How to Paint Realistic Cracks in Walls

The phrase "trompe l'oeil" comes from the French words "tromper," to deceive, and "l'oeil," eye; it means "to deceive the eye." Trompe l'oeil has been used throughout art history in paintings on canvas and in frescoes on walls. Frescoes are paintings on freshly plastered walls. The earliest frescoes were created in ancient Greece around 1600 B.C. Fresco paintings have included lush landscapes and faux marble finishes. You can achieve realistic cracks in your walls by using faux-finishing techniques like those used by the ancient civilizations that created frescoes.

Brown, black, gray, and white latex paint
Fine artist's brushes
Dry paintbrush
Plastic cups

Instructions

- 1
  Plan where you are going to place your realistic faux cracks. To make them look real, you do not want to overdo it. Add just a few touches of cracks for a realistic look.
- 2
  
  Paint zigzig lines for cracks on your wall.
  
  Pour a little gray paint into a plastic cup. Using a fine artist's brush, paint zigzag random lines for cracks. Create lines that are wide and narrow and that start and stop abruptly. Twist your wrist when painting the cracks and apply different pressure to achieve a natural look. Painting cracks is similar to painting veins in a faux marble finish.
- 3
  Soften some of your painted cracks with a dry paintbrush. Lightly brush over newly painted cracks until the lines are softer.
- 4
  Pour black and brown paint into plastic cups. Depending on the color of the wall, mix the paints with white or gray to give you a slightly darker color than your wall. Paint the cracks you painted in gray with the darker color. This will give it a natural-looking shadow. Brush with a dry paintbrush if necessary.
- 5
  Allow the wall to dry. You can add more cracks if necessary to look more realistic, but do not add too many or it may look like spiderwebs.

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