When it comes to painting murals, one of the most frequent areas in which parents feel that their children require assistance is in learning how to paint backdrops or specific characteristics that are common to the majority of mural designs, such as the sky. If you are doubtful of your free hand painting talents, the fact that this style of painting cannot be produced by using a stencil or stamp is likely to give you some degree of anxiety. Due to the high volume of questions I get about this topic, I have decided to dedicate this page to answering some of the most often requested “How to paint…” questions related mural effects.
None of the paint effects are difficult to accomplish, and none of them need for any specialised abilities or pricey equipment. Walls, doors, and even furniture may all benefit from any one of these effects.
Always get your surface ready by following the instructions in the Surface Preparation section.
Sea
You may make a backdrop that looks like the ocean by combining white and blue acrylic paint in a very watery mixture. This should be done such that you can still make out the white paint amid the blue. It would be detrimental to the impact if you mixed it up so that it became a different tint. The next step is to transfer the paint using a brush and a generous quantity of paint. You will get the streaky appearance that you want since the paint was not correctly blended. This will make the paint seem uneven.
Sky may also be painted with the help of this effect.
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Clouds
The process of painting clouds may be accomplished using a variety of techniques; however, the ones shown here are among the simplest.
- Clouds 1
To begin, paint the sky on your canvas. The next step is to take a marine sponge, gently coat it with white paint, and then dab it onto the wall. Then, without washing the sea sponge first, dip it into the colour you used for the sky, and softly dab it over the white. Repeat as necessary in order to build up the cloud. Put more paint in the middle of the clouds and less around the borders, and keep dabbing the edges so that they blend in with the sky as much as possible. For a lighter appearance, let part of the blue colour shining through.
- Clouds 2
To begin, paint the sky on your canvas. The next step is to get a can of white spray paint, and before you begin, you should check that the space has enough ventilation. Paint some cloud-like patterns onto the wall. The next step is to take a can of very light grey spray paint and softly spray it on top of the white, barely overlapping it. Continue with same method, but this time use a very pale blue.
After that, you may give the margins another gentle spraying of white paint to highlight them.
- Clouds 3
To begin, take a pencil and softly sketch out the various cloud formations. Then, using a broad brush, apply white paint in haphazard circles in the shape of a half moon. Fill in the blanks in the cloud. After that, grab some blue paint, and using the same motion with your fingers, highlight the edges and ridges of the cloud. Then, using the white paint once again, paint over the blue in a very light layer to merge the colours.
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Sky
Here are some of the more straightforward approaches of painting a sky that are among the many that are available.
- Sky 1
To begin, combine blue and white acrylic paint in a diluted manner, meaning that the white should still be distinguishable among the blue after the mixture has been well stirred. It would be detrimental to the impact if you mixed it up so that it became a different tint. The next step is to transfer the paint using a brush and a generous quantity of paint. You will get the streaky appearance that you want since the paint was not correctly blended. This will make the paint seem uneven.
- Sky with Clouds 2
Begin by painting the backdrop white, then divide the paint for the blue and white portions into two separate containers. To get the desired consistency, add a trace quantity of water. The next step is to use a big brush to apply the blue paint to the area in a crosshatch pattern. Because this method does not provide full coverage, the white base coat may be seen through the blue paint. The next step is to get some white paint and paint some clouds by putting the paint in a crosshatch pattern in an oblique orientation. Be sure that there is a greater concentration of white paint in the centre of the clouds so that they have texture, and blend in any harsh edges.
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Rainbows
The first step is to drive a very tiny nail into the wall and then tie a thread around the nail. You should make the thread as long as you would want the width of the rainbow to be. Place a piece of chalk at the other end of the string and secure it with a knot. You should use a spirit level to draw a straight horizontal line along the wall. Then, you should use the nail as a reference to determine where the bottom of the rainbow should terminate; specifically, it shouldn’t go any lower than the nail. The next step is to draw an arc while maintaining a taut thread by extending the string until it reaches its farthest point along the horizontal line. After then, cut a shorter length of thread and repeat the previous steps; continue doing this until you have the form of a rainbow. Paint in your selected colours.