Painting on a large scale can be intimidating. But if you take small steps, you can achieve a massive mural with ease. I went from a 11″x14″ drawing on a sheet of paper to a 9’x15′ mural. Here’s how.
You’ll need: pencils, paint, paint brushes, tape, a projector, a large surface like a wall or a giant roll of paper, and artwork you want to enlarge. (You can easily find a tracer projector at your local craft store or online.)
Step One: Draw a sketch or print out an image of what you’d like your mural to portray. You’ll eventually need to fit your projector’s base over this image, so it’s best to keep it small. Use an 8.5″x11″ or 11″x14″ sheet of paper.
Step Two: Use a light projector to cast the sketch or printed image onto the wall. To make the projected image larger or smaller, move the projector closer or further from the surface you’ll be painting on. Make sure you’re in a room that can get fairly dark so you can see the light from your projector with ease.
Step Three: Use a pencil and trace the projected image onto your mural’s surface. Turn the lights on an off a lot during this process to make sure that you’ve traced all of the lines. It’s easy to miss some in the dark.
Step Four: Start painting in small sections until it’s all filled in. I did the outlines first, in this case, to make sure I didn’t lose the pencil lines under paint. Then I filled in the buildings with color.
Step Five: Keep going till you’re done! That’s when I moved on to the background and lastly cleaned up the outline in a few places.
What I wore: The Hayward Zip Front Hoodie & Series 1889 Slim Double Front Dungaree.