How to Paint a Wavy Line on a Wall

To Paint a wavy line as a simple background to a flower mural like the one from Kidtropolis you can use this method which is great for all sorts of other mural effects. 

See my previous post to see the furniture and mural from Kidtropolis

1.

First draw gentle curves lightly on the wall with chalk. You can wipe away the chalk if you don’t like the layout and redraw until you are happy.
Don’t make the curves too tight as it will be difficult to bend the tape to shape.

 2.

Begin sticking the tape to the wall following your lines and coaxing the tape gently into shape around the curves.

3.

Where there are little creases in the tape, flatten them down to stop paint from seeping under the tape

 

4.

Paint below or above the line, always brushing the paint away from the tape rather than to into it, to stop the paint from bleeding under the tape. Also make sure your paint is not too runny.

 

5.

Now if you wish, paint the other half of the wall and allow the paint to dry before removing the tape gently to reveal the design with a line between the two colours.
Use wider tape for a wider line.

If you don’t want a line between the colours, paint your lighter colour first painting up to your chalk line and a little bit over.

When that paint is completely dry, stick on your tape as above but make sure it is covering the newly painted area. Painting up to the tape with your darker colour will give you a clean edge when you remove the tape.

You may still find some paint has bled underneath. You can touch this up with your original paint colour afterwards.

6.

Next, paint on some simple, bold flowers.

I’ll show you how to do that next

Personalised murals for children’s rooms

Let me show you how to make a DIY mural design even more special to your child. 

Picture your child’s favourite theme for a mural, but then imagine what it would be like for him/her to have their name added to that painted mural.

When you paint a mural yourself, you have the option of personalising the design with your child’s name.

Consider this when planning a wall design for your child.

Give the pony your own name

We have a number of paint by number designs that can be personalised.

Horse in a stable mural

Our pirate treasure map mural

A princess sweet dreams mural

Big bike race woodland animal mural

Beach murals

Secret garden mural

Jungle monkey in a tree mural

Construction zone transport mural

Put your little monkeys name in the mural

It’s all included in the price of the mural

How to make your own coloured chalk board paint

As you may know, chalkboard paint comes in either green or black.

You might not want either of those two colours, so why not make your own colour?

Here’s how to do it

This recipe comes from www.craftathome.com

Material:
3 teaspoons acrylic paint [colour of choice]
1 1/2 teaspoons glazing medium [water based]
1/2 teaspoon powder tile grout

How to:
Mix together all of the ingredients listed above, blend really well and that’s it. You now have chalkboard paint! You should only mix as much as you will need for your project. It doesn’t keep well, but can be stored in an air tight container for a few hours. After a longer period of time, the paint will begin to thicken a little and become a bit brittle.

Helpful Hints:
Apply your paint with a regular paint brush and allow each coat of paint to dry completely, before applying the next. After each coat of paint, gently sand the paint with a 400 grit or higher grit sandpaper and wipe away any dust. This will help keep your painted surface nice and smooth.

You also need to condition your chalkboard, once you have finished painting. Be sure your paint is completely dry. Place a piece of chalk on the side and rub over the entire chalkboard surface, covering the entire area with chalk. Using a felt cloth, wipe off the chalk you just applied. With a slightly damp cloth, wipe the chalkboard clean.

Now your chalkboard is ready!

The most frequently asked questions are…

How do I make larger quantities of this paint?

I am sorry to say that I have not ever made larger quantities, as I use this paint for small projects only. It is important that you be aware that tile grout hardens quickly and when mixing with paint, the time span will be longer, before the paint begins to thicken and harden, but it will eventually harden! However, when mixing larger quantities [such as a litre], I would suggest that you mix 1 part glaze to 2 parts paint [as is the small quantity recipe], but reduce the grout significantly. A few heaping tablespoons of grout will most likely suffice. I suggest that you test this first, but I have heard back from others that have tried this method with great success. It’s important that you note… you do this at your own risk. I have not tested this recipe to be used in larger quantities!

What is glazing medium?

This is a faux finishing medium available at craft shops in small quantities and larger quantities at paint shops, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and similar retail stores. Most major paint manufacturers carry their own brand of this product and it is readily available. Please be sure to note that this recipe calls for a water based glazing medium and not an oil base. This is important! You can not ever mix waterbase and oilbase products together. Water and oil, simply do not mix!

Top Tip – How create a chalkboard wall mural

Create a chalkboard in your child’s room and give them a place they where they ARE allowed to draw on the wall!

Any shape could become a chalkboard, providing it is simple and bold.

 

Here are some ideas to give you some inspiration.

Pirate chalkboard

This pirate mural combines the mural with the chalkboard area.

The paint by number design can be found at the Magic Mural Factory for US buyers or Wallstory Murals for UK buyers. Simply paint the name board section in black chalkboard paint.

The pirate mural design is also available as instantly downloadable E-mural from the Magic Mural factory. The design is can be enlarged to any size you wish using an overhead projector.

 

Tiger chalkboard

This tiger chalkboard would be a wonderful addition to a jungle themed bedroom.

Simply copy the simple design or download it from
The Magic Mural Factory E-mural page .

Tree chalkboard

We found this lovely design at Real Simple.

Draw a simple tree shape in chalk. If you make a mistake, simply wipe away your marks and redraw it.
When you are happy with the tree shape, simply paint it in with black or green chalkboard paint.

Love birds chalkboard

The heart and lovebird design above is painted in green chalkboard paint, but you can create your own chalkboard paint in any color you wish using a chalkboard paint recipe which I will supply in my next post.

How to choose a room theme for your child

Ask your child!

What would he/she like?

Don’t forget this is your child’s’ wall mural, not yours.
You might think a princess mural with fairies and flowers all cute and pink is the way to go, but she really wants a football mural.
Be careful with younger children. Get the idea of what they want and all their input at the beginning but don’t let them continue to add ideas on a whim once the project is under way. (I say this from bitter experience.)
With my own children I have made sure that what they want is not just a passing whim that will be forgotten a week later.

Talk and listen to them over some time to see what subject keeps coming up. Take your time, don’t rush into a decision unless you intend to change the room frequently.
Make a list of their interests and hobbies. The key is to eliminate those which you know to be just the latest fashion. Fashion changes quickly, sometimes overnight. Hobbies and interests are likely to stay with your child throughout their lives.

Take a look at some of the children’s room themes we cover at the Magic Mural Factory. This may give you and your child some inspiration for a wall mural.

If the theme you are looking for includes a mural, but you can’t find a DIY mural that suites your needs, consider a custom designed Paint by Number mural.
You can read all about our custom designed murals by clicking here.

Above all have fun.