ART: Painting Murals for Nursery's and Childrens Rooms..Where to Start?

My friend did that in her playroom and also in her garage. I'm pretty sure she just drew it freehand on the wall and then painted it in. But it all depends on how you are most comfortable doing it. If you are confident you could do it freehand and get all the proportions right, then go for it. Otherwise, it would probably be smart to do the projector at least until you get a feel for it.

Do you have any friends/family that would like to have a nursery mural? If so, I would start there. Most likely they will have other friends over that will see your work and ask who did it, then they can give you a referral. You could also advertise on craigslist or in the local paper. If there is a boutique baby store in your town you could see if they would let you post an advertisement near the register.

I really don't know how you should price the murals. I would think it would depend on the size, the amount of detail, and the time it takes to complete it.

Good luck, this sounds like a fun venture for you!

very first ? you should ask yourself: are you a painter?

You will need to practice a lot before attempting this as a profession. The fact that you can draw is a great start. I've done murals on my shed & on bedroom walls. I've also freehand painted vines & flowers in my living room. There is a method to this madness.....& you need to practice to achieve it! By doing this, you will develop an instinctual grasp of how long it takes & how much your time is worth!

Start gathering your equipment & supplies. Keep track of the expense of the process. When you figure your rates, you'll need to bear in mind the replacement costs of these disposable items! Ladders & other depreciable costs will also need to be tracked.

Good Luck & I wish you Success! I am happiest when I have a paintbrush in hand!

A friend of mine does this and learned a time consuming lesson by not using a projector. It is still an original mural even using the projector. Trying to get the proportions correct on a full size wall must be extremely difficult and you might not see the mistake until you are way into the project. Like any professional, use the best tools to get the job done as quickly as possible. Best of luck. This sounds really exciting.

Start by researching low-VOC and non-toxic paints, especially since these will be in spaces used by children. Interior latex paints will probably give you a great range of colors to work with, and low-toxicity paints are available.

Beyond that, your style and your techniques will be totally up to you. Freehand, projector, enlarged grid, pre-drawn paper patterns – whatever works.

Decide on an hourly rate that you can live with. Figure a bit extra for cost of materials. You may want to start on the low end (closer to minimum wage) until you get a photo portfolio to show, and people who will attest to your skills and professionalism. Then you may be able to raise your rates if you are in popular demand.

After you get a few jobs, you will probably get a sense of how long each mural is likely to take, and can begin to charge by the job, if that seems to work better for your clients. I did a few murals at one point, and offered a maximum cost per job so people wouldn't be anxious about my taking a long time to get it right.

The projector would be easiest. You can also free draw on paper and then cut out the shape. then if you are confident in free-styling the rest.

As for $$. take the price of supplies and also the time and diffcult'ness of the piece. have a starting price..one wall say $100 whole room charge by the wall. if it is intricate you may want to add fifty. This sounds fun. I did my kids room last summer. If you could make this a hobby and get paid that is the best thing ever!! burn out less likely to happen when you love what you do!!

I do it for fun (painting isn't my media of choice, but I can paint well. Not trompe l'oeil well, or forgery well, but decently).

It's VERY expensive and time consuming to do one offs (but uber cheap to do as a business startup). Figure several hundred dollars in paint and brushes and wall prep and supplies (drop clothes, paint holders, etc.) for your first go, and a couple grand as a business startup. It costs me on average about $200-$500 per 10X12 mural... but I only do them once a year or so.

Bare minimum you'll need to spend at least $75 per room (if primer & base color is as much in GA as it is in WA... aka $30 per gallon) for every single room you do.

I take at least 3 days to do mine ((prep the space -sanding, fill holes, taping, cloths-, prime the wall, allow to dry. 2 coats minimum of base color(s), allow to dry... chalk out the basic outline, and then paint. 2 days for prep work, and then 1+ days of the actual mural. I usually budget at least 5 days for completion. When I've painted for friends, they usually want the entire room painted in one or more base colors even though the mural may only be on the ceiling or on one wall.

So that's rough estimate of time and money... to get a real feel for how much YOU'LL spend, you build your portfolio. As in, you're gonna be working for free, and you're gonna be painting your own house. Typically people want at LEAST 4 or 5 finished projects to look at before they'll hire you. Doing your own house (even if you mural up, snap photos, paint over it, mural up, snap photos, paint over it) will give you a feel for how much time it will take you, and how much $ you'll need to spend.

To look at pricing yourself competetively, look for mural painters in your area and see what THEY charge. Ideally, don't spend more than 25-50% of the finished cost... or it's not worth your time.

Good Luck!! & Have Fun!!

Do a few in your home. Take photos and start networking. The other way to start is to paint on canvas and take those around to give people a feel for your style. If you want to start off you could just charge them for the cost of the supplies and then calculate how many hours per sq for it takes for you to do the work. Include original design on paper and also the work at the location.

I have a few friends that started their businesses by donating their services to some Show Homes for some different designers. 1000's of people go through these homes so they saw the work and called. Make up business cards and Brochures for these events.

One of my friends started by paining furniture. Very fun designs for nurseries and children's rooms. She purchased the shelves, benches, play tables at garage sales and then painted them with her original designs.

Here is the deal.. MOST Clients already know what they want.
So be prepared to paint what THEY want. You can suggest, you can wish and you can want, but they are the client and you need to be willing to make them happy.

They are both now set painters for movies made in Central Texas! Keep it mind for when your kids are out of the house. Good future career.

You can do it either way.
I have done it either way.
Using a projector... was when I was doing Theater work and large scale murals/art work on back -drops. Because it is so large scale... you need to get the proportions correct. And eyeballing it in its entirety, is not always possible as you go along.

Or free-hand.
Or lightly sketching first.

it is really up to you.
there is no correct way or not.

Some people can, on any scale of a surface, just free-hand it.
Some people need to scale it out first and/or use a projector or have it pre-sketched and are very methodical about it.
Me, I am not.
I just do it.

Doing this for a living means, making a tally of ALL that you will need/supplies/costs, and everything.

I wold not, just jump into this buying everything and going ga-ga about it and spending all your money on it. Until, you really know, that you want to do it, and can do it.

Being a cartoon artist, versus a Muralist, are 2 different things.
There are also: Illustrators. Cartoonists. And a host of other things to do with your drawing skills.

Are you are Drawer... or a "Painter?"
2 very different things and skill sets.

Well, when I've seen a mural being painted in some places (like a school) one way is to take a 'paint-by-numbers' approach.
Put your drawing on a grid, figure out a scale and put a bigger grid on your wall.
Then make each big square look exactly like each little square.
Take it one section at a time and before you know it the project is complete.

The woman that did my mural started by doing her own kids rooms. She uses a projector. I don't know much about her pricing. I had her do a plane with a banner with my sons name on it. She had me provide her with a picture of the type of plane I wanted. It takes up the upper half of the wall. She charged $150.