Fool the senses of your visitors with a large, 3D mural.
Large outdoor murals are used for a variety of reasons. You can add interest to the exterior of your home or business, decorate a fence or large area of concrete or simply fight against graffiti. A 3D mural can open up the space even more by giving the viewer a sense that they are being pulled into the scene decorating your wall. With a basic idea of perspective and a somewhat steady hand, you can create a 3D mural with surprisingly little effort.
Instructions
1. These parallel lines appear to be converging on a single vanishing point.
Using your pencil, eraser, straight-edge and graph paper, sketch out the design you want to paint. You will need to have an idea of draw in perspective in order to create the 3D effect. A Lifetime of Color recommends using one-point perspective when you want to see a surface straight-on or two-point perspective to "see" things at an angle. For one-point perspective, choose a horizon line and establish a vanishing point on this line. For two-point perspective, establish two vanishing points on the horizon line, one on each side of the image area. All of your horizontal lines will converge on these points. Create your foreground object slightly larger than it would normally be in order to help it "pop" off the wall.
2. Use a tape measure to ensure you tape and mark straight lines.
Measure your wall and tape off those sections or elements that you do not want painted. Make sure the area of the painting is clean and prepped for painting. You might consider a white primer/sealer to ensure long life for your mural and predictable color when you paint. If it is a particularly large mural, you can choose to mark off major areas in a grid pattern to match your grid paper. Frank Campbell with A Woodworker's Work Bench describes create a larger grid in order to make the transfer and enlargement of images simple. It is not usually necessary to duplicate your graph paper on the wall. Instead, you can use light pencil to mark off 10-by-10 square areas and then duplicate this larger grid on your wall.
3. Use a grid to help you transfer your design.
Transfer your image to the wall by frequently referring to your sketch. If you are using the grid technique, you can transfer the image one square at a time by repeating the shapes seen in the given square. You will probably need to do some smoothing of the areas where one square connects with another. Be patient with yourself as the more accurate you can get your design now, the more effective your mural will be. Difficult detailed areas can be left to detail with the paint by referring to your sketch or addressed by adding more grid lines within that particular square or area.
4. Add your paint to complete your mural.
Paint your design on the wall using the correct exterior paint for your house and climate conditions. As House Painting Info points out, there are numerous types of paint to choose from with various forms of additives that can keep your painting looking good for years. While you might choose to go over your mural with a varnish later, using the right kind of paint to begin with makes this last step optional. To achieve shading, you can blend two or more colors together, darken it with a bit of black paint or lighten it with some white paint. You can also blend wet paint on the wall as you work. By slightly blurring edges and details in the background and keeping them crisp and sharp in your forward image, you will heighten the 3D effect.
