Today I'm going to switch things up a little bit and give you guys a fun weekend project to think about it. As a muralist, I am occasionally asked to add words to an image or sometimes there is no image, a client just wants a favorite phrase painted on the wall. This is one of the more technical yet less creative parts of my job. Still, I am happy to do it! But if wanted to, you could do it yourself and experience that smug satisfaction that comes with a job well done and a few dollars saved. So I'm going to offer up the "how-to" and see if anyone's inclined to try it:
1. Type the phrase in a word processing program so you can choose a font that you like. Play around with several fonts and choose the one that is best for your message - playful, traditional, romantic - you get the idea.
2. Once you have it looking the way you want, print it out on a transparency sheet. You can buy the sheets at any office supply store. Make sure that you get the right kind for your printer (it says "inkjet" or "laser" on the box) or the ink won't stick to the sheet. Big waste of time and money. Been there, done that.
3. Decide where you want your phrase. Use a level to get a straight line and use blue or green painters tape to mark the line on the wall. I do not recommend using pencil to mark your line unless you want to clean up all the pencil marks at the end.
4. Use an overhead projector to project the words on to the wall. You can rent one for less than $100 for the weekend. You might even be able to buy one for that price. If you're really lucky, you can get it from a local school, library or the office where you or your new BFF neighbor works! Check around.
You'll probably need to put the projector on a table or something so that it's level with the area of the wall you're projecting on. If you try to project from the floor up, your text will be distorted. Project it so that the text sits right on the tape line you've made.
If you're not into the whole straight line business or you don't have a clue how to use a level, try something like this:
Once you have your lettering projected where you want it, tape the transparency to the projector and DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING. It's pretty important not to move, shake or bump the projector for the duration of the project. I think it goes without saying that this "DO NOT TOUCH" thing is best accomplished when there are no young children around. But I said it anyway. So don't say I didn't warn you.
Now that you have the image projected on your wall, you can paint it! Just go right over it with a solid color. If you're feeling fancy, add a highlight or shadow to each letter.
You can do this! It's only four little steps! It's just painting over the projected letters!
If you decide to give it a try, post a pic of your results on my facebook page. I'd love to see it!
Nice way to decorate your walls. I have never done that. My effort to beautify the walls in my house was to order big-sized canvas prints from wahooart.com, from images of western art. I use the same angel motifs in all of the rooms painted by different painters, such as this one by very interesting English artist Stanley Spencer, Most popular Artists.
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