Painting a nursery or kids room is one of the most enjoyable home projects you will ever do. It gives you an excuse to explore your inner child and go a little wild. Though some people might be a bit intimidated by the idea of picking up a paint brush and painting a full nursery mural, by reading this article and exploring the given resources, you will discover just how easy and fun it can be.
Theme Options
Some people already know what theme they want for their nursery mural but, many of us need some ideas to get started. One place to get ideas is to look at bedding, curtains, lamps, frames, etc. These are the things you may be accessorizing your mural with, so you might want to see what is available first. Some of the most popular themes today are transportation, flowers, and farm.
Selecting Paint
If you are one of the millions of people who are challenged by color coordination, don’t stress. Painting a nursery mural is actually going to make things easier for you, and here’s why. Don’t chose your background color first, but instead go to your local craft shop to where they have the inexpensive hobby paints. There you will find a wall of color options. But, the paint manufacturers have put so much care in to color coordination you almost can’t go wrong by just grabbing a bunch of colors. One of the main things you want to keep in mind, however, is to within the same saturation level for colors. In other words, if you’re going with pastel, then stick with pastel. If you’re going with richer, more “saturated” colors, then stick within that range. And don’t mix neon colors in unless you have a very specific use for it. Also, buy several shades of some heavily used colors, like green, and don’t forget lots of white for mixing. If you follow those basic guidelines when selecting colors, you really can’t go wrong.
Now, take the box of acrylic paints and go to the paint store for your latex base colors. Use your acrylic paints as a starting point your base color. Hold up the swatches that catch your eye next to the acrylic paints. Does it harmonize, or does it seem to clash? You may want two colors for your background, one for the sky and one for the ground. As an exception to my earlier rule, it’s okay to choose a light color for the sky if you have saturated acrylic colors. It will create a nice contrast and seem totally natural.
As for choosing a base coat finish for a kids mural, I always recommend semi-gloss. It is much easier to keep clean and doesn’t show marks.
Free-hand or Stencils
Unless you have a great deal of artistic ability, free-handing characters and designs for nursery murals might be quite challenging and time-consuming. Stencils can make is easy to get the look you desire without spending a lot of time doing so. If you haven’t decided on a theme yet, you’ll want to browse the internet for kid room stencil kits. There are some great kits available, and some even come with free brushes and decorating ideas. Of the most popular are transportation theme kits available for boys, flower theme kits for girls and farm theme for baby nurseries.
Stencils: Non-adhesive vs. Self-adhesive Nursery Stencil
When you search for just the right stencils when painting a nursery mural or kid mural, you’ll probably find that there are two main kinds, non-adhesive and self-adhesive. With non-adhesive stencils you’ll have to purchase tape or an adhesive that you have to spray on the back. This is not only time-consuming but spray adhesives can be toxic and are not recommended for mommies-to-be. Self-adhesive stencils, on the other hand, eliminate the need for this extra step and make the process quick and easy when painting the nursery mural.
Embellishments
A nursery mural doesn’t have to be one-dimensional. With just a little imagination you can embellish with objects you have in your craft basket. Here are some ideas:
Butterflies: Add sparkle to butterfly wings with sequins or jewels.
Flowers: Make the petals or flower centers shimmer by using colored glitter glue.
Farm animals: Add felt to sheep, cows and other animals to give them a soft and fuzzy feel.
Stars: Use glow-in-the-dark paint so that your kids mural will have a starry-filled nighttime sky.
Trees: Affix colored jewels to create apple, pear or orange trees instantly.
Birds: Attach real feather to the wings or tails of birds.
Motorcycle: Add sparkle to a motorcycle with silver sequins or glitter glue.
Fire Truck: Glue miniature circular mirrors to the wheels of a fire truck.
Horse: Give a horse a soft and attractive mane by affixing short pieces of yarn or craft rope.
I hope I’ve taken away any undue stress about nursery decorating and have given you some helpful information and unique ideas to get you started. Painting a nursery mural or kids mural can be a lot of fun. So, what are you waiting for? Put on those overalls and get painting!
AUTOPOST by BEDEWY VISIT GAHZLY
