Wall Mural Paint by Number





I really wanted to put together like a time lapse of the process because I have pictures after almost every color.

But the lighting and angels are different each time so I don't think it would look so cool.

If you want me to work on it comment and I will see what I can do.

Anyway. What is this all about? A wall mural silly.

Three years ago I decided it would be cool to have a wall mural. I did Internet searching and they were so expensive!
{note to reader: this project doesn't take three years if you work on it more than one week a year :-)}

So I went to the local craft store and bought a paint by number for 40% because of a coupon and picked up a beach photo.




I took the instruction page and printed it onto a transparency and projected it onto the wall to trace.

Traced with a pencil. Make sure to write in the paint by number letter or number also.

Then the painting began. To give you a few in progress pictures:
I started with the sky.




Then the ocean and chairs.




After I painted everything I sealed the wall with a polyurethane sealant. And it gave the wall a small sheen.

I love the wall. It makes an awesome statement and sets the beach theme for the room.





Common questions:
-wow did you draw that? Umm, yes and no. It's a paint by number!!

-how big is the wall? It is about 7ft tall and 10ft across.

-what paints did you use? I used basic acrylics. The little bottles that are normally less than fifty cents each.

-how do you protect it? I sealed it with polyurethane sealant.

-how long did it take? If working on it regularly it could take no more than three weeks or even weekends depending on your design and paint dry time.

-do you have any tips if I decide to try it? So glad you asked!! I do!!

*have a white eraser {the kind that are like a pen but just eraser} handy to erase your numbers before you paint. It will save on how many coats you need.

*pick the lightest color {not usually white} that covers the largest area and paint the whole wall that as your base with standard wall paint. {mine was eggshell sheen it made wiping mistakes easy}

*write the key for the colors on the back of your cardboard image. {I lost my key and had to go to the store and copy it down}

the key won't matter so much if you use this tip
*buy a bottle of acrylic paint for EVERY color on the wall.
What do I mean? The kit comes with 12 colors and would expect you to mix them. Mixing colors in the right quantity to cover a wall area for multiple coats and get the same shade is hard. And if more than one person is working on it... It complicates it further.

*mark each bottle with a perm marker on the lid to indicate what color or number it is.
This way you don't have to remember. And if you run out you know the exact color you need to buy and if anyone is helping there is no guess work.

Those are tips I wish I'd had known. :-)

If you try it I'd love to see how it comes out!

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