Painting your own decorations is inexpensive and will add a personal touch to a child's playroom. Painting by freehand involves drawing objects onto the wall without the use of stencils or templates. It doesn't cost anything extra, but you need basic drawing skills. If you don't have these skills, using an overhead projector is great for tracing images onto a wall. However, you will need to borrow, rent, or purchase a projector. Whichever method you choose, this project can be done in as little as a few hours for small paint projects or a weekend for more elaborate decorations.
Painting Freehand Decorations
1 Choose your theme and paint colors. Popular themes include jungle, Hello Kitty, garden, princess, beach, and cars.
2 Gather images that coordinate with your theme. Coloring books have many images that can be easily drawn onto a wall. For example, if you want to draw butterflies, you can trace them from coloring book drawings. In fact, you may find an entire coloring page that coordinates with your theme. You can also look on the internet for clipart images.
3 Draw the image on the wall with a pencil. Keep your eraser handy if you make a mistake. Use the coloring book or clip art as your guide for freehand drawing the pictures. When drawing shapes, use household items such as cups, plates, or bowls to create perfect circles. Use books or picture frames for drawing squares and rectangles. Use a ruler or yardstick for drawing lines.
4 Prepare the room for painting. Mask moldings, door knobs, and switch plates with painters tape. Cover the floor with a dropcloth.
5 Fill in the pictures with paint and allow to dry (about two hours). You may need to paint another coat of the same color if the colors look faint or transparent.
6 Paint accents or other details to your drawings such as eyes, spots, or other colors and allow to dry (about two hours).
Painting Decorations Using an Overhead Projector
7 Place the transparency film over the picture and trace using a black transparency marker. Using this method, you can trace coloring pages and decorate an entire wall.
8 Put the transparency film on the overhead projector and turn it on. Move the projector closer or further to the wall, depending on how big or how small you want the image to project.
9 Trace the picture onto the wall using a pencil. It is important to trace the whole picture at once. If you stop, it may be difficult to pick up where you left off.
10 Prepare the room for painting. Mask moldings, door knobs, and switch plates with painters tape. Cover the floor with a dropcloth.
11 Fill in the pictures with paint and allow to dry (about two hours). You may need to paint another coat of the same color if the colors look faint or transparent.
12 Paint accents or other details to your drawings such as eyes, spots, or other colors and allow to dry (about two hours).
