How to Paint Animals on the Walls of a Baby's Room
Painting animals on the walls of a baby's room can help create a warm and comfortable space suitable for a baby. There is an easy way to achieve quality painted images on your walls, especially if you are on a budget. Many Internet sites offer stencils and kits, however, if you do it the old-fashioned way with a photocopy transfer, you will be sure to achieve the results you are looking for. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Pictures of animals
- Photocopy enlargements
- Tape
- Contrasting chalk
- Pencil
- Assorted acrylic paint colors
- Rags
- Variety of paint brushes
- Spray bottle
- Water cup
- Glass or plastic palette
- Palette knife
Instructions
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Paint your walls a solid color that will contrast in color to the animals you wish to paint. Make sure the wall you are painting on is clean, free from dust and dry.
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Enlarge the animal or animals you would like to paint at a photocopy shop. Bring the measurements you would like the final painted animal to be and they will enlarge the picture using a copy machine. You may have to tile the photocopies and tape them together if they are large images. Make sure to cut off all excess paper so the final photocopy is only one layer deep.
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3
Cover the entire back of the photocopy with chalk, pulling it lengthwise across the paper for full coverage. Choose a color chalk that will be seen on your wall.
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Tape the photocopy in place, chalk side to the wall. Using a hard pencil, draw the outlines of the image, leaving behind a chalk line on the wall. When you are finished drawing, remove the paper from the wall.
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Place the acrylic paint colors you wish to use on your palette. Acrylic usually needs to be sprayed with water and mixed using a palette knife to liquefy it enough so it is easy to paint with.
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Paint your largest areas first, working toward the smallest details. Let each color dry after you apply it.
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Keep an eye on your original reference picture to make sure you are matching the colors correctly. Color value is very important. Keep the darks dark and the lights light.
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While you are painting, continue to spray down your acrylic paints so they do not dry. Keep dirty brushes in the water cup so the paint does not dry permanently on them.
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Tips & Warnings
Acrylic paint dries quickly. Make sure that the paint is completely dry prior to adding the next layer.
If you would like texture in your paint, Golden has a variety of paint mediums that can be added to Acrylic paint to achieve several different effects.
To add some extra pizzazz to the room, consider painting accents on furniture, cribs and doors as well.
Clean out your brushes with soap and water before paint dries on the bristles.
