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18 June 2009

Wall Murals - How To Paint One Yourself!...

By Anna Meenaghan

Have you ever really thought about doing this? The idea of it might be a bit awe inspiring at first, but if you don't fly into a panic, of course, this is possible. Now, all you need is a subject for your mural.

I would recommend that before you make a start on this, that you put in some groundwork on your wall. After all, you will need a clean surface to work on. So, I would say give your wall a good wash down first, this is to make sure that you have no unwanted grime or grease on it.

Do let it dry thoroughly. Personally, I would apply a primer first, like you would to a canvas, or simply apply just one coat of paint. This can only be an asset.

Second step, so now you have prepared your wall. How do you go about it? On the assumption this is quite a large area, I would recommend that you use a grid. For this you will need to work this out on some paper in the first place. Get a sheet of A3 paper and make a grid, draw 2 inch square boxes on it. Once this is done you need to work your design on and over the grid. If you have followed me so far, now you need to transfer the grid to your wall.

You can do this by using a chalk that will show up on the wall and you should not encounter too many problems when you try to remove this later. So, if you take each 2 inch square from your sheet of paper as a 2 foot square on the wall, you should get the gist. If your area is small you could do 1 inch to 1 foot! Whichever you do, the amount of squares need to be exactly the same as the grid you have drawn.

It is quite easy to fall into the trap of making the grid too small and thus making it hard to remove the chalk when you want too. Please bear in mind what you want to put in the grid, as it will need to have generally strong lines.

Basically, using this method you need to copy your sketch onto the matching squares on your wall. It is important too, before you paint, to consider which is the best type of paint to use. In most cases a good make of acrylic paint should work well, but, depending on the size of your mural, this could work out to be quite expensive.

However, you could also use an ordinary type of paint you would use for the house, for the large part of your painting, the background etc. The important parts could still be painted with acrylics, but do use a good brush.

One important fact to be taken into consideration, when you paint a mural, is that you are painting right on top of it all the time, so you need to take stock of it from a distance as you go along. It may well be that the sun will reflect on your work, so you would need to choose a paint with this in mind.

Anyway, you will not want the sun reflections coming off your work, so choose a paint with an eggshell finish or matt. You also could, when it is complete, brush on a clear varnish. Not only will this make it easier for you to keep it clean, but it will also act as a layer of protection.

About the Author:

If you enjoyed this guide written by Anna Meenaghan then you can discover a whole lot more at her internet based interactive art gallery website. Here you can discover anything related to art ranging from realism to abstract paintings, as well as video interviews with artists etc.

14 June 2009

The Art of Chuck Rosenthal

Image by rockYOface via Flickr

By Chuck Rosenthal

Chuck Rosenthals art has a warmth of color that draws the viewer into the paintings. He paints many subjects " still life, landscape, people on the beach or men working construction " but his own unique form of painting glows in each one. Viewers wish they were there.

On a cold winter day, one of his landscapes or sea scenes would make you feel the sun shining on your head.

You can almost smell the flowers and taste the fruit of his still life paintings. Rosenthals technique presents sufficient detail to give the viewer the rough feel of the pottery and the cool smoothness of the glass without overdoing it.

Overworking a painting " too many details, too many brush strokes, often marks the work of beginning artists. Rosenthals art has the look of a professional. There are no overworked paintings in his gallery.

His subject matter is simple, everyday things with which people can identify and feel comfort. No grouse and hunting firearms in these still lifes. Daffodils and grapes and apples and irises populate his paintings, things you can find in the modern world, but which take you back to a simpler life.

If you went to a oceanside tomorrow you might find some of Rosenthals subjects " a little girl playing, a child and her father playing in the sand, a grandmother and granddaughter watching the surf. There is nothing lofty or idealistic here.

But the paintings convey more than the ordinary. Or perhaps, one should say, they elevate the ordinary to a higher plane, inviting the viewer to join in the artists admiration of life and light in the world around us.

To read more about the artist, visit his website www.chuckrosenthalfineart.com. But better than reading about his awards and struggles as an artist, view his gallery page, and see the way this artist views the world. Its fascinating.

About the Author:

See the Clearwater Construction Workers and the fine art of Chuck Rosenthal at the gallery. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

12 May 2009

Painting Contractors Are Becoming Environmentally Friendly

Image via Wikipedia

by Nicky Taylor

The watchword nowadays in environmentally friendly and in many areas this has become a top priority. The painting industry is just one such example. In fact, many home improvement and construction companies are becoming inventive in finding earth friendly products for home projects. Particularly for their environmentally conscious customers.

