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All
Things Bright and Beautiful Mural - A How to Guide
by
Jeannie Serpa
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Getting
Started
The 6' x 8' or 5’ x 6’ area used here can be expanded to suit your
room. First you must measure off the space needed for your mural.
Marking the designated area
Lightly pencil or chalk a guideline around the designated area. (Measure
in 3 ¼” on all sides and mark lightly, this will be for All
Things poem). Designer Tip #1: Mark the area with a dot in at least
three points and, using a yardstick or carpenter's level, connect
the dots. Tape along the outside of your (3 ¼”)guidelines with
painter's tape (so the area for the poem is covered with tape), pressing
down firmly along the inside edge.
Tape off the Sky Line
Measure down 18" from the top of the taped off area. Place tape
UNDER the guideline. Press down firmly to secure the tape. Roll on
or paint the entire space you have marked with the pale (off white)
gray-blue (purchased from your local paint dealer). Allow the paint
to dry overnight.
Painting the sky:
Measure down 20” from the top of your mural space. Use the level
and pencil to mark a light horizon line. Apply painters tape (press
down firmly) to the underside of the line. This marks off your sky
area. Mix glaze (purchased at your local paint dealer) and the gray-blue
flat latex paint by following the instructions on the glaze label.
Wet the car wash sponge and ring out until it is “damp”
dry. Also wet the washcloth and leave wet. Pour a small amount of
the gray-blue mixture into the shallow container. With the “cut”
end of the car wash sponge dip into the mixture, blot slightly on
a stack of paper towels begin “washing” on the sky. Start
at the top of the mural and wash the gray-blue on in long horizontal
strokes, moving left to right. Smooth out any heavy areas with the
wet washcloth by gently rubbing over them in the same left to right
motion. Don’t be too careful; you want some of the white wall
to show through for a natural looking sky. As you reach the horizon
line use the wet washcloth more and more, this will lighten the paint
so that the sky is almost white by the time you reach the taped horizon
line. Wash out the sponge, washcloth and container, and carefully
remove tape from the horizon line while paint is still wet.
Painting
the grassy area:
It is very important to keep the grass very light. Add white then
add the glaze to the sage-green. Don’t worry if the color looks
too light. It is easier to stencil over the color when it is lighter,
and you will darken areas after you stencil the mural. Use the small
sea sponge (damp-dry) and lightly “stroke” the green mixture
on the horizon line mixing slightly into the blue sky. This will look
better to if you don’t make it too “perfect”. Then
proceed “washing” on the grass with the car wash sponge
and wet washcloth in the same way you did the sky, left to right horizontal
strokes. Allow to dry overnight.
Adding the Clouds: Mix
a little white latex paint with the glaze. With the small sea sponge,
lightly pat on dome like shapes for clouds. Gently pat with the wet
washcloth to soften the edges of the clouds where needed.
Optional
Clouds
If you would like to add puffy clouds you could use our HV-90 cloud
stencil or, proceed as follows: Use a clean damp dry sponge and put
on dome-like puffs of white glaze mix. Use a clean wet washcloth to
pounce and blend the edges of the clouds into the blue sky. Fade out
across the bottom. Keep the washcloth wet. Allow clouds to dry. To
tint your clouds, load a stencil brush with English Lavender (SP-29)
Spill Proof® paint and pounce (stipple) a little on one side of
the clouds.
Ready to Stencil
Stencil each of the designs out on paper to test first. Use low tack
tape or repositionable spray adhesive to place designs. Follow the
placement of each stencil as shown in the photo. Designer Tip #3:
Use a carpenter's level or a yardstick to keep the stencil straight.
Start at the horizon with the Countryside stencil J-812. Try and keep
the colors pale to appear in the distance. As you proceed downward
with additional designs, gradually increase the intensity of the colors
so by the time you reach the bottom foreground, colors will be strong
and clear. The Spill Proof ® stencil paints we use here are forgiving.
If the paint is still fresh, mistakes, fingerprints, and smudges can
be erased. Depending on temperature and humidity, even paint that
has been in place for 2 or 3 days can be erased with an ink eraser.
If a shadow of paint persists, you can touch it up with the background
paint, let it dry and continue stenciling. |
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