Creative Wall Painting Ideas

Creative Wall Painting Ideas

Tired of looking at the same monochromatic walls? You may gather wall decorations like paintings on canvas, mirrors or framed photos. But if you want something more artistic than that, take the creative route and create unique works of art directly to your walls. Imagine your wall as a blank canvas waiting to be filled with colors and designs to come alive. Here are some do-it-yourself ideas for painting your walls creatively:

Stencil art

Stenciling is a great way to make art on your walls without needing to hang anything. It is simple, but you will need a steady hand and a dollop of patience. Start with a wall that has been painted with your color of choice. Make sure the color of paint you will need for your art contrasts the wall color enough to stand out and be noticed even in dim lighting. For instance, a yellow design would look great in a gray wall, while a black stencil would be very visible in a white wall.

Procedure:

  1. Attach the stencil to the wall firmly using painter’s tape.
  2. Dab paint on the wall as you are guided with the stencil, or you may trace around the stencil openings with a pencil and then paint later. If you are using a big stencil pattern with one color only, you can use a paint roller to spread paint faster.
  3. Remove the stencil and painter’s tape, and let it dry.

Multi-colored stripes

Stripes is a simple and timeless painting technique that is always effective. The tips you’ve heard on wearing stripes is applicable to the walls, too – if you want to create an illusion of height, go for vertical stripes; if you want your space to look wider, go for horizontal stripes. But, try to be more creative – don’t settle for two-toned, equally-spaced stripes. Create stripes of different widths and use four colors: white, the main color, a lighter shade of the main color, and its complementary color. For this example, let’s use coral, light coral, and blue.

Procedure:

  1. Paint your entire wall white and let it dry.
  2. Using painter’s tape, place random stripes in varying widths (there’s no rule here).
  3. Paint some parts with light coral.
  4. Remove the tape carefully while the paint is still wet. Let the paint dry.
  5. Tape another set of stripes again for the coral color. If you want the color to be painted next to light coral (with no white stripe in between), just place tape on the edge of the light coral stripe.
  6. Paint, carefully remove the painter’s tape and wait for it to dry.
  7. Repeat the process for the blue stripes. Remember, if you’re using other color combinations, always start on the lightest or warmest color first and paint the darkest or coolest color last.

Colorful waves

Got a lot of different-colored furnishings and decorative pieces in your room, but hesitant to replace them for the sake of unity? Pick all their colors and use it for the wall to connect all the colors you’ve used throughout the room! Instead of the usual stripes, try painting waves. They make a great accent on the wall since they’re more eye-catching.

Procedure:

  1. Sketch a wavy pattern on your wall using a pencil.
  2. Mark the edges with painter’s tape – yes, we’re still using painter’s tape – and let it follow the gentle curves you’ve drawn. If you’ve drawn more dramatic curves, cut the tape in short pieces and let them overlap to form curves.
  3. Proceed with painting like how you would paint stripes on the wall, but only with curvy tape.

Tri-color wall

People have been accustomed to using painter’s tape to create clean, straight lines. Put a spin on it by painting against a torn tape edge. Having a ripped tape design on the center of the wall can make a huge difference.

Procedure:

  1. Choose a gray glossy finish paint and two more analogous or complementary shades that both look great with gray.
  2. Paint your wall with the gray glossy paint and let it dry.
  3. On the middle part of the wall, place a horizontal line using a wide painter’s tape. Place another tape just below it, leaving no spaces between.
  4. Rip the top part of the first tape to create a ragged edge. Do the same with the bottom part of the second tape. Now, from afar, you have one rugged line of tape on the wall.
  5. Paint the rest of the wall with a primer and wait for it to dry.
  6. Paint the wall above the tape with the lighter shade from your two chosen colors, then paint the other half below with the darker color. After you have finished painting the wall below, remove the painter’s tape quickly. Let dry.

