How to Paint a Mural

What to know…..

• What type of paint should I use to paint a mural?

• What other materials do I need to paint a mural?

• How do I prepare a wall before painting a mural on it?

• What are some mural painting techniques?

• How do I finish or seal the mural?

What type of paint to use for an indoor mural

Two distinct stages of painting, just as when you paint on canvas:

*first you'll create an underpainting to block in main areas of color and outline the general composition

*then you'll paint in the detail.

• To paint large blocks of color (such as a stretch of blue sky, green hills, etc), use interior household paint, also known as latex paint. This is the kind of paint you would normally paint walls with. Painting large blocks of color with latex paint is more economical than trying to cover the entire wall with the artist quality acrylics that you buy from art supply stores. You will get better coverage from interior household paint and save yourself a ton of money in the meantime as you learn how to paint a mural.

• Interior household paint comes in four different sheens: flat, eggshell, satin and semi-gloss. An eggshell sheen works best for mural. Steer away from satin or semi-gloss sheens, because they will be too shiny. The flat sheen is also not the best choice because it cannot be scrubbed. Eggshell, however, is just right, because it can be cleaned and it can safely accept layers of paint on top of it.

• To tackle the detailed work on your mural, use your tubes and jars of artist-quality acrylics and proceed just as if you were painting on canvas. Most brands of acrylics will work well for indoor mural painting, but the most highly recommended brand is Liquitex Soft Body Acrylics (this links to Blick Art Materials, and if you make a purchase I get a small commission that helps support this site), although Liquitex Heavy Body paints are good too. Liquitex Soft Body Acrylics adhere well to walls made of concrete, plaster or cement, due to the chemical alkalinity of the paints. If you're learning how to paint a mural, using the best brands will result in a better outcome.

materials you'll need to paint a mural

• Paintbrushes• You'll need a variety of paintbrushes, from small to wide.

The sizes you'll need largely depend on the amount of detail you'll be painting. For covering large areas with paint, pick up some wide brushes. Get at least a 1", 2" and 3" wide brush. You can purchase an even wider brush, such as a 4", if you have a lot of space you want to fill in quickly with a single color. For smaller detailed areas, use an array of round brushes in different sizes. You can use the same paintbrushes you use when easel-painting. After you learn how to paint a mural for the first time, you'll have a better understanding of the brush sizes you'll need in the future.

• Gel Medium

• Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel or Matte Gel Medium -These two products are optional, but they are handy because they can help extend the coverage you can get with your Liquitex Acrylic paints. Mix your acrylic paint with an equal amount of either Ultra Matte Gel or Matte Gel Medium to double your paint coverage. This technique is advisable for underpaintings only. For the detailed top layers, use for acrylics without these extenders.

• Primer

• Just as you would prime a canvas before painting on it, you should prime a wall before painting a mural. The primer will create a smooth, even surface that will readily accept acrylic paint.

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• Paint Tray and Roller

• If you are going to cover really wide areas with a single color, consider pouring your paint into a paint tray and using a roller to apply the paint to the wall. This will save you a lot of time as you learn how to paint a mural, because rolling on paint is a lot quicker than brushing the paint on with a paintbrush.

• Painter's Tape

• You'll need tape for adhering a protective covering on the floor. The best tape to use is a painters' tape, because it will be easy to remove and it will not leave behind a residue on the baseboard.

• Painter's Tape

• You'll need tape for adhering a protective covering on the floor. The best tape to use is a painters' tape, because it will be easy to remove and it will not leave behind a residue on the baseboard.

• Newspaper or Plastic Drop Cloth

• Spread newspaper or a plastic tarp all over the floor where you will be painting, and use the painters' tape to secure the newspaper or tarp to the bottom edge of the baseboard. This will ensure that the protective covering doesn't move or slip as you walk on it.

• Apron, smock, or old clothes

• As you learn how to paint a mural, you'll discover that painting walls is messy! Be sure to dress appropriately or wear the proper protection!

• Cup for water

• You'll need a sturdy cup to hold the water that you'll dip your brushes into for rinsing and cleaning. Be careful to keep the water in a place where you won't easily bump into it and spill it.

• A bottle or cup of clean water

• Here's an important tip for people learning how to paint a mural: In addition to water for your brushes, a separate bottle of clean water is handy to keep on standby. That way if you accidentally spill paint onto the carpet, you can get to it right away with clean water.

• Paper towels and/or old rags

• Paper towels and old rags are essential for cleaning up sudden spills and messy accidents.

• Stool or stepladder

• For reaching the high parts of the wall.

• Brush soap

• You'll need cleaning supplies for your brushes. When painting with acrylics, brush soap will usually suffice. To clean the wide brushes you might have used to apply latex household paint to the wall, you can use regular dishwashing soap.

How to prepare a wall before painting a mural

Before you begin painting, you need to check the wall and prepare your workspace.

• Clean the wall

• First, make sure that the wall is clean and not suffering from any moisture damage or structural problems, such as cracks. If you notice cracks, spackle them, but be aware that there may be an underlying structural issue that could eventually cause cracks across your mural. Examine the wall closely for signs of mold, dirt, wax, oil or grease. If you find any, clean it off thoroughly, and be aware that mold or mildew may return unless the underlying cause has been rectified. Even if the wall looks clean, it's a good idea to wash it anyway with a mild soapy solution, such as T.S.P. Cleaner (trisodium phosphate), to ensure that you are starting with as clean a slate as possible.

