How to Paint a Custom Wall Mural

It’s done! ‘Look at how stunning & dramatic it looks! This tutorial will explain how I took my design, transferred it to the wall and painted it; without a projector. Here’s how to paint a custom wall mural.

Why paint your own art on the walls:

I’ve had this idea in my mind for quite a while since did not really see what I wanted in any wallpaper choices. I also wanted to be able to pick my own colours (yes I am a bit fussy) and make it quite dramatic as well by having it very large scale. It does take a bit of planning and figuring out exactly what ‘speaks’ to you.

I realized that peeling wallpaper is not much fun so I didn’t want to do that again; another reason to use paint. ‘And oh wait; it is quite cost effective compared to ordering a custom wallpaper print.

Out with the Old…

This curved wall was always getting touched by my kids fingers so I wanted something that would not show any stains, marks, or finger prints. This old wallpaper did it’s job for way too many years! I did like the dark colours though.

Since my wall can stand alone as an accent, also made it a great place to put a mural & focal point. I did not have an excessively huge expanse to cover or very high reach. I could sit on the stairs as I worked which is perfect! The wall did need some filling as the wallpaper & border pulled off some of the drywall.

Hmmm, I see that there was some layering happening. The last border was put over the earlier one which may be why it was not stripped right back. Whatever your situation, make sure to prepare the wall well before paint. We know that preparation is key to good final outcome when doing any household paint job.

The Base Colour and Design Concept:

I chose another dark colour; ‘Cracked Pepper’ by Behr Paint. Since the wall is small and set against oak wood staircase I like the depth that this colour gives. (more reno’s coming on stairs)

When making my mural designs and sample boards I knew I wanted some way of adding an element of ‘motion’. The way gold paint changes depending on light would give me this. Everyone has their own rationale for choosing what they like. I wanted simplicity, little colour and options to blend in colours later if I like; essentially almost neutral – monochromatic.

The colours I used:

I kept the colour choices simple; only 3 colours plus the Cracked Pepper by Behr base.

• The light paint colour is True Taupewood by Behr
• The medium paint colour is Iron Mountain by Behr
• The darkest paint colour is Black by Behr
• Gold paint by Modern Masters

After some other interior painting I was very impressed at how well the Matt interior Paint covered a dark red in one coat. This Premium Plus Paint was great to work with!

The Design and Planning Stage:

It did take me a while to decide on my design artwork; do not rush that stage! Try sketches variations and look at them again another day until you are happy with the design. I measured it out and then made a miniature version template of the wall that is to scale. Scale is important as you want to make sure it does fit the proportion of the wall. There are many tools that you can use, whether digitally or traditionally.

I used a combination of Adobe Illustrator to make the template of the wall shape and then Procreate (with an Apple Pencil) to draw the lines. The software allows the use of layers to be able to help you draw the shapes or images that you like, as then you can ‘trace’.

How to Get your design on the wall:

As with any type of art there is the challenge of taking the chosen design and having it transferred to the wall. There is the option of using and age-old system of using a projector (over-head type or digital) to shine the image to be traced onto the wall. This would be difficult here since the wall colour is very dark. (See Video)

It is difficult to use a grid method since the scale is so large. If you are courageous you could draw freehand, but that would take some practice. If your design choice is not hinged on perfection then it is not that crucial to have very detail right.

I decided to try the Da Vinci App – Mural Maker. This app uses a system that employs 2 devices to be able to see what you are drawing on the wall by looking at a handheld device. It takes a bit of getting used since you look at a device but has quite the promise. I did have a few snags so I had to improvise as the wall is curved and also covered by the railing. I plan on using the app again for large area paintings.

Since my wall is dark I could not use a pencil, so a white chalk worked great. It is easy to see and wipe off if errors happen. It is also absorbed quite well by painting over. You could use a white pencil but most have some sort of wax in the lead which may repel the paint later.

In this method you require two iOS devices: one acts as a camera to live-stream your canvas, while the other displays the reference image you want to draw, allowing you to essentially “trace” the image onto your large surface by overlaying it on the live camera feed, enabling precise scaling and positioning without needing to grid out your wall or canvas. You can compare colours and shades directly on your painting surface with the reference image on your screen.

It takes a bit of getting accustomed to looking at the tablet/iPad while drawing on the wall though.

Draw on the walls!:

It was quite fun to draw on the wall with the chalk, and the design style was quite forgiving as well. Tip; If you do not want any criticism then choose a design that does have a finite sense of perfection, be kind to yourself.

Knowing that the chalk can wipe off easily allowed the freedom to add as I liked.

The drawing stage came together quickly once I figured out the procedure. That odd little drawing is the anchor that the app uses to allow you to move around in the design.

The Simple painting sequence:

Since I did not have a lot of area to fill I chose colours from the paint swatches and then bought sample size pots of latex paint. They actually cover a lot since the paint is so opaque it would only need one coat and I did not have to mix colours at all! I have used many types of acrylic paints over many decades and the coverage of these sample paints was fantastic. Simple artist brushes worked great.

There are reasons for my design choices… If you choose a very detailed type of art or image you will be more pressured to be exact. If you choose something that is less ‘perfect’ then you can be much more free to adjust as you like. That is a trick I use often in my ‘making’ since I have heard the expression ‘I can’t do that‘ way too often in my career of teaching art! Who ever said that everything has to be so perfect, add some imperfect charm!

The areas of value are quite random so I filled them in as I saw fit at the time. I did not want to be too botanically perfect, rather more abstract and impressionistic.

After adding the black and medium tone I also decided to add another neutral light tone. I liken this to filling in like a colouring book… and it was very therapeutic! If you need extra light have a lamp nearby.

The Gold Outline:

I always look forward to the final stages where it starts to look amazing! The contour lines also have much variation in width which makes the task so much easier! In the illustration world that is called ‘Line quality’; a term for using the weight of line to convey some extra dimension. It is also much easier to paint when you there’s less stress of having a consistent line thickness = win!

The Modern Masters Gold paint gave me the brass colour gold I wanted but there may be others in your area. Look for a better quality of paint for more metallic particles in the paint.

The Gold Shimmer:

Since this is a metallic paint the light will react with it. That allows the art to look different depending on light and time of day. It is also quite dramatic against the flat dark Grey (Cracked Pepper) base colour.

After finishing the painting just take a damp rag and wipe off any extra of the chalk lines.

Deciding on the stairs redo:

Part of the hallway makeover is the renewing of the stairs. Since I can use software I like to visualize what it will look like before I commit to the painting of the risers and carpet runner.

That old carpet just had to go… Hmmm, what about the stairs?

Please don’t hate me for painting wood! I am going to keep the other mohogany wood trim. I believe that the future will have a resurgence of wood again as it will be cherished since more rare. Sand, prime and paint… not the artistic type though.

The painting white of the risers adds such a new sophistication to the dark wood stairs! I am so happy I did it before the new carpet was installed!

This front hall project was a labour of love! I am happy with the design and the colour choices! I believe the neutrality makes it be able to stand the test of time and it makes me smile every time I climb the stairs! The living room is also updated with the new Modern Coffee Table that I made.

My new eclectic style is unique to me; some modern, some antique and some abstract. It should not look like a furniture store… What do you think?

The final Hallway Makeover reveal;

This Mural painting, carpet installation and riser painting has given this hallway much ‘bang for the buck’. Most of this job was my labour so costs were quite low. I am so happy as it looks completely different and fresh!

The old ‘Grandma house’ look is gone, says the grandma who painted my own mural on the wall! If I can do it, you can too! Go for it and let me know how it goes…