DIY Modern Nursery Mural and Growth Chart

Give your nursery a modern yet natural feel with this simple graphic treatment. Paint a mural on the wall and a growth chart to match.

By: Sam Henderson

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Photo By: Sam Henderson

Photo By: photo by Sam Henderson

Photo By: Sam Henderson

Cozy Natural Nursery

This nursery gets a modern lift with these cool graphic trees.

Gathering the Materials

You will need: Flat paint (example is charcoal, white, a 50/50 mix of the two, and leaf green) / masking tape (1/2” and 7/8”) / parchment paper / craft knife / paint brush / artist brush / pencil or marker / (2) 4’x4’ sheets of 1/4” MDF / spiral saw / sand paper / ruler or measuring tape / white vinyl tape / square vinyl numbers / plastic folder (optional) / (6) 1” wood screws

Outlining the Trunk

Use 1/2” masking tape to outline the shape of your tree trunk. Make several branches as the top. Do not worry about the tops of the branches. They will be covered later.

Painting the Tree Trunk

Fill in the taped areas with charcoal paint.

Making Leaf Masks

Lay strips of masking tape on parchment paper. Place something round like a bowl or lid against one edge of the tape and trace around it until you reach the opposite side. Move the round edge to the opposite side and trace the object again intersecting with the first curved line. Cut away the resulting leaf shape and peel away from the parchment paper before placing on the wall.

Preparing to Paint Leaves

Use large bowls or a compass to draw overlapping circle shapes until you have formed the shape of the leaves in a way that pleases you. If you wall is already white, fill in the area with leaf masks randomly, but group some together.

Painting the Leaves

Use the artist brush to carefully outline the shape of the leaves with a mix of half of your trunk color and half white. Also brush from the inside of the leaf masks outward to create an outline with no bleeding. Fill in the remaining space with the 50/50 mix using a painter’s brush.

Drawing the Growth Chart Tree Trunk

Use a pencil and/or marker to draw a trunk on a 4’x4’ piece of 1/4” MDF. Make it similar to the mural with several branches.

Cutting Out the Growth Chart Pieces

Cut out the MDF shapes with a spiral saw. Lightly sand the rough edges with sand paper.

Drawing the Growth Chart Leaves

Lay the cut out trunk on another 4’x4’ sheet of MDF and draw in the shape of the leaves using bowls, a compass, or freehand. Remove the trunk shape and connect the lines. Cut out with a spiral saw.

Painting the Growth Chart

Paint the cut out trunk and leaves to mimic the mural.

Making a Leaf Stencil

Place one of the leaf masks on a plastic folder (or card stock) and carefully cut around it with a craft knife to make a stencil.

Painting the Leaf Stencils

Tape the stencil in place in within the leaf area on the mural and the cut out shape. With green paint, lightly brush inward from the edge of the stencil to create the leaf shape. Carefully remove the stencil and repeat as desired. For the cutout shape, you will need to add white leaves with the stencil, as well.

Marking the Trunk for the Chart

Use a measuring tape of yard stick and a square to mark the chart on the cut out trunk. Make the marks lightly with pencil. Be sure to account for the height of the base boards. For the example, lines are drawn at every 2 inches. Draw one line straight up the center and dots along the line to act as your guide.

Adding the Chart

Place the vinyl tape against the edge of the long line. Add thinner vinyl tape at the 2” marks. Lastly, place vinyl letters at every foot marker.

Attaching the Growth Chart to the Wall

Attach the tree trunk to the wall, flush against the base board, using 1” wood screws at the top of the middle branch and in both of the bottom corners. Countersink the screw head, fill with putty (if desired) and paint over with coordinating color. Attach the leaves cut out to the branches using 1” wood screws at the two outside branches and the middle branch. Countersink, putty, and paint as desired.

Nursery in Nature

Get baby off to a good start with this modern looking nursery decor.

Natural Yet Modern

This nursery decor is clean and simple enough for a boy or girl.