Demand Is Increasing for Environmentally Safe Paint.

The consumer demand for these paint products have had paint manufacturers scrambling to get at least a few non toxic paint selections to the shelves. Painting contractors have asked for non toxic or low VOC (volatile organic compounds) in their paint or finish selections.

Environmentally Friendly Paint exist in 3 Categories.

When it comes to environmentally friendly paints, you have three basic choices, natural, non-VOC and low VOC. If you are wondering which products are available in your area ask a local contractor which ones he is able to get. Choosing safe products from your contractor is a valuable option.

Paint Can Release Toxins.

The fact that toxins are released for several years after paint is applied is not public knowledge; many people are very unaware of this fact. The harmful VOC's contaminate people and the environment equally. In times gone by the painting industry had to rely on whatever was available and the driving force behind it was the performance of the paint itself during application.

There Are Numerous Benefits to Using Green Paint.

In trying to go green painting contractors have found there are many benefits to these paint products. The new products offer good paint coverage and simple disposal. Clean up is a breeze and there are few if any hazardous wastes to be concerned with. In addition, the normal paint fumes that exist days and even weeks after paint is applied are not present with these products. This means that customers will be able to use the area painted much sooner than usual. Some might even enjoy a non-toxic fragrance additive that is now available. This fragrance will provide a fresh clean smell for several months after the paint has dried. As you can imagine contractors and customers are exceedingly happy about these products.

Learning about Green Paints Will Help You Communicate Your Needs.

If you have a construction, job coming up in the near future and you might want green products you will need to do some research. When you get a general idea of what is right for you, you can talk to your painting contractor.

Many quality paint jobs become compromised when communication becomes lost in translation, usually due to lack of knowledge of these products. A reputable and experienced painting company will be able to assist to completion your desire to "go green".

Today's idea of painting with green products limits impact on environment, giving you the opportunity to choose safe options for the environment and your family. In the end isn't that what everyone desires? Simple measures that anyone can employ to do their part in saving the planet.

About the Author:
Nicky Taylor CEO Of http://www.home-painting-services.com Nicky is owner of a 26 year old Atlanta painting contractor and home improvement company. Nicky shares his knowledge on exterior painting and other home improvement topics at the above link.

04 May 2009

How To Remove Spray Paint On Car Finish - Cars Spray Painting

Image by blmurch via Flickr

by Mario Goldstein

Spray paint can end up on your car several different ways. One it can be an over spray from another area that you are painting on the car. Two it could be an accident that somehow the spray got on it. Or you decided to spray paint the car yourself, then didn't like it or made a mistake.

How tough a job it is going to be to remove it will depend on a lot of factors. First, you need to determine the type of paint. Hopefully it will be a water based paint which is much easier to deal with. All you will most likely have to do here is wash the area down well with soapy water. Now if it is an oil based paint then it makes things a bit more difficult. Then the other dilemma may be you don?t even know what kind of paint it is.

First of all, there are several types of paint. It could be lacquer or acrylic. It could even be enamel but this isn?t as popular as it used to be. If your original paint on your car happens to be enamel then if the accidental spray paint is lacquer or acrylic will make the enamel paint look wrinkled. Unfortunately, the only solution in this case will be to scrape the area clean and then repaint it to match the cars original color.

If you are fortunate enough to have an original finish of acrylic or lacquer and enamel paint has been sprayed on top of it, there won?t be any wrinkles to the original. You want to determine if the paint is enamel, so here is what you do.

Take any paint thinner, kerosene, gasoline or turpentine and apply a small amount to a clean white cloth. Now very lightly rub over the paint you want to remove. If you see the paint color being transferred to the cloth, then its enamel. If the cloth remains clear then its acrylic or lacquer. If it did turn out to be enamel then just continue to lightly clean off the residue of the paint.

So if you have ended up with either lacquer or acrylic being the culprit then you will need to go and buy the finest grade of rubbing compound on the market for car finishes. Take a hand sized white cloth and lightly moisten it with some kerosene or turpentine. Just enough to dampen the cloth, as it prevents the compound from caking, and makes the abrasive finer, which results in a better finish. Patience will be the virtue here, as you must keep inspecting the area you are working on so you don?t remove or damage the original finish of the car. Work in small circular motions with gentle pressure. Keep checking the color of the paint on the cloth. Keep using different parts of the cloth, so your cloth stays fairly clean, and you are not just putting the paint back on again.

