Wall painting, its types and styles, step-by-step handmade technology to create an artistic composition. Wall painting is a way of decorating a room, allowing not only to decorate it, but also to realize oneself as a creative person with an aesthetic taste. Handicraft has long been considered the ideal way to create a unique interior. A huge selection of styles and genres guarantees realistic and mesmerizing results. Artistic painting, which in the old days covered the ceilings and walls of palaces and temples, is now available to most of the inhabitants of houses and apartments, although it is difficult to call it a cheap pleasure.
Types of wall painting
The wall painting view includes many ways to create images. There are two main types of painting: traditional painting technique and modern. Each of them is divided in turn into subspecies.
The traditional wall painting technique is hand-painted wall painting. There are several types of it:
- Fresco … This is one of the oldest wall painting techniques. Initially, it was mastered by the masters of Ancient Greece, but it gained its greatest popularity during the Renaissance. The art of Hellas was popular among the wealthy and was considered the best way to decorate ceilings and walls. The unique technology of those times preserved the works of ancient masters for posterity. It consisted in applying paints diluted with lime water to damp plaster. This method made it possible to create paintings that retain the brightness of their colors for centuries. Modern mural masters carry out this work, as before, only with artistic brushes. Paint brushes are not good for her. Drying plaster in the process of creating a picture is periodically moistened.
- Encaustic … One of the most unusual and interesting techniques. The paint here is molten wax with added color pigments. The special naturalness of this material allows it to paint walls even in a children's room. The composition is applied only to dried plaster. This technique recommends the use of non-porous, hard brushes as the paint is very soft. For accurate drawing, it is better to display it in advance with a pencil. Very often, the image is initially applied to a wood panel or canvas, and then the material is glued to the wall.
- Alsecco (a secco - "on dry" Italian.) … This technique of painting walls is similar to creating frescoes, only it is performed on dry plaster. The advantage of this method is that there is more time for drawing the pattern. To prepare the composition, acrylic paints must be grinded in a mixture of lime, raw eggs and vegetable glue. The end result is something similar to tempera. The paints can be applied in several layers. Such a painting requires a frame to aesthetically fix its borders at the abutments with walls and ceilings.
- Sgraffito (sgraffito - "scratched" ital.) … This is a very time-consuming technology for painting walls, which involves scratching out the image. It was founded by the ancient Greeks, and gained its mass distribution during the Renaissance. Artistic painting using the Sgraffito technique is performed using layers of colored plaster, and their number and range depend only on the artist's imagination. However, in this technique, it is still not recommended to use more than 4 colors, so as not to greatly complicate the picture. Layers of plaster are applied on top of each other sequentially, each of them must dry. The top layer is the background of the picture. A sketch of the future image is performed on it. After that, in the right places, the coating should be scratched to the depth of the desired color. Such a technique requires the utmost care, since in the event of an error it will be impossible to correct it.
Modern painting techniques are no less exciting and varied:
- Grisaille ("gray" fr.) … Drawings made using this technique strongly resemble black and white photographs or pencil sketches. Today, this design has become especially fashionable. The elegance and realism of the images are simply mesmerizing, but it is very difficult to paint the walls with your own hands using this method, especially for a beginner in this business. Grisaille is performed on a whitewashed wall. Paint - tempera, which should be applied with a stiff thin brush with strokes like drawing with a pencil. Small details of the drawing can be done with ink.
- Airbrushing … It is a simple and modern wall painting technique that allows you to create realistic images and even 3D effects. It is done using cans of paint designed for small details of drawings and airbrushes for large images. Using airbrushing, it is not at all necessary to pre-prepare the surface of the wall. The paint easily adheres to similar materials, wallpaper and plaster. This opens up great opportunities for the implementation of design ideas.
- Graffiti … This is another modern direction of artistic wall painting, which is full of many courtyards in our cities. Some consider it hooliganism, others skillfully use it in design. This painting is applied using spray paint cans. The surface can be any: plaster, wallpaper, etc. The only condition is to "paint" only on dry walls.
- Stencil painting … This is a well-known method of drawing pictures. It is simple, cheap and requires no practical skills. The main thing here is to choose the right stencil for painting the walls and the color of the image, which should be successfully combined with the general background of the interior. You can make a stencil yourself from vinyl or cardboard, buy it at a hardware store or art workshop, or choose a drawing on the Internet, display it on a printer and cut it out. Then it is laid on the prepared wall and paint is applied on top with a brush, sponge or spray. After removing the stencil, a pattern remains on the surface.
In addition to the above methods, modern wall painting is performed on decorative plaster. In this case, the wall decoration is preliminarily made to give the coating the required volume. A picture on such a wall looks like "living". Another painting technique uses paint mixtures with the addition of phosphor particles that glow beautifully in ultraviolet light or in the dark - a truly mesmerizing sight.
The main styles of wall painting
In order to have an idea of your future interior, you should familiarize yourself with the most popular styles of wall painting:
- Classic style … It is always relevant, in demand and not subject to the whims of fashion. The pillars of classicism are simplicity, straightforwardness of forms and symmetry, harmony and restraint. The classics are able to organically convey the national flavor, combine with non-standard modern materials and elements, without losing their "main line" aimed at the harmony of color and shape.
- Baroque style … He marked the next round in the development of classicism and became the embodiment of his time. In the ornaments of this style, there are florid plant motifs: large flowers, tree branches or large leaves. Images of half-naked bodies in physical effort, tension of struggle or strong movement are no less in demand. The interior, executed in the Baroque style, is dominated by a rich play of bright colors, light and shadow, which gives the room luxury and pomp.
