How to Paint Wall Murals of Piano Keys

Wall Preparation

• 1

  Decide on a location for the piano mural. Take into consideration furniture placement and lighting in the room, which can affect the overall effect of the mural.

• 2

  Move any furniture away from the wall. Cover the floor with a dropcloth to protect against paint spills.

• 3

  Fill bucket with warm water and a squirt of mild dishwashing liquid. Use a soft rag to gently remove all dust, grime or grease from the wall.

• 4

  Allow to dry thoroughly.

• 5

  Fill any nail holes using wall putty or spackle. Follow manufacturer recommendations.

• 6

  Paint mural area with a fresh coat of primer. Primer provides an even surface to apply the acrylic paint. When painting over a dark surface, primer is essential to retain the true colors you desire.

• 7

  Allow to dry for at least 24 hours.

Sketching and Transfer of a Basic Keyboard

• 8

  Using a yardstick against the wall, determine the basic size of the desired mural.

• 9

  Lay out the proposed keyboard on paper before transferring the design to the wall. Simple math can help you decide the layout for a basic keyboard. Depending on the scale and design you want, decide how many keys you wish to include in the space. For example, a 36-inch wide area could be divided into white keys that are 3 inches wide and black keys that are 2 inches wide.

• 10

  Use a level and yardstick to mark the top, bottom and sides of your keyboard on the wall in pencil.

• 11

  Mark the lines for the keys on the wall using the quilting or drafting ruler. Start with the vertical lines for the white keys. Then add the horizontal line that represents the bottom of the black keys. Finish by marking the lines for the black keys.

• 12

  Use a plate or other round object to round the corners of the keys, if desired. Position the plate in the corner of the key and trace from the side of the key to the bottom. This provides a uniform look to the keys.

Design and Transfer a Swirl Pattern

• 13

  Select the design for the piano wall mural. Keyboards can swirl, wave or bend in a variety of patterns. Due to the complexity of angles, the design should be laid out on paper first.

• 14

  Using a copier, make a black and white transparency of the piano design.

• 15

  Position the overhead projector so that it projects straight on the desired wall area.

• 16

  Turn on the projector and position the transparency so that it projects properly on the wall.

• 17

  Trace the design on the wall in pencil.

Painting the Piano Mural

• 18

  Use a wide paintbrush to paint in the large, light-colored areas of the mural.

• 19

  Use a wide paintbrush to paint in the large, dark-colored areas of the mural.

• 20

  Blend, shade and add depth to the mural by mixing the paint colors. If new paint is applied before the bottom color is dry, a natural blending takes place.

• 21

  Add detail with round, tapered brushes.