Naturally, the best solution of all would be not to get the paint on the car at all. Accidents do happen though and fortunately for this particular one there is a solution.

About the Author:
Now you can spray paint your car in 2 hours easily with Spray Paint Secrets. These cars spray paint techniques are previously only revealed in expensive workshop course. Visit SprayPaintSecrets now...

19 April 2009

Using a Color Scheme in Your Room

Image via Wikipedia

by Dan Hogan

When you set about to design a room, one of the most important things that you will need to tackle will be the color scheme you are going to use. The color scheme will set the entire mood of the room, making it into a light and happy place or a more serious place that you can use to get work done. Of course, you will want all of the objects that you are putting into the room to work well, so you may wish to begin selecting your color scheme by using an object which you already have and plan to include.

If you love patterns you defiantly have a few colors to choose from since many have two or more colors in them. By choosing a great pillow or even a bed set will provide you with a plan and even establish the rest of the rooms design.

After you have picked the pattern based on the object that you are going to follow, you need to select three colors from that pattern to use as the base for your room. You will want a light color, a dark color, and something in-between. This will help to give you a good balance that will give the eye enough information to look over while it is scanning the room and can help find a healthy medium for the room to exist in.

The lightest color that you choose will be set to be the background of the room, hopefully the colors of the walls. This is usually not hard to achieve because most rental spaces come with white walls and white is the lightest color you can find. Therefore, when you choose the light color, you should find something as close to white as possible because it can provide a great background for the rest of the room to exist against.

The middle color that you choose should be your larger furniture and the areas around the windows. This means that the drapes that you choose should be closely associated with your furniture and the area rug that you may have. In fact, if you use the area rug to base the room around, by selecting the medium color in the area rug, you will be able to easily base the rest of the room around this.

Finally is the darker color of them all. This should be used towards the accessories added into the rooms theme. It is easier to remove darker pieces rather than having to paint over them if it was on the walls. Try adding darker lamp shades and pillows to tie the theme together. Choosing a pattern to give you a great color palette is the best way to go if you don't have anything in mind.

About the Author:
Don't be ripped off by imitations. Be sure to buy authentic decorative area rugs directly, like these purple rugs

16 April 2009

Harmony In Design

Image by My DotPress via Flickr

by Rex Watkins

The feel of your rooms in your house can be directly correlated by what kind of decorating you have in it. Ask any interior decorating and they will tell you that certain colors will bring warmth into a room while others may cause the room to be sterile and cold. Bringing in a sense of peace through the decorating of your place will also be possible.

This will happen when all of the elements in the room have a good relation to each other. They do not all necessarily have to be matching items but if they have a grand, unifying theme, it can help. Additionally, if all of the items are arranged in a way where people can easily move through the room, there is a strong sense of harmony present. It is through this use of space and texture that a person will create the functionality and mood of a room and when these two elements are in sync with each other, harmony will be born.

If however you pick out furniture and rugs that go along well together you will create a room that will have a natural flow to it. With this flow and a room that is not crowded you can get that harmony from your design. The walls of your room should bring in some peace too. Maybe you have a painting that always makes you feel relaxed hanging that in your room and matching a rug to some sort of color in the painting you will have a great look. One that can be uniquely you and no one else will have. Maybe you put up some great family photos and get an area rug that goes with the color of the couch instead.

One other thing an area rug can be great for is if you have too colors that don't quite match or furniture and wall decorations that are a bit less flowing. You can get a rug that will bring the two items together nicely, which will give your room a very harmonious feel and peacefulness about it.

Again the color you choose to put on the walls can completely change what a room feels like. Maybe you want to make the colors of the wall match closer with the rug you have placed in the room. Picking a color that will attach two items together will have a natural flow to the look of your room. With that flow you will have an ongoing sense of peace and harmony. Most of the time, a bold color if done incorrectly will only make your room seem busy and distracting. But if you go about adding a nice bold color and having a nice area rug that goes with it, this can be a great way to bring some harmony into your room.

Finding ways to pair items in the room up with other items can make a room work together in a lasting way. If an area rug is situated around furniture with a similar color scheme, it will provide a sense of belonging. If the artwork on the walls can find traces in the items placed around, it too, will belong. This will provide the most harmonious sensation of all, making the room a huge decor success.

About the Author:
Don't be ripped off by imitations. Be sure to buy authentic area rugs directly, like this Dynamic Rugs Mystique Mandarin 2086-7022 Rug

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