How to Paint a Rainbow Mural

Remember how last week I took down the wallpaper that was technically fine but I no longer loved anymore last week? Well! It’s time for an update! First of all, there was never baseboards in 1/2 of the room, well we added those in. Crown molding is also going up! But that wall still needed some pattern. I figured, how about a rainbow?! Here’s how to paint a rainbow mural-

how to paint a rainbow mural

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. P.s. I’m trying to build that page up, so if you’d subscribe, I’d really appreciate that!

SUPPLIES

• level
• painter’s tape
• pencil
• push pin
• string
• paint brush
• paint- Ultra Pure White for the wall. For the rainbow- Beloved Pink, Shy Smile, Corn Stalk, Spring Reflection, and Frosted Sage

step 1

Start with a blank wall. I filled in the holes and gave it a fresh coat of white paint. Here’s the inspiration for my mural-

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Maddon and Co (@maddonandco) on May 25, 2019 at 8:17am PDT

Next, start drawing in the base of the rainbow. For each side, I drew a line with a level and a pencil. I drew pencil marks on both sides of the level and then put up green painter’s tape. 

Side note, I was a little nervous to start this project! I’ve never painted a mural before. Just beginning was the hardest part though!

step 2

Next, it’s time to add in the arches and connect the sides. To do this, I put in a push pin centered on the wall. Then I tied on a string to the pin. And then I tied the pencil to the string at the point where the pencil hit the line of the arch I wanted to draw. 

P.s. my friend Racheal from Banyan Bridges is the queen of murals. She shows these techniques super well in her Instagram highlights if you want a more in depth tutorial.It’s a little hard to see, but you can kind of see the pencil marks of the rainbow. 

step 3

And now, to prevent bleed through when painting on the colors, I did a coat of white paint to seal the tape. Hopefully the white will be what bleeds and so I’ll get nice crisp lines.

Start painting on the colors. The bottom is easy since the tape is up. For the arches you need to be careful and paint in the lines. Go slow and keep your eye as close to the paintbrush as possible.

Side note, I started with a coral color and later changed my mind. It did add time, but I figured it was worth it to have the look I wanted. And remember, it’s just paint! If you hate it, you can easily paint right over it.

step 4

Finally, when all the painting is done, pull off the tape. It’s the moment of truth! Time to see how crisp those lines are!

If there are any bleeds, just touch them up with an artist’s brush. 

after

Ta da! Here’s the mural in all of her glory!

It’s not 100% perfect- I could touch up the arches a bit. But dang, I love it!
We went to see a movie last night after I finished it up. Side note, my town has an old movie theater that plays whatever it wants. Last night was Coco and it was really fun to take Don to! Anyway, when I came home, it felt so much more like me. I love it! And I really like how it pulls out the colors in the floral cabinet. What do you think? Is this something you’d try?

P.s. if you want the rainbow look, but don’t want to paint it yourself here’s a bunch of super cute rainbow wallpaper murals that will do the trick!

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