Next Step: Priming the Wall

• Priming the wall is an important step in creating a mural, because the primer will help the paint stick to the wall more easily.

• In some cases you can apply the primer directly over the pre-existing paint on the wall, and the mural will be fine. It depends on how much elbow work you want to put into it and also on how long you want the mural to last. If you are really concerned about the longevity of the mural, then you should take some additional preparatory measures before you start painting.

Mural Techniques

• To get started, you'll need to transfer your image onto the wall. By now you should have a sketch of what your mural will look like, so you'll need to enlarge the image into the wall using either one of these mural techniques: the grid method or an art projector. Use a pencil to trace the image onto your wall.

• To get started, you'll need to transfer your image onto the wall. By now you should have a sketch of what your mural will look like, so you'll need to enlarge the image into the wall using either one of these mural techniques: the grid method or an art projector. Use a pencil to trace the image onto your wall.

• Sponging• Sponging is a good way to create the sense of texture in a

mural, such as clouds in the sky or leaves on a tree. You can also sponge a color on top of another color to create more of a sense of depth and interest, rather than leaving an area as a flat, single block of color.

• Sponging is also one of the handy mural techniques for quickly filling in large areas with color.

• To sponge, first wet your sponge and squeeze out the excess water. Dip your damp sponge lightly into your paint, then lightly blot the sponge on some paper towels. You don’t want your sponge to be too loaded with paint, or it will ruin the effect.

• Stippling• Stippling is one of the popular mural techniques for creating detail

without worrying about smooth blending. For instance, if you're painting a green field, you can bring it to life by stippling other colors into the green. Here's how to do it:

• Apply a green underpainting, then after it is dry, paint a thin coat of a different color over top of it (for example, a yellow-green or a darker green).

• While the paint is still wet, dab the wet paint with a dry stippling brush and dab the new color around until the new layer is all stippled. If done correctly, the new color will no longer looked "brushed on" and some of the underpainting will show through. You can repeat this mural technique as many times as you need (with as many colors as you want) until your desired area is covered.

• This is a nice mural technique for creating the illusion of a field alive with shades of green, dappled in yellow sunlight.

• Stenciling• Stenciling is a popular mural technique because it is fairly

simple and anyone can do it – you don't need any special art skills. You can buy stencils in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from alphabet letters to farm animals to wildlife, trees, planets, you name it!

• To stencil, use a painter's tape to adhere the stencil to the wall. With one hand, hold the stencil in place and with your other hand, paint in the color. You need to be cautious around the edges, because you don't want too much paint build-up on the edges when you lift the stencil away. Use a sweeping, circular motion when applying paint near the edges to avoid build up.

• Antiquing• Do you want to make your mural look old, emanating a

sense of history into the room? You can achieve this by antiquing, which is one of the easiest mural techniques. To antique a wall, mix your desired color (usually siena or umber to create an aged look) with an acrylic glazing medium, using the ratio of 4 to 5 parts glaze to 1 part paint. Brush the mixture onto your wall and quickly - while the paint is still wet - run a clean rag or cheesecloth over the paint to spread it around. For an added effect, you can use this technique to add even darker color to the corners and edges of the wall.

• Glazing

• To create acrylic glazes on a wall, mix the acrylic paint with an acrylic medium Golden Glazing Liquid. This will thin and "stretch" the paint, making it more translucent. When you paint a glaze on the wall, the color underneath will show through. This is a handy mural technique for adding dimension and shading to your mural.

How to finish and seal a painted wall mural

• Congratulations! You've gotten this far – your mural is finished. Now you need to protect it to ensure that it stays vibrant and beautiful for a long time to come.

• The final step to finishing your painted wall mural is to seal it. This means applying an isolation coat and a varnish. Use a clear, non-yellowing archival varnish in a matte or satin sheen. (Glossy varnish would be too reflective for a wall mural, and probably look weird under interior lighting conditions.) Choose a varnish that is removable, in case you need to get underneath the varnish for conservation purposes. (Who knows, they might take out your wall and put it in a museum someday!)

• To apply the varnish, refer to the back of the bottle for the correct ratio of varnish to water. Start in a corner, using a wide paintbrush to brush on the varnish, going in a cross-hatching manner (little x's) across the wall. This varnish mural technique will help the varnish look more even. Voila! Your fabulous wall mural is complete!

• Mural Painting Tips• Follow these mural painting tips to ensure a smooth mural painting

process!• Make sure kids, dogs, and other creatures of curiosity steer well

clear of the mural while the paints or varnish are still wet.• Use an acrylic matte medium or glazing liquid to thin your paints.

This is very important! When painting on canvas at an easel, you are more likely to use water to thin your paints – but if you are painting on a wall, there is more chance that the watery paint will trickle down the wall and streak paint on whatever you've already painted. So be sure to use an acrylic medium instead of water, although you can use a bit of water to help keep your brush moist and to keep your paints from drying out.

• At every step of the way, take a moment to step back and look at your mural from a distance. It is important to keep in touch with the bigger picture. By stepping back regularly, you can immediately tell if something is wonky, and correct it. It is important that the mural looks good from up-close and also from far away, so constantly check to make sure that it looks good from all possible angles and distances.