Painting mural on wall - what kind of paint?

[papal]

I am thinking of painting some farm animals (ok ok.. just piggies) on the wall (using projector and transparencies)... what kind of paint do i need to use?? And is there something like a pen to do the outlines (i don't know how steady i would be with a paintbrush).

TIA!

[SeekerMage]

You just need to you acrylic paints (water based ones) that come in the craft store. There are several different brands and I cant think of any off the top of my head except for Apple Barrel and that is the brand you DONT want to use. I find it to be kind of watery and you need to do several coats as it doesnt coat evenly. I know there is a brand like Folk Art of something like that and some other...cant remember...but they are about a dollar a peice at Michaels...even Walmart carries them in their craft section. For outlines you can get a paint pen....they sell them there too...I know they have fine tipped and wider tipped ones as well. They should all be in the same section atleast.

You must post them when they are done! Im going to touch up Miss Mooses mural in the new house....its all pooh characters, Im going to add some flowers and other things to it I hope. Cant wait to move in and get started!

[papal]

Thankyou thankyou! I can't wait to draw up some sketches. I am thinking a tree in the corner and a little family of piggies sitting on a picnic blanket underneath.. and blue skies with clouds! :)

[pritchettzoo]

Oh man, I have a ton of paints leftover from Gracie's room! And some that were passed down from a friend. They'll go on sale for 2 for $1--check JoAnn's and Michael's (or ask when they're going on sale next). Also, there may be a craft outlet near you that will have them regularly 2 for $1 or even 3 for $1.

I would practice on a piece of posterboard tacked up on the wall first. It's much harder to paint on walls than it seems for some reason.

Oh, for the outlines, just go over your finished project with a Sharpie (all sizes!). I love Sharpies! :)

You MUST post pictures! How cute is that going to be???

Anna

[safarimom]

As a professional decorative painter, I would caution the use of Sharpie markers in outlining your project. Just FYI, Sharpies are a permanent ink marker so that when you decide down the line to re paint the walls in the nursery, the Sharpie lines will bleed thru whatever paint you use over top unless you prep the surface with an oil based, stain blocking primer first. Oil based primers like Kilz are messy to clean up & are very smelly (toxic fumes) & require good ventilation. Personally, I wouldn't want to subject everybody in the house to those effects & would look for a water based lining pen to do any outlines. You can also initially sketch in your design with a watercolor pencil when you project it on the wall. If you make a mistake it can easily be erased with a little bit of water on a q-tip or paper towel. A good reference book for this is called "Projection Art for Kids Rooms" http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...20059?v=glance It will help you with many questions that you might have regarding doing it yourself. Happy painting!!

[pritchettzoo]

Yikes! A friend of mine did this in her nursery...good thing it's gorgeous...

Anna

[cinrein]

Rashmi,

You must come and see Anna's room. DH painted characters from the Hey Diddle Diddle rhyme on the walls. He found some in books that he used as "models". I think he xeroxed them to the size he wanted, then traced them onto the wall with a plain pencil. He did use arcylic paints to fill them in. I think he covered them with some sort of protective finish when he was done, but I forget what it was. They turned out awesome and Anna loves to point out the dog, cat and cow. She's not too fond of the dish and spoon. :)

Cindy and Anna February 2003

[pixelprincess]

what fun!! i have been meaning to also paint but am afraid of messing up the wall... had dh paint it only 4 times... LOL. but as PP said acrylic paints should work fine. i bought mine from dickblick.com (it's gonna get bleeped!). you can get oversize copies at kinko's inexpensively and then trace or draw them on your wall.

[papal]

Seriously stupid question.. how to get an OVERSIZE copy at Kinkos??
Do i just draw the piggies and tree in a small size and ask them to blow it up? Or do i need to draw the piggies seperately? And is it the copier machine that does it? Sorry to be so clueless!

[papal]

There are 50 thousand kinds!! Liquid, student-grade and what not.. please can someone be more specific as to the type I should get? Thanks!