Painted Wall Mural Made Easy

I know what you are thinking...a painted wall mural easy, yea right! I promise it is and I can show you how!

You will first need to make a homemade projector, so that you may cast an image on to the wall. This will make getting the image just right and painting the mural so much easier.

FOR THE PROJECTOR You Will Need:

• A large cardboard box
• Masking tape or painters tape
• Box cutter
• Sandwich bag
• Black permanent marker
• Light Source

WHAT TO DO:
1.   Assemble your large box. Tape all of the seams so that light cannot escape.

2.   Cut a 8" square in the center of the side of the box. This is where the image will project from.

3.   Cut a narrow channel 4" x 8" in the bottom of the box . This is where you will place your light source. {You can always make it bigger if needed-depending on the size of your light source}

4.   Cut your sandwich bag down both sides creating one panel. 

5.    Draw or trace your image on to the sandwich bag with your permanent marker.  You can use any image. I used a coloring page that I shrunk down to fit the sandwich bag.  I think coloring pages are easier to see detail when tracing, but it is personal preference. 

6.     Tape the image over the 8" opening you cut.

7.     Place the light source in the channel  that you cut in the bottom of the box.  {I had to try multiple lights--your image will appear better with a lower output light, so you may have to experiment a little}

8.     Adjust the tilt of the box to get the desired height - adjust the distance from the wall to get the desired size of the image.

9.     Turn out the lights 

10.   Begin tracing your image on the wall

I used a red light so you could see
the outline better

FOR THE MURAL PAINTING You Will Need:

• Acrylic paints {They can be found at any craft store and Walmart}
• Paint brushes
• Patience

WHAT TO DO:

1. After you have traced the image on to the wall, just begin filling it in with paint. 

2. My amateur advice is to just gradually add to the image. I always look at a color picture of what I am painting as a "how to" guide.  You will begin to see what your image needs. {You can always sharpen lines by going over them-this is where patience comes in}

3. Adding detail to your image is what will make it stand out and you look like a professional.

{ I tried to add different shades of brown to Olaf's arms to resemble a more realistic tree branch.}

Before the eyes, tooth & arms
are finished

After Eyes are finished, tooth is outlined
& multiple shades of brown on arms

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.

Have fun with it!  Your kids will love it and you'll get to be a rockstar to them!