What does a mural do for a bathroom? It expands a small space and personalizes a typically cold room. Create your own wall mural, then follow artist Susan Ifergan's easy directions for adding twining ivy to your creation. Painting trailing strands of ivy can be time-consuming. One of Susan's favorite tricks for getting the leaves on the wall quickly is to stencil on each leaf shape, then hand-paint the vines and leaf details. Materials:
Wallpaper or fabric for stencil pattern
Sheet of acetate for making stencils
Marking pen
Craft knife with sharp blade
Oil-based paint in two light colors to tint wall glaze
Faux-finishing liquid
Kerosene
Mixing pails
100-percent cotton cheesecloth
4" bristle brush
Stencil brushes
Artist's acrylic paint in three complementary shades of green for the leaves, brown for the vines
Plate
Paper toweling
Painter's tape
Optional: white acrylic artist's paint and small sponge
Fine detail brush
- Use ivy-patterned wallpaper or fabric to create your own ivy stencil. Place a piece of clear acetate on the pattern, and trace the ivy with a marking pen. Use a sharp craft knife to cut out the stencils.
- Glaze the wall, and allow it to dry before adding the twining ivy. Make two glazes, one a bit lighter than the other, with a mixture of equal parts paint, faux-finishing liquid and kerosene. Susan likes the consistency and finish of glazes made with kerosene. Be very careful when working with this combustible mixture, and soak the rags thoroughly in water before disposing of them.
- Fold a piece of cheesecloth into a pad, dip it in the lighter glaze, and scrub the wall in a circular motion. When the wall is covered, dip a new pad in the darker mixture, and dab it on the surface in a honeycomb pattern. Use the 4" bristle brush to blend the finish, pouncing with the ends of the brush (figure A). Let dry.
- Determine the position of the twining ivy, and use painter's tape to attach the stencil to the wall. Pour a puddle of each color of green paint on the plate, and mix slightly. Dip the stencil brush in the paint, dab the excess on a paper towel, and pounce the stencil with paint (figure B). When dry, remove the stencil, and use a sponge to add a mist of tiny white spots, if desired.
- Use a fine detail brush to connect the ivy leaves with freeform painted vines. Add detail to the ivy leaves, if desired. (figure C).
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