Make a Birch Forest Mural

Add drama to your living room with a hand painted mural.

You will need: masking tape / craft knife / 2 medium sized paint brushes (2 1/2” to 4”) / 2 artist paint brushes (one small and one fine) / flat wall paint - charcoal / flat wall paint - white / flat wall paint - base color (example is slate gray) / drop cloth/ paper towels / Begin by masking off anything you do not want painted on the wall (baseboards, window frames) and paint the entire wall in the base color. It doesn’t have to be slate gray, but should be in the gray family for best results. Allow wall to dry completely before proceeding.

Using masking tape, outline thin trees (ranging from 1” wide to 3” wide) to be in the background. Because they are further away, they should be smaller and darker than the rest of the trees. Allow some of the trees to cross over others. Use the craft knife to cut away tape at the intersections. These do not have to be perfect. Trees in nature are misshapen and bent.

With the outlines taped, fill in the taped areas with the charcoal wall paint. Use a paint brush with horizontal strokes. Any brush strokes (or gaps that are left) will have horizontal lines and mimic those of a real birch tree. Allow the paint to dry completely before removing tape.