May

Wall Art: How to Paint Clouds

Painting a room is a task which demands a lot of effort, patience and a bit of knowledge. If you are doing it for the first time, it is mandatory to seek for expert advice regarding the preparation, tools and painting technique to achieve the desired result. Okay, let’s assume that somehow you’ve managed to paint the walls. That was the easy part. Now imagine if you have been asked to draw clouds on them and make them look realistic on top of that. That, I would say, looks like a greater difficulty!

And yet, there is nothing to worry about. With a little practice and guidance (the latter is my responsibility!) you will quickly master the technique and make your kids extremely happy with the new look of their bedroom.

Keep in mind: you’ll have to take two days off to finish the project, because after day one you will have to wait 24 hours until the blue base paint dries. Only then you will be able to start painting the clouds. When purchasing the paint, pay attention to how much lead it contains. Learn which are the health risks of lead in paint and avoid buying a toxic one.

Photo credit

Materials and tools:

Paint roller
Paint tray
Painting tape
Mixing container
Measuring cup
Drop cloth
Cheesecloth
Cardboard
Screwdriver
Blue and white paint
Paintbrush
Glaze
Primer
Chalk
Pictures of clouds

Method:

Before each home renovation project, the first thing to do is prepare and protect the site from potential damages caused during the work process. Unmount switch plate covers and tape the areas around doors and windows. To protect the floor from paint spills, place the drop cloth beneath the area you plan to paint. If the wall has never been painted before, you have to apply primer first as a basis, using the paint roller. If it has paint already, you can skip this step.

Continue with applying the sky-blue paint on the walls you plan to renovate. Also, paint two cardboard pieces to have a canvas for practice. Allow the paint to dry for at least 20 hours. In the mixing container, pour white paint and glaze in a 3:1 ratio. Stir well and pour the mixture into the tray.

With the chalk, mark the places where you want to paint the ‘practice’ clouds on the cardboard pieces, by re-making the contour from the cloud pictures. To fill the middle of the clouds, outline on the cardboard, dip the sea sponge into the white paint mixture and press it on the surface, twisting it from time to time to create natural patterns. You will notice that not the entire area is evenly covered with paint, but don’t bother -this is where the cheesecloth comes to the aid.

Daub the blue spots in the cloud with a wet cheesecloth. This will soften the edges, making it look more realistic. Just make sure the cheesecloth is not too wet because it will ruin the drawing. Wring it out very carefully.

When you are content with the look of the practice clouds, then it is time to paint them on the walls. Repeat steps 6, 7 and 8 for every cloud you plan to paint. Draw them in various sizes and random locations on the wall.

If you are struggling with following this tutorial, maybe a video will be of greater benefit: