How to Guide paint the Palm Tree Mural

The Sunset Sky shown here is optional - you may simply wish to paint your stencil on a wall which has been painted with a light color flat latex paint. Allow the paint to dry overnight before stenciling.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE

1. Paint your background wall with the flat white latex paint. Allow to dry overnight.

2. Mix each of the following paint colors (separately) with glaze according to the following percentages: 
75% glaze to 25% color - 
Pale Blue, Pink, Lavender, Gold
25% Glaze to 75% - White.

3. Wet one of the halves of the car wash sponge with water. Wring it out until damp dry.

4. Pick up the blue mixture on the cut flat side of the sponge.

5. Wash on the blue using a long horizontal sweeping motion. Keep going straight across. Continue down about 1/3 of the wall. For a more natural look allow some of the white background to show through..

6. Do NOT wash your sponge. Immediately pick up the lavender mixture and, as in step 3, continue down another 1/3 of the wall, blending the lavender and the blue where they meet. (A damp wash cloth is helpful for blending.)

7. Do NOT wash your sponge. Pick up the pink mixture and continue down, occasionally working in a little of the gold mix. Gently blend where the colors meet. Consult the photo as a guide.

CLOUDS

1. Use a clean, damp dry sea sponge, pick up the white paint mixture, blot sponge on paper towel to remove excess paint mixture and then pat on dome-like puffy clouds. Soften the edges with a damp wash cloth.

2. Tinting the clouds- With a damp dry sea sponge pick up any of the sunset colors, blot sponge on paper towel to remove excess paint, then gently pat on to the bottom of the clouds.

Allow your sky and clouds to dry thoroughly (overnight is best) before starting to stencil.

Procedure

Follow the “Tree Map” and start at the base of the trunk and work up. To familiarize yourself with the stencil parts, lay out all eight stencils in numerical order. Stencil out each part on paper. This is good practice and these “paper proofs” are invaluable for planning and positioning your design.

Stenciling Tipstree1

1. When joining the trunk section, stencil the top of each section very lightly. This makes blending the sections together much easier, avoiding a definite line.

2. Spill Proof paints will erase while the paint is fresh, making it easier to remove previously stenciled overlapping areas.

3. When stenciling the little bark markings on the trunk, stencil the top of the cut out then gradually fade out into the trunk itself.

4. Add some Colonial Golde to some of the palm branches for highlights and added interest.

5. For a complete professional finish, use the crown of the leaves (stencil #8) to cover the area where all the branches converge. Do this while the paint is fresh, erasing any overlapping areas.tree2

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

• Two double-ended stencil brushes 
• Flat Latex Paint in the following colors: Pale blue-sky color, White
• Acrylic Paints in the following colors: Lavender, Coral Pink, Gold, White (for clouds)
• Glaze
• Spill Proof paints in the following colors: SP-6 Salem Green, SP-9 Colonial Golde, SP-16 Black, SP-27 Pilgrim Green, SP-36 Rich Red 
• Paper towels
• Sea Sponge
• Car wash sponge, cut in half
• Old wash cloths
• Several disposable bowls for mixing colors
• Plastic spoon