Painting a mural takes a lot of preparation, equipment, and effort, but there are few art forms that can be done in this size. Design and attention to detail will help you succeed if you take on this challenge.
Steps
Step 1. Organize the details of your project
Some of the most important things to think about are:
- Location. To paint a mural you need a suitable place with a surface that can accommodate the design to be created. The flat and smooth ones are ideal, but with a little organization even the rough ones can be exploited.
- Type of paint. For outdoor projects that have to last for years, the use of an oil-based or polyurethane-based enamel, or those new 100% acrylic dyes, is more suitable. For interior walls, latex paints can offer easier cleanup, lower costs, and less odor, but no matter what you choose, make sure the colors are right for your project.
- Amount. Since a mural can be several meters high and long, it will take a lot of color. By measuring the total area to cover, you will know how much paint you will need, but since a mural requires a large variety of colors, you will need to calculate the quantity of each individual color in order to find it later.
- Method of application. Large areas such as backgrounds can be painted with a roller or spray, while details should be done with brushes or airbrushes.
- Protection from external agents. Dyes are sensitive to direct sunlight and humidity so think about these factors before starting work. Of course, interior designs don't have as many problems as exterior ones, but in public places they can still require some attention. You can consider using special paints.
- Design. Start the project with a design of your choice, be it a photograph or sketches to give a sense of proportion and ideas to the color scheme you will use. Landscape scenes are very different from portraits and still images, and each will need unique characteristics and requirements.
Step 2. "Make a scale version of your complete mural"
Use a photograph (or collage) or accurate drawings of the subject and measure the distance and various points to scale. An example could be the horizon of a landscape, to be created in one third of the total area to be covered. The measurement allows you to calculate how much color you will need for each section of your mural.
Step 3. Prepare the wall or other surface to be painted
If it is low enough, you can do this while standing or using a ladder, but for taller jobs you will need scaffolding.
Step 4. Once the basic coat is given, measure where the various specific elements will go
In a landscape (even a maritime one), you will need the horizon line, that is the point where the sky becomes earth and therefore the colors change.
Step 5. Paint the base of the background and, if your subject is a landscape, paint the sky blue (if it's daylight of course), while the foreground gray, brown or green depending on which environment you want to portray
Step 6. Let it dry, then using your scaled elevation, start marking where the key elements in the foreground go
Depending on the complexity of your choice, you will be able to make enough marks to "connect the dots", or if you are sure of your artistic skills you can make a freehand sketch of the details.
Step 7. Work from the background towards you, covering large areas with single colors, but taking care to keep the transition from one color (an element of your subject) to another clean
However, remember that errors can be fixed later. By blocking the thickest areas of the color, you can apply it most effectively with either a roller or a spray. Let each block dry before moving on to the next one, unless you want to mix them to create shading or hue.
Step 8. Paint the details with brushes suitable for the portion of the design
An example could be a large tree: use large brushes (or even a roller or a spray can) for the trunk and major branches, and thin ones for twigs and buds if you want to do a detailed job.
Step 9. Refine
If you know how to use the 'drip' or 'run' technique, use them for those suitable parts, refine the smudged lines, add some highlighting or shading if you wish.
Step 10. Coat the entire project with a clear sealer if you want it to last on the surface that will be cleaned first
Advice
The more accurate your sketches are, the easier it will be to finish your project successfully. Since tint can distort the sense of proportion, inserting easily recognizable individual dots will help maintain it
Warnings
- Use caution when working on scaffolding or elevated locations.
- Avoid exposure to concentrated fumes from paints, especially sprays.
