Painting a mural on a kid’s room wall, doesn’t have to be an intimidating experience. Part of the fun is letting creativity take over. You don’t have to be the best artist in the world to attempt this project. Most people are not expecting a Michelangelo on your child’s mural, on their bedroom wall. Just jump in with these tips and paint your own simple kid’s room mural.
If you worry about the perfection of the painting, you may never try this fun project. Be patient. This is not just like painting the surface of the wall the room colour. A kid’s room mural can be a fairly inexpensive way to make a nice statement in decorating a kid’s room.
Supplies Needed:
Sponge brushes
Small brush for any fine detail work, if you are doing any
Plates for mixing and using the paints
Step ladder, ladder or very sturdy chair for painting higher areas of the mural
A damp rag to wipe mistakes off quickly
* Choose a theme for your kid’s room wall mural. If you already have a theme in the room, tie it in with that one.
* Don’t feel you have to paint things the exact way they appear in real life. This is art, and free expression.
* Remember this is not something carved in gold. If you get part way through, or finish it, then decide you really hate it, you can always paint over it with the room paint. Then start over. To avoid that though, take your time. Step away from it for awhile, then come back and take a fresh look, to see what you want to do next.
* If you are unsure of what you want to paint on your kid’s room wall mural, sketch it out on paper, or an erasable board or chalkboard first.
* You can draw a rough sketch on the wall, in light pencil before you begin painting. That gives you guidelines to follow. Sometimes it takes some getting used to, painting on a large surface, like a wall. If you haven’t done a kid’s room wall mural before, remember that this is a much larger canvas to work on, than paper or an easel. It also is more physical painting a large kid’s room wall mural, especially a large one.
* Don’t feel you have to get the kid’s room wall mural all done in one day, especially if it is a large painting. Sometimes stepping away from it for awhile, gives you new vision and new energy to work on it.
* The best paints to use, are the small bottles of acrylic available at any craft store. If you are on a budget, watch for the paints to go on sale. The acrylics are very easy to mix and blend. They are also water soluble. That makes them easy to use and easy to clean up. Buy extra of the colours you will use, as they sometimes run out. Don’t open them all though, and keep the receipt. If you don’t use them all, you can return the unopened containers. This isn’t like buying gallons of paint, where you are stuck with a huge can half full, or a specially mixed colour that you can’t return, even though you didn’t open and use any of it.
* Don’t pour out the whole bottles of paint all at once. Use it as you go. You won’t waste this way. You can also stop for awhile. You won’t have to wash away unused paint, by using and mixing it as you go
* For covering larger surfaces of a kid’s room wall mural, the different sized sponge brushes with wood or plastic handles work very well. Fine detail will need a smaller bristled paint brush. The sponge brushes are also available at craft stores. They are relatively inexpensive. They are easier to use for a kid’s room mural, than regular big bristled painting brushes. They give you more control. They are also easy to clean up and reuse. Different textured sponges are also good for some projects. Large porous sea sponges, for example, are great for making leaves on a tree.
* Make sure you have a small step stool, ladder or very sturdy chair handy, if you want to paint up higher on the surface of the wall.
* Use some plates to mix the colours on, obviously not your good china. If you have plastic ones with an edge or lip, those work particularly well. Remember these are washable, water soluble paints. The paint comes off of the plates, when you wash them off with water.
* Keep a damp rag handy, so you can wipe off any mistakes or drips quickly before they dry. Acrylics dry fairly quickly, once they are on the wall. If they dry on the dishes, you can soak them in water, to get the acrylic paints off. It will clean off.
* If you want a thinner paint, with a more watery paint effect, you can always add a small amount of water to the paint when you mix it. Be aware though, that that method runs more easily, while you are painting the kid’s room mural. This is a vertical surface you are painting on for your kid’s room wall mural. Keep a damp rag close by. Catch the drips quickly.
*Don’t be afraid to do something out of the ordinary for your kid’s room wall mural. Things can be other colours or shapes, and still fit the theme. For example, you can paint flowers any colours you want. Who cares if those particular colours don’t exist in real life, for those types of flowers. You can make giant flowers or tiny ones. As long as they fit what you are doing, and you are happy with the results, go for it. Look at it this way, if you get critics, good or bad, you are experiencing what professional artists do.
* One nice thing, might be to include the child or children in the project. Let them help you design or paint the kid’sroom wall mural, if they are old enough. Children are very creative, if you let them be. Encourage them to be involved. They may have some great ideas and input for the kid’s room mural.
*Make sure you take photos. At some point you may change the room, or it may need to be redone. It is nice to have a record of the kid’s room mural masterpiece you created. If you move, and it is a design you want to repeat in your new home, you will have a visual record to follow.
Once you have tried creating a kid’s room mural, you will see they are a lot of fun to do. It will also give you appreciation of what work goes into huge professional murals. Go have fun. Enjoy the process creating your very own kid’s room mural. You may be surprised at the comments you get on your artistry.
