Wall murals, by virtue of their size, add drama to any piece of bare wall. Due to the large nature of this design element, careful plans should be made, especially where the design and method of painting are concerned. The location of the wall mural is also an important consideration, as this will determine the appropriateness of the design.
For the home, it is more appropriate and practical to adopt a do-it-yourself attitude in creating such paintings. In no other room in the house is a wall mural more appropriate than in the nursery. Parents who wish to add a personal touch to their baby’s room may want to try this project. Fortunately, by using stencils, this project is made easier and more doable. Of course, one must have a design and layout in mind. These will guide the color selection and the stencils that need to be used. Next, the materials should be prepared including stencils, acrylic paint, brushes, pencils, artist’s tape, and rags. Prior to painting, make sure that a background color has already been applied on your chosen wall.
Do a rough sketch on the wall itself
To guide you in painting the mural, it would help if you do a rough sketch of the design and layout on the bare wall. This will also help you change other elements depending on the size of the room and the location of the wall. For nurseries, typical designs include farm scenes, large graphic animals or creatures, or the baby’s name.
Apply the background elements
Once the sketch is in place, you may begin painting the general background elements. This is the perfect opportunity to experiment with color combinations and proper strokes. You will find that, among others, acrylic paint is preferable because it can be diluted in water and becomes waterproof as it dries. More importantly, it offers a vivid range of colors from which to choose.
Carefully place the stencils
When the background elements have dried, carefully place the stencils on the desired areas using artist’s tape. This will secure the stencil as you apply the paint. It is important that the stencils not move around because it will lead to smears and smudged edges, resulting in unclean images.
Paint the designs
Once the stencils are in place, carefully paint the chosen color inside the stencil. In doing so, you may work from the outer to the inner portion of the stencil. You may use circular strokes or even short, parallel ones depending on the design of the stencil. Before you apply the paint, make sure that you blot the brush on a rag to remove excess paint that could mess up the design.
Remove the stencils
Wait until the paint has dried before removing the stencils. The beauty of using a stencil is that it can be used over and over again. Thus, you have to carefully remove the stencils in each session. At the same time, before applying paint on a new section of the wall, check to see if the previous application has already dried thoroughly.
Apply the fixative
Once the design is completed, wait for everything to dry, after which you may apply at least two coats of fixative to ensure that the design will be well-preserved long after you have finished the project.


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