Creating a warm, whimsical or beautiful bedroom doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. Wallpaper, with its own attraction of color and pattern, can be prohibitively expensive to anyone on a shoestring budget. Ditch the expense and time needed for wallpaper, and try your hand at a wall mural instead.
Painting a mural on a bedroom wall is easier than it sounds, even if you aren’t an artist. It just takes a little planning and practice. The hardest part of painting a wall mural will be deciding just exactly you want to paint! Look to the personality of the bedroom occupant, and seek their input if they’re old enough. If it’s a teenager, give them three options you’re okay with and let them make the final decision.
The design for a wall mural for a child’s bedroom should be one that will be age-appropriate for at least three years. A young girl will love having Dora the Explorer on her walls, but not once she’s a teen. But even most female teens will still like Tinker Bell, jungle scenes and horses, or perhaps action figures and video game or sport themes for the boys.
For an adult bedroom, go with your personal fantasy: a sun-drenched beach, your own Picasso, or ancient Moroccan grill-work, and there’s nothing wrong with a tasteful nude. You want something that will make your bedroom a sanctuary after a long day’s work.
If you’re a novice painter who can’t draw a straight line, choose a design with fewer details. Now is not the time to learn how to paint shadowing or 3-dimensionally. Use Google Images, art books or even children’s books to search for pictures you can make your own. Take into consideration your own abilities and choose a design that won’t be too daunting or overwhelming.
The first step in painting a wall mural is to properly prepare the “canvas”. If you already like the color the wall is currently painted you’re well ahead of the game. If not, choose a wall color that will be a good backdrop for your intended mural. The devil is in the details so be sure to tape around window and floor trim, and use a drop cloth to protect your floor and furniture. Use good quality brushes and rollers – these can be reused if cleaned properly so think of them as an investment in your painting arsenal. I recommend painting with a coat of primer first; this can be tinted to match your choice of wall color. At least one application of paint will be needed after the primer, depending on how deep your color is. A matte or satin finish paint is best to paint a wall mural on, so don’t used semi-gloss. Let the wall dry overnight.
Next, you need to create a pattern for your design. Make a copy of the image you want to recreate with a computer printer or a copy machine. Then mark out a grid of one inch squares on white paper using a pencil and ruler. Each square represents a square foot on your wall. Lay your image under the grid and draw over the major lines to transfer the image to the gridded paper. You may need to enlarge or shrink your copy so that it fills the right number of squares to match the size of the area on the wall you want to paint. This transfer is now your pattern.
To transfer the pattern to your wall you’ll need to recreate the grid. The easiest way is to use a powdered plum line, a tool available at the hardware store. This tool has a powder-coated string which is pulled out, held in place, and then snapped, leaving a powder line on the wall. Use a level to make sure you’re keeping the lines straight, and a ruler to space the lines evenly.
Once you have the grid on the wall you will need to draw the design. This is easier than it sounds. Just look at each individual square, and where its lines are in relation to the lines of the square next to it. Start with the square in the center of the design. You can see from your pattern that Line A goes from this part of the square to that part, and then Line B goes from here to there. Once you have the lines drawn in the center square move to the square to the right. Connect the lines that continue from the center square to this new square, and concentrate of placing the lines as they appear on your pattern. Worry only about one square at a time. If you take your time and pay attention to each square, you’ll be surprised to see a large well-drawn design on your wall.
Now the fun begins! First, use a sponge to remove the grid lines carefully from the wall. Next, take a step back into childhood and remember how you once did those paint-by-number pictures. Instead of those little cups of color you’ll need to buy quart or testing size cans of paint. Be sure to include a can of white as this can be mixed with the other colors to lighten them if desired. Like a paint-by-number project, paint the light areas first, then the darker, until all areas are painted. If you want to outline anything, use a black or blue paint marker once the paint has dried.
Painting a wall mural in a bedroom can be a fun activity for the family. The planning and painting can involve everyone, and the result will be something to be proud of. Be sure to take a picture of all your helpers to commemorate the occasion, and it’s always fun to have everyone sign their name or leave a paint handprint at the bottom of the mural.
