How to Paint a Mural - Basic Mural Tips:1. Research what you are painting. Find several pictures of other murals, read mural books (faux finishes, etc.), know what you are going to paint. Some people have a problem with looking at other peoples art because they are afraid it will take away their originality. I never understood these people!!! Looking at other peoples art has always inspired me... and has never taken away from my own style of painting. Your style of painting will stick with you no matter what you do, even if you don't know it. 2. Draw several sketches, and a couple of rough drafts. Choose the one that you like the most. This step is very important and should not be skipped! This is where you will work out your composition throughout your painting, new ideas will come, and usually your sketches get better the more that you do. This is a very important step in design. 3. Make sure the project you take on is not too big! It is hard to see, but in the photograph below, where I am standing... if you look hard enough, you can see that the mural looks empty! I had way too much space, and not enough time to fill it in! The smaller parts of it look great though! 4. Buy nice brushes. I don't know if you have ever tried to paint with a cheap brush... its not worth it! The whole experience will be soooo much greater if you get a nice brush ( Just don't get the cheapest brushes you can find). 5. Prepare your surface. Well, since you are going to spend a lot of time painting a mural... you better make sure you are preparing the surface right! Look on the internet or check out some books at the library. 6. Start with background, then the back images and paint the images closest to you last. This is what every artist should know... but never follows (including me). But if you do follow it, you will find out that your backgrounds will look better, and your painting will look more 3 dimensional.
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