Faux Painting Techniques for an Ocean Mural

Color Washing

• Color washing is a faux painting technique you can use to paint water and sky. If you want to use two different shades of blue, decide where you want the horizon to sit and divide the wall in two; paint accordingly. Choose a satin or semi-gloss shade of blue and paint the entire wall using a roller brush to prep for the mural. Apply the glaze with a paint brush in X's about 6 inches wide. Use a damp rag to soften the brush strokes and continue applying it evenly to avoid areas that are lighter or darker.

Sponge Painting

• Sponge painting requires you to use two colors, one for a base and one for the sponging. This technique is ideal for cloud formations or sandy beaches when painting a mural. After you paint a blue base coat for the sky, use a palette of blues and whites to sponge a cloud pattern into the scene. Add imagery such as boats, mermaids, a lighthouse, sun bathers, umbrellas. Use sponging to add depth to areas that require additional light and shadow.

Ragging

• Ragging or rag rolling can be used to create depth and texture to areas in your ocean mural. For a variegated look in the ocean's waves, use a ragging technique. As with the other techniques, you must first paint a base coat in your color of choice and roll the rag over the top using a faux painting glaze or another shade of paint. Use this technique on its own or combine it with any of the others to create an ocean mural with depth.

Crackle Painting

• Crackle painting requires two different colors of paint in contrasting shades. Commonly, a darker color is applied beneath a lighter top coat. The lighter top coat will "crackle" to show glimpses of the darker shade below. While you might want to avoid this technique for larger areas in the mural, it can be used to create visual interest in some of the smaller areas. For instance; a treasure chest or an old boat is greatly enhanced with this type of technique. Test each technique on a separate board before committing it to the mural.