint, craft paint, artist’s acrylics, any and all of these are acceptable. Spray paint can also be used, but it must be used in a well ventilated area.
What Brushes are Best?
Any old, worn out brush works fine for large areas. The texture of the walls and painting techniques wear out brushes quickly. Cheap artist brushes work great for fine detailed areas. Using cheap brushes helps to minimize the cost and prevents you from investing so much in equipment that you are paralyzed to start the project for fear of ruining the tools. If the bristles on the cheap brush are completely trashed by the end of painting, you are only out a few dollars.
How Do You Paint a Large Scale Mural?
Plan out the design on paper first and utilize reference photos. Transfer the image to the wall in chalk to map out the scale and space. If you are not that awesome at free hand drawing, no biggie. Use a projector to enlarge the image onto the space and chalk it on. Chalk is my preferred medium to draw out the mural picture because it is easy to wipe off and it’s cheap.
What Makes You Think You Know So Much?
When you know, you know. Just kidding.
Experience. I have painted a lot of murals in my time (over 40), some better than others, and I have learned along the way. Having a degree in pictorial art, I’ve taken quite a few (few= a lot) of painting, color, and design classes so I am very familiar with paint. Let’s just say when one can mix paint to be an exact match or close enough you can’t tell the difference with just red, blue, yellow, white and black paint, you may have mixed paint a few times. The mural in the featured video was done this way except I took a shortcut and bought green to use as a stem and leaf base to mix into shades in order to save time.
What Do I Need to Get Started?
First, an idea. Figure out what you want to do. Remember, it’s just paint. If you hate it you can just paint over it. Second, courage. Just try it out and see what you can do. The most daunting part is getting started. Third, paint. Keep the color palette simple in the beginning so you are more successful and your confidence can grow. Fourth, supplies. Paint, tarp, containers for water and mixing paint, a step stool or ladder, paint brushes, snacks, water, something to keep your hair out of your face, chalk to do the planning along with reference photos, and scheduled time. Those are the basics.
The Fun Part
A few years ago I decided I wanted to paint a large scale Floral still life mural on my creative space wall. Painting a floral still life in the true style of the Dutch masters would be incredibly involved and take a lot of time. Instead of replicating the style, I gave a nod to the style and simplified.
The base color was painted ahead of time using Sherwin Williams Rainstorm. It is a dark, rich blue with more of a green undertone than a purple. It goes really well with the chair that I LOVE at the sewing desk in that room. Once the base coat was painted, I found lots of reference photos of paintings and narrowed it down. Using a Crayola chalk pencil in yellow (light color that can be seen against the blue) I drew out the basic shapes of the flowers and plants. That sat for a few months while I finished up my kitchen projects. Sometimes life is crazy and you have to put a pin in projects.
When I finally scheduled time to paint, I got all of the equipment together: tarp, step ladder, paints (left overs from various projects and left over artist and craft paints), paint brushes, containers for mixing and for water, reference photos, my computer to have some entertainment while painting, and my coveralls because I know my propensity to ruin clothes.
Break Out the Color
Start with the background images first, if possible. It is easier to overlap than it is to paint around things. Well, it is for me anyhow. Paint a light base color and build on that with shadows and highlights if you are trying to get a more three dimensional feel. Paint as much of that one color that you mixed up before moving on to another color. Be sure to back up every so often to look at what you painted from a distance. Is it reading how you want it to? Are the shadows and shapes how you want them? When your face is right up next to the wall, it can be difficult to see the full picture.
Take a Breather
Just keep plugging away at it. If you are tired, physically or mentally, stop. Take a break. Life with children means there is always something to do so I took lots of breaks to get kids to activities, make dinner, help with homework, etc. The great thing about this being in my home is that I didn’t have to worry about a timeline for a client. (If you watch closely in the video you will see my loyal side kick, Percy, monitoring my progress as I paint.)
Originally I was going to do a bee, but then didn’t because I was tired. But I went back in to add the fat and fluffy bumblebee and I am glad that I did. My son thought it was too fat, but it’s my artwork so I get to make those decisions. I like it, it makes me smile and sometimes we need things around us that make us smile.
So, yeah, that’s basically it. Keep following along to see the progress on the creative space, check out the links below for tips on paint, painting, and tools. In the meantime, keep up the good work of making a house a home! 
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Amazing video!
Thank you! I am a video novice, but what I lack in the photo capturing and editing I can make up for in shading with paint. Haha!
Gorgeous gorgeous! You always amaze me! That last flower shot where we can see the shading … it looks so real. Guess we don’t need to ask what you’ve been up to!
Aww, thank you. I needed something good to come out of 2020! Thank you for your positive feedback, it made my day. 🙂
The whole section about vinyls cracked me up!
Seriously beautiful work!!!
Some truths just need to be told. Thank you for such kind words.
Great job Lisa!!!!
Thank you!!