Painting a mural in a home or business can add character and style. A kitchen mural can add warmth and flavor. A Tuscan Landscape on the wall will enhance the feel of an Italian style kitchen. A painted window can add depth to a small area. A Fenway Park Mural in a game room can bring the park to life in your own home. It will undoubtebly strike up new conversations with those who visit the space. Old World Landscapes can bring a sense of timing to a historic home, or add sophistication to a newly built one. When trying to choose the right subject matter to include in a mural, it is important to take into consideration the colors of the adjacent rooms. I like to include colors from the surrounding areas in my murals so the rooms flow together. I also want the mural to reflect my client's taste and interests. If the customer is an avid hunter, a wildlife mural would compliment him. A mural painting for a bed & breakfast may be more representative of the town and local sights for visitors to engage in. Children's murals can be fun, colorful, whimsical and creative. Although it is a good idea to think of a subject matter your child can grow with.
Starting a mural may seem daunting. It is crucial to sketch out your plan first. In some cases, graphing out your drawing is helpful. When scaling your drawing up to the appropriate size to fit on a wall it is important to keep your proportions the same. In some circumstances a projector can be used. A projector can speed up the process, but there are always necessary adjustments to make once it is on the wall. Using chalk on the wall is the best way to outline what you will be painting. It is visible, yet easily erased.
Having lots of reference material for your mural is helpful. Using your own images from photographs you have taken make the painting all the more personal. The local library may also have resources of images you can refer to for different parts of your mural.
The medium you choose should be one you are comfortable working with. Oil paints are wonderful, but they take a long time to dry and have a strong odor. Acrylic paints are great. Now there are even open acrylics which act more like an oil, but have the benefits of drying faster, with water clean up. Latex wall paint is another way to go. A lot can be done with small sample jars of different colors. NovaColor from California make wonerful paints for mural work. Whatever medium you choose, you must factor in the set up and clean up time when estimating your time to paint a mural.
Finally, you must relax and enjoy what you are painting. Having lots of patience, communicating regularly with your customer, and standing back every 20 minutes to really observe and critique your painting will serve you well.