Painted murals are a hot item right now!
So when my daughter-in-law asked me to paint a mural for my youngest granddaughter's 1st birthday party .....of course I said YES!
This hand painted mural photo backdrop is the perfect addition to baby's first birthday!
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Design Plan: Hand Painted Photo Backdrop Mural
The mural was going to be surrounded by a balloon display to serve as a photo backdrop.
And with the balloon display being over 8 ft tall.... I was asked to paint on an 8 ft tall piece of paper. Let's do this!
Supplies Used
Pencil
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Hand Painted First Birthday Photo Backdrop Mural
I'm going to share with you what I learned during this process and what I might do differently next time.
Selecting the Paper & Getting Started
I really like art on brown paper....but the white was more fitting for this design.
I chose to hang my paper on a wall as I felt this would be easier to work on. The only issue was I had a few drips happen.....that wouldn't have had the paper been lying flat. I was more interested in saving my back and knees!
I was able to hide my drips into the design.
Lesson #1: Next time, I will consider only hanging my mural when projecting the image to trace....and then laying it flat to paint.
Free Handing vs. Projecting
My art was done free hand....so it is less than perfect!
If I were doing this for a client, I probably would have used a projector to draw my design. I could have chosen a rainbow from clip art and projected it onto the paper for an evenly balanced finish. The same for the pot of gold and three leaf clovers.
I do like my freehand version.....it's very child like and fitting for a 1 yr old party.
Lesson #2: The perfectionist in me will likely project my image on future murals. You can purchase inexpensive projectors on Amazon.
The lettering design was also done free-hand. If you choose to use a projector, you can first design your lettering in apps such as Canva....and then project it onto your mural. This is a great option for those that feel challenged by handwriting.
I used Dixie Belle Paint as it is my go-to paint. I added water to my paint to thin it down and make it easier to use on the mural. The added water was a little much for the paper and it caused it to slightly crinkle as I was working.
This flattened back out as it dried.....so no worries there.
Lesson #3: In the future, I think I will use a paint extender or floetrol (instead of water) to thin my paint for mural painting.
I did not trace over my pencil line with magnum sharpie marker before I started painting.....which is really odd since I do this on all other aspects of my art.
Lesson #4: I will for sure do a hard black outline in the future....and then fill in with paint.
It just makes it easier to see....easier to paint within the lines....and even helps when doing your final and last outline once all your paint is dry.
The Finished Look: Hand Painted First Birthday Mural Photo Backdrop
All in all, I very much enjoyed this project and I hope to have an opportunity to do more!
Have you done a project similar to this?
More Inspiration:
I pulled a few blogs from past projects that came to mind when working on this piece! I hope you can use them to draw inspiration for your upcoming project. Here are the additional designs for your inspiration:
Cheer Photo Backdrop - a fun way to support the team
Woodland Nursery Wall Mural - from little seeds grow mighty trees
Where the Wild Things Are Wall Mural - a must try technique
Baby Shower Sign - a quick easy project that any one can do
Click on any photo below for more up-close photos and all the design details
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