How to create a simple dinosaur mural

I’d like to show you a  simple idea for you to create a dinosaur mural for your child’s room.

Dinosaur Silhouettes

Paint a series of your favourite dinosaurs in one colour to suit the colour scheme of your child’s room. Go as pale or as dark as you wish. Try a tone just slightly darker than the wall colour for a pleasing subtle effect.

You can either find your own dinosaur shapes and enlarge them on a photocopier. Rub the back of the paper with a coloured chalk and trace over your design to transfer the pattern to the wall. Alternatively,  you could use one of my ready made dinosaur mural template kits which come in two sizes and have carbon paper to fit to trace onto the wall.

Two colour Dinosaur Mural

Take your simple dinosaur shape. Make the legs and some markings on the body a second colour. Trace onto the wall and paint .

Again, with this option you could either find your own dinosaur shapes and enlarge them on a photocopier. Rub the back of the paper with a coloured chalk and trace over your design to transfer the pattern to the wall or alternatively,  you could use one of my ready made dinosaur mural template kits which come in two sizes and have carbon paper to fit making it quick and easy to trace onto the wall.

Wallpaper cutout dinosaur mural

Choose a lovely wallpaper. Trace the design onto the back of the wallpaper, then cut out the shape and paste it onto the wall as per the instructions of your wallpaper brand.
My ready made dinosaur mural template kits come ready with carbon paper to fit making the tracing easy. They are designed to fit on an average width of wallpaper. The large sizes will fit on two widths of wall paper.

We have six dinosaur designs for you to choose from

Choose one or more of your favourite dinosaurs or use our kit with three dinosaurs templates included.
The kits come with a large paper pattern, transfer paper to fit and instructions.

The kits are available from the Magic Mural Factory (USA) and

Wallstory Murals (if you live in Europe or the UK)

Silhouette murals

Keeping it Simple

If you want to keep it really simple as far as painting goes, consider a  silhouette mural.
Silhouettes don’t need to be black, personally I think  it’s better if they aren’t, especially in a child’s bedroom.

Willow tree and bunny paint by number paper pattern mural available at The Magic Mural Factory & Wallstory Murals
Brown on blue or brown on a pink background look both look fantastic together.

Dolphin Silhouette available at Wallstory Murals
(paint by number mural pattern)

Silhouette boys from the  Magic Mural factory
(Paint by number mural pattern)

Safari Silhouette from the Magic Mural Factory
(Paint by number Mural pattern)

See more Silhouette murals themes at the Magic Mural Factory

You could even go for a subtler look, by painting your background a pale colour and paint your silhouettes a shade darker than the background.

Where to find a silhouette image

Loads of subjects could make a great silhouette, as long as the form is simple and clear.

Find an image in a chosen theme.
Trace the outline of the picture and voila you have a silhouette.
Enlarge your image with the aid of a photocopier, or trace it onto transparent film and enlarge the image onto the wall using an overhead projector or craft projector.
If you’re lucky enough to have a video projector (the kind you can attach to a laptop computer) then any image you find on the internet can be easily projected onto the wall and traced.

Paint in your shape in a colour of your choice.

Top Tip- Buy tester pots of acrylic paint to paint your silhouette mural. They come in loads of colours to choose from.

Alternatively you can buy a ready to trace pattern and transfer paper like these below from the Magic Mural Factory and Wallstory Murals

Here is a lovely example of how to create a mural created using a video projector from
Apartment Therapy

More silhouette mural ideas

This horse design from Unique Baby Ideas

Look at this cool cowboy mural

Tone on tone nursery – blue on blue for a calm and soothing effect from Nursery Murals and More

And of course there are always Wall Decals if you really don’t want to paint.

This beautiful example above  is from a French website called Harmonie intérieure

These cuties are from Dali Decals

Children’s Room Forest from Small Time Art

Etsy has LOADS of decals in all sorts of subjects including silhouettes. Just search on any subject you like.

My final DIY silhouette mural idea for you

Using your children as the models for a truly unique mural.

You will need
A bright light or projector
A darkened room
A Pencil.
Paint brushes and acrylic paint

How to do it

Aim your light at the wall.
Have your kids strike interesting poses in front of the light creating a good shadow on the wall.
Make sure they can keep still for a little while, before tracing around the shadow on the wall.
Paint in the silhouettes in any colour you wish.