If you don’t want the bother of an aquarium, you can still create that tranquil feel by painting an underwater mural. Murals that evoke the peacefulness of the ocean or river bed can be highly effective in bedrooms, living rooms, beach-side homes and children’s rooms. For a bathroom or pool area, an underwater theme can be especially appropriate. Try these tips and ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Finding Inspiration

There are many ways of achieving an ‘underwater look’, depending on the style you go for. A child’s room may invite cartoon-style, whereas you will probably want a different look for a bathroom, living room or adult bedroom. Murals in children’s rooms will use different imagery. With ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ popular with kids, you might want to depict shipwrecks and chests of sunken treasure. A humorous treatment works well in kids’ rooms – and a bit of whimsy can be fun in the bathroom too.

In adult bedrooms and living areas, the peaceful feel that we get from watching fish in an aquarium is something that you might want to aim for. For a brighter look, you could go for shoals of exotic tropical fish and other fabulous marine life. If you want a more subtle look, or you’re not a great fish fan, a sandy seabed with fragile seashells and waving sea grasses in pastel colors could be ideal. You also don’t have to stick to shades of blue. You could experiment with combinations of soft greens and even browns.

Your mural could cover a whole wall or try using trompe l’oeil techniques. Faux picture windows are always effective. A child’s room can become a submarine cabin by painting faux portholes through which the underwater world can be seen. For girls’ rooms, mermaids are a motif with enduring charm.

Mural Painting

Especially if you’re not a confident artist, using stencils, or kits that allow you to transfer image outlines onto your wall, is the perfect way to create murals. You will find a huge range of motifs and a wide variety of styles available and you’re bound to find something to suit you.

If you have a picture or photograph that you want to reproduce as a mural, you can do that instead. You can scale it up by marking your image and your wall into corresponding squares, before transferring the outlines square by square – or take advantage of computer software that can do the job for you.

You will start your mural by painting in your background. You may have two areas, such as water and seabed, meeting at a ‘horizon’. With a brush, sponge or for larger spaces, a roller, paint your background colors. Next you will paint the outlines of your objects, such as shells or submerged rocks, before concluding with fine details such as shading and texture.

Remember that murals in some areas require extra measures, including the use of waterproof paint for murals in bathrooms or paint with a built-in sunscreen for outdoor artwork. A transparent glaze will protect your mural and ensure that it lasts as long as possible.

Popularity: 1% [?]