Tired of plain-looking walls? Do you want to make a room more cheery, feel larger, or just different? There are many things you can do to liven up a room and even create illusions of space — simply paint the walls a different color. Or just paint one section of a wall a different color.

If you want to go beyond painting a wall a different color there are other options. A mural can provide a view of the colorful Mediterranean coastline from a villa on a garden-cloaked ridge or the mountain view at the grandparents’ Montana ranch. Or you can have a less-complex treatment by texturing the walls to look like worn stucco and even have painted vines — if so desired. These wall solutions work well. Take a look at my website www.muralz.com to see samples of murals done for clients. Unless you are an artist, a professional best executes a mural.

If  you want a do-it-yourself method of creating interesting walls try the simple technique that I illustrate here. It is a formula of scrubbing-in color for a camouflage effect. This can liven up a surface but not be overpowering. Three colors are used: two related and one contrasting color.

But before you gather materials you have to consider two things: Where you want to accent and what color scheme is appropriate.

Look around the room that you want to change. Is there a small wall that if painted with a different color would break up a monotony of the current wall color? You might have an alcove or dining area that might be enhanced by changing the surrounding walls. A huge wall that is nothing but a huge wall might need color texturing to give it life. There may be a wall that you do not want to adorn with pictures for simplicity sake or it is in a heavily traveled area where things would get knocked down.
These situations are candidates for wall treatment. Small bathrooms that feel like closets are also good places.

Once you have chosen a wall area, you will need to consider color. Do you want cheery, cozy, contrast, light, texture, or simply interest? You may want to create space with light tones that recede away; sky tones are good in this situation.

The simplest way to select a color is to use a fan deck that can be procured at a local paint store or select a number of color chips from the store’s color rack.

Before we start to select colors, some background on color charts is in order. Look at the fan deck or the large bin that holds the paint chip samples. You will notice that the pieces of paper that make up each blade of the fan have up to seven separate chips on them with a color range that progresses from a very light tone to a darker tone.

For this how-to let’s use two colors that are near each other in the fan deck; the third will be related only in tone, as its purpose is to create depth and contrast. This third color works best if it contrasts with the two related colors. The best contrast is to use a cool color like a form of blue or a bluish violet when the other two are warm. On the other hand, if you use two cool colors like a blue or violet, you might want to use a harmonious yellow or red tone for contrast. It is best to choose all colors from their respective “rainbows” and usually within the same tone.

The colors that I have chosen for this demonstration are from the same rainbow, but the lighter pea green is one chip lighter in tone than the rest. I did that to illustrate two things. It is an opportunity to illustrate that by the time you apply my third color, it will be obvious that the light green stands
out too much to be subtle, which I will show you how to fix. The other reason is to introduce glazing.

You will need a minimum of one 3” paintbrush. China bristle is preferred because you can mash it around. Synthetics are too stiff to use. Have more than one paint tray unless you plan to wash one out between colors. If you expect to have a lot of fun doing this, a tarp or disposable rug might prove essential. Ideally a brush for each color and a smaller artist quality 1” filbert brush should be purchased. Also pick up some clear acrylic for a protective layer when finished. It is also useful for glazing some of the color for a subtle transition of each color. If the paint store does not carry one or only has large cans, go to a local art store and get a pint or quart of acrylic gel medium. Up to a 10’ wall, you can get by with quarts. Buying three quarts of the same color usually costs the same as a gallon. A quart covers roughly a 100 sq ft, a 10’ x 10’ area.

Tools & Materials: 3″ or larger China bristle brush, small artist quality 1″ filbert brush, a tarp or disposable rug, pint or quart of acrylic gel medium, semi-gloss or gloss paint, rag.

For more information visit www.muralz.com

Figure 1: To choose a color scheme, flip through the deck and find a color that fits the color direction that you wish. For this illustration I have chosen three colors from a Miller Paint deck, 8154M a pea green, 8135D a darker pea green, and 7905D a muted red tone. All are semi-gloss, although any gloss level can work. Flat paint has a slightly different feel: it drags a little and can give a watercolor effect.	Figure 2: We are now ready to paint. You can use any color for your background but usually the lightest one is preferred. Light over dark can produce an opaque look. If your existing wall is new sheetrock or a dark color, use a white primer or quality latex for a base coat. The first coat can be rolled with a roller and should be allowed to dry completely to avoid having the following colors show streaks from the original wall color by pulling off the base coat.
Figure 3: Next step is to apply the second color. Apply the paint in an irregular fashion holding the brush as you would a spoon. Avoid long horizontals and verticals; think “camouflage,” which was developed to break up any recognizable shapes. You can also get a good effect by holding the brush vertical, 90 degrees, from the surface and dabbing or punching it on as shown here. You may want to add some of the first color while the second is still wet to reshape some of the areas as well as “creating” an additional color for heightened interest and effect.	Figure 4: The third color requires more artistic flair. Use it sparingly or not. I recommend working it sparingly. Remember it is only paint, which means you can reapply the previous colors to achieve the look you want — over and over if necessary. If you get the opaque look from too much light over dark, apply some white primer over the area and start again.
Figure 5: You may be done at this point other than applying a protective clear coat. Remember I thought the light pea green might be too light? To rectify this and to introduce an advanced technique called glazing, mix the second two colors with the clear acrylic or a glazing gel, or an acrylic medium, or try water and apply it over everything. If it starts to hide too much, wipe it off or brush the excess to another area. Do this with lots of clear acrylic and a small amount of color and build up to the desired result.	Figure 6:My example was painted with 50/50 of each color, and was too much so I used a rag to wipe it almost all off except enough to tone it down. Then I used a brush to mute selected areas where the light green showed too much or the red was too intense. With this in mind, try it out in a small area first to get the right mix. Practice on a piece of material such as plywood, sheet rock, or maybe the kidÕs room. If you want to experiment with more advanced ideas here are a few: Try a little metallic paint from an art store. Gold or silver accents create a rich look. Do it selectively at first because it can quickly get out of hand unless you like the look. You can also use metallic spray cans to make a base coat and hide it with other colors or glazes. Using a sponge or rag with a glaze or pure color gives another look. You could also try…….. Well you get the point. Have fun, enjoy your new walls.