10 Tips For Mural Painting: What I Learned From My First Mural
By Lea Byrnes Art
As a visual artist, receiving your very first mural commission is both an exciting and nerve-wracking opportunity– especially if you have never worked at such a large scale before. When I was hired to paint a jungle-themed nursery, I was thrilled; but I had no idea what I was getting myself into! Luckily, my client was incredibly patient and allowed me plenty of time to paint, as well as complete creative freedom over the project. After many months of hard work, this was the finished mural, spanning across all four walls of the room:
1. Collect reference pictures and spend some time looking at murals that inspire you.
Researching different styles of murals will help get your creative juices flowing, and you can show these images to your client to see what types of designs they prefer.
2. Use paint rollers to paint the entire wall in a vibrant color of your choosing as your base.
I purchased my teal background color from Home Depot, along with paint rollers to cover the entire area quickly.
3. Use painter’s tape to cover any areas of the room that should not be painted, such as power outlets, door handles, and baseboards.
You should also put a large tarp down over the floor or carpet to protect against the inevitable drips and spills.
4. Use white or colored chalk to sketch your design on the wall before you paint.
Chalk is perfect for this because it can easily be wiped away if you need to reconfigure your design. Here is a photo of my initial chalk sketch:
5. Plan out the entire mural in advance and create preliminary sketches to show to your client.
This is something I should have done, but I was too eager to get started. As a result, I ended up spending too much time on one area and having to scramble to finish the rest of the mural. This leads me to Tip #6:
6. Don’t get too caught up in the details or one area of the mural– you can always add more details later.
Additionally, choose a style of painting that is not overly complex so that you will be able to finish in time. Because I had never worked on a large scale before, I greatly underestimated how long this would actually take me. If I were to do it again, I would make the elephants less realistic and more graphic/stylized in order to save time. I spent hours and hours on the baby elephant alone:
7. Use high quality acrylic paints from a brand such as Golden Acrylics, rather than cheaper acrylic paints.
High quality acrylics are significantly more opaque, which will save you tons of time and prevent you from having to go over the same area many times.
8. Keep inventory of all your expenses in order to be reimbursed for them by your client.
This includes paints, paint rollers, paintbrushes, and anything else that you are using for the mural.
9. Listen to your favorite podcasts or Youtube channels while you work.
Painting a mural is a wonderful opportunity to fill your mind and spirit with new information; plus it makes the time pass incredibly quickly!
10. Embrace and explore your unique style!
For me, painting this mural allowed me to develop my painting style by forcing me to try new things and come up with creative solutions. I ended up really enjoying using bold brushstrokes, bright highlights, and lots of dots to add texture.
Mural painting is an extremely rewarding experience, not only because of the big commission but also due to the immense amount of learning and growth that occurs throughout the process. To my fellow artists looking to begin their first mural, my biggest piece of advice is to plan your design in advance, and allow yourself more time than you think you will need. And of course– remember to have fun!
Murals bring joy for years to come, so remember: You are doing something beautiful and meaningful for your client and everyone who views the space. Charge your worth, because your work is worth it. Good luck, and happy painting!!
Photo of Lea Byrnes in front of Mural painted by Lea Byrnes