Ombre

Ombre walls create a dreamy, water-color effect as it begins with one color and slowly fades into another. Choose two colors that will blend well. A safe bet will be sticking to one color, starting with a dark shade of it until it fades to white. Another combination that will surely blend is analogous colors or those hues that sit beside each other on the color wheel. For a soft look, start with a medium hue then blend with a pale pastel color, or choose a shade and blend it with white. For a bolder effect, pair a pale to medium shade and finish into a stronger color.

Also, the color flow of ombre makes a difference. Starting from the bottom, transitioning from dark to light will make the ceiling appear higher. Meanwhile, light to dark transition makes a big room feel cozier and homier. Before you start prepping and painting, plan the color flow you want to achieve first. For this example, the bottom will be painted with the dark color.

Procedure:

  1. Section your wall using pencil and measuring tape. Create equal, different sections, with a minimum of three. If you’re blending two shades of the same hue, three sections are fine. If you’re blending three or more shades, you’ll need more sections, but always make it an odd number, like 5 or 7. The more sections, the more gradual the change.
  2. Now, create blends of paint according to your number of sections minus the number of your paint colors. For instance, you are working with three sections, you will use the two colors for the upper and lower section, then create an equal mix of the two colors for the middle section. If you have more sections, you’ll need to mix more colors as you go, making sure it transitions from the original dark color to the original light color. Prepare your paint mixes before you start painting the wall.
  3. Paint each section, starting from the bottom, with your original dark color.
  4. Immediately paint the section above it with the next lighter shade.
  5. Using a large, dry paintbrush, begin blending the boundaries between each color using large “x” strokes.
  6. Continue painting upwards and blending with “x” strokes, until you have painted the topmost section with your original light color.

Chevron

Chevron

Geometric prints like chevron look great as an accent wall. White + any color makes a perfect combination. This may be a bit more challenging than simple stripes, but it’s worth it. Chevron suits a lot of contemporary spaces, and especially in your teenager’s bedrooms.

Procedure:

  1. Paint your wall white and let dry. If it’s already white, just clean it to make it look new.
  2. Decide how big you want your chevron patterns to be. Start from the top so that the points will be even along the ceiling. Use painter’s tape to make zigzag lines. Start with one slant from the side of the wall to the ceiling (slanting up). To keep angles similar, measure from the corner of the wall to the tip of the first point, and double that measurement to mark where the next tape (slanting down) should go. Also, measure the length of your first tape and keep it the same with the next slanting lines to form regular zigzags.
  3. Once you’re done with the first row of zigzag line, measure 8” down and mark it with a pencil. Start making new zigzag lines with the same angle and lengths up to the bottom of the wall. Keep the corners sharp at all times.
  4. Now, it’s time to paint! On top of your first zigzag line, paint the space with your chosen color. Leave the section below it white, and paint the next section with color again. Continue the process until you have created an alternating colored-white-colored wall up to the bottom.
  5. Let the paint dry and slowly pull the tape off. If there are parts where the paint didn’t sneak through, use a small brush, dip it into your paint and dab to smoothen out the lines.

Wall mosaic

Wait to achieve that brick-like effect on your wall with a lot of colors? Create a wall mosaic and make it an accent wall. It will surely grab the attention of your guests!

Procedure:

  1. Paint your wall white. Let dry.
  2. Measure out horizontal stripes and put marks using a pencil on both sides of the wall. Place painter’s tape to create the stripes.
  3. Randomly place vertical dividers to create your “bricks.” There is no rule or pattern here, just tape your dividers for every stripe anywhere you like.
  4. Paint the edges of your tape with the white paint you used earlier. This might seem redundant for some of you, but it will really help you create perfectly crisp lines with no need for touch-up once you’re done. Let dry.
  5. Prepare the paint colors you will use. Have a tray and a roller or paintbrush for each color so you don’t have to wash your rollers and brushes from time to time.
  6. Now, it’s time to put some colors on the walls. Work with every two layers so you can remove the tape immediately as soon as you’re done painting. Remove the tape very slowly and carefully to maintain the straightness of your rectangular “bricks.”