Life-Size Wall Murals

One wall mural is done with layers of red to become the outside of a French Quarter café.

Materials:

latex satin paint (cafe walls: Fireweed SW6328, Arresting Auburn SW6034 plus a lighter red; jazz club walls: Copper Bangle SW1350, Jasper SW6216, red and light green; brick walls: Sociable SW6359, Steady Brown SW6110, Moroccan Brown SW6060, Riverway SW6222; wrought iron: black, gray) (Sherwin-Williams)
paint pens (beige and brown)
sponge roller cover
painter's tape

This wall mural piques the interest of passersby with its sign for a jazz club.

Steps:

1. Apply the base coat colors and let dry (Fireweed for cafe walls, Copper Bangle for the jazz club walls and Jasper for the brick wall). The difference in the final look comes from the additional color choices layered over the top (be sure to allow each layer to dry before adding another). A darker red over the red café wall imitates the red base color in the shadows, a lighter warm red highlights the color in sunlight, and then a touch of Jasper (green) shows up in a variety of places in the mural and the room. The colors for the jazz wall start with Copper Bangle layered with the red from the café walls for the shadow color, Jasper and just a touch of a lighter green for variety.

Figure A

2. Add the deeper red to the café walls by applying paint sparingly to the sponge roller, and then lightly go over the entire wall surface to give it a random coating (figure A). If it's too heavy, use the base coat color like an eraser and roll over the heavy areas. Let dry.

3. Go over the wall the same way with the lighter red. For the dark green (Jasper), just put the tips of the sponge roller into the tray and lightly touch it here and there on the surface.

Figure B

4. Add finishing touches by pushing the dark red paint into the corners of the room and draw some cracks in the walls just for fun (figure B).

5. The jazz club walls are slightly different. Add the darker red with a sponge roller just along the edges and in spotty areas across the building. Repeat with dark green and beige. Once satisfied, go over the top with the terra-cotta base coat to lessen the effect even more.

Figure C

6. For the brick wall, use a sponge roller to go over the dark green with a lighter green, which in the end will be the mortar lines. Once dry, tape-off the bricks by eye instead of with a level so they look more realistic (figure C). Use sponge rollers to add layers of four different beige tones. It's best if the colors aren't even on the wall because that makes the bricks look more life-like.

Figure D

7. Remove the tape and add shadows and highlights using paint pens. Be sure to decide the light source first, and then make one side edge and the top of each brick light and the opposite sides dark to add dimension (figure D).

Figure E

8. Paint wrought iron details around the outer edges and below the chair rail of the brick wall by hand or use a stencil. Augment the design with some gray highlights over the black to add an extra touch (figure E).