- Empire style … It harmoniously combines classical severity with impressive decor. The perception of color here is built on a combination of tones of Bonaparte's symbolism: gold, purple and blue. Style ornaments are in a combination of their conventional and naturalistic elements. When painting the walls in the Empire style, flower garlands and triumphantly pompous wreaths are actively used. Some of the ornaments are taken from the culture of Egypt, so in the interior of the Empire style one can observe sphinxes, winged lions or griffins.
- Modern style … It is easily recognizable by its growing, living and breathing abstract forms. A characteristic feature of the style is a complex system of ornamentation with large flowers and curved wavy stems. Sometimes in Art Nouveau, fabulous creatures are also depicted: mermaids, elves, as well as outlandish plants that form characteristic curved lines. The color scheme of the style is dominated by natural shades. Everything in modernity strives for rationalization and simplification, but without sacrificing grace. The interior in this style does not differ in excesses and manifestations of status, but implies the unobtrusive presence of nature. Modernity is characterized by a harmonious combination of functionality and decor.
- Arabic style … This is not just an interior, but a whole worldview formed under the influence of Islam. The main differences between wall painting in this style: richness of color, unusual solutions, originality, magical and mysterious atmosphere. The style bizarrely combines stylized Arabic ligature, geometric shapes and floral motifs, resulting in bright and sophisticated patterns that repeat on the walls in a certain rhythm. Due to the large number of intricate patterns, the walls look like luxurious Arabian carpets. The rooms decorated in this style have a warm and cozy atmosphere.
- Anime style … It originated in Japan and quickly became popular not only in its own country, but also far beyond its borders. Heroes of Japanese animation have become in demand among many fans of this genre. Anime-style wall painting looks harmoniously in Japanese room design. The combination of its functional and laconic forms with vivid images of "cartoon" characters can become a subject of special pride for any owner. Interior design in this style is ideal for a child's room.
Hand-painted wall painting technology
Before applying images to the wall, it should be properly leveled and treated with a primer. The resulting surface must be dried, and, if necessary, painted, creating a background on it that will successfully shade the future drawing.
Preparatory work before painting the walls
For wall painting, water-based acrylic paints are most often used, which can be glossy and matte. They are sold in sets, which makes them much easier to choose. Plots, for example, plant-based, require colors of yellow, brown and green. Mixing them gives all the desired natural shades.
The set must necessarily contain white paint, as it is able to adjust color saturation. Watercolors or gouache can also be used, but the finished images will have to be varnished.
Brushes for work must have an artificial bristle and differ in size - from No. 0 to No. 10. Foam brushes are also useful. They are convenient for decorating flowers and leaves.
In addition to paints for painting walls and brushes, you may need containers for mixing paints, a pencil, double-sided tape, a can of spray varnish, a clean cloth, a table or a step-ladder. All further actions are of a phased nature.
Initially, you should determine the places on the walls that need to be highlighted with the help of painting, and then select the images, and they should be in full accordance with the functional purpose of the room.
If you have little or no experience in artistic painting, you should not immediately plan complex plots or multifaceted landscapes on the walls - you can come to this later. For now, you can limit yourself to simple drawings: for example, a tree or a sakura branch.
After printing the selected image and preparing the brushes and paints, you can start making a sketch. To begin with, you should apply the drawing on paper, previously repainted in the color of the wall. A mini copy of it or a small fragment made in full size is often used as a sketch.
The process of making a sketch will help you get your hand in this matter and master the determination of proportions for mixing paints in order to obtain the desired shades.
Marking the wall before applying paint
At this stage of the work, it is necessary to make a pencil sketch on the wall, which will allow you to create a clear and beautiful drawing in the future. In this case, one nuance should be taken into account: for sketching, you should use colored pencils in accordance with the drawing, since traces of a simple pencil are difficult to wash off and can leave dirty stains on the coating.
The image should be placed within the previously marked boundaries of the wall section: left and right sides, top and bottom. The convenience of working with brushes will depend on how detailed the sketch is with a pencil.
When marking the image on the wall, you need to move away from it more often at a sufficient distance, since near the flaws you can not notice.
If there is no confidence in your own ability to transfer the correct proportions of the picture to the wall, it is recommended to use the method of applying the image to the cells. Another option is to use a projector for this. Unnecessary marking lines are removed with a soft eraser.
Create a composition on the walls
When the pencil sketch is ready, you can start creating the composition. To do this, in a container made of plastic, it is required to slightly dilute with water and thoroughly mix the main color paint to the consistency of lean sour cream. Such a composition will provide the material with sufficient density so that it does not drip or lie unevenly if it is too thick.
Start painting with a large brush. Then a lighter shade is added. At the same time, the hand should make smooth movements. You need to control your work periodically at a distance from the wall, and after completing the main part of the drawing, it is recommended to give your eyes a rest.
In the process of artistic painting of the wall, you need to carefully work out all the details of the composition, connecting thin brushes for this and adding shades. The borders of the image should not stand out much from the general background, so it makes sense to muffle them a little. This can be done with a foam rubber stamp brush: it should be dipped into the background paint and smoothed out the sharp transitions of the borders.
After finishing the work and drying the paints, it is recommended to cover the images with a colorless protective varnish.
How to make a wall painting - watch the video:
In general, painting walls is a very interesting activity that requires responsibility and special inspiration. If you put a piece of your soul into it, the result will delight the eye for a long time, filling the home atmosphere with a festive mood. Good luck with your work!
