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Over the weekend I painted a mountain mural on my bedroom wall. I shared it on Facebook, and was surprised and delighted by the responses. My best friend gave me the ultimate compliment when she said, “You PAINTED that? I thought you bought it at IKEA!” She thought my “artwork” could be sold at IKEA. My life is complete! And now yours can be too!

When I set out to paint a mountain mural in my new house, I could only find a few resources online (namely this post and this photo). None of the resources were definitive or seemed possible for a mere mortal, so I just relied on luck and assumed I’d figure it out. After a few starts at stops, and about 16 hours of painting the 11’x8’ wall, I had my completed design. It still brings me peace anytime I walk into the room.

If you are looking for a sign that it’s time to freshen up your space, here are seven easy steps to paint a mountain mural. Keep in mind these instructions are meant to be approachable, and don’t involve any fancy shadows or shading. You can always add those later if you’re artistically inclined.

7 Steps to Paint a Mountain Mural:

1. Identify & prep your blank canvas. Locate an empty wall of reasonable size (you should probably own this wall, because you can’t take wall murals with you). Paint it white.

2. Select your colors. Go to the paint store. If you’re like me, you’ll spend at least an hour putting different colors in cascading order until you have the right mix for your masterpiece. I recommend 7-9 colors (odd numbers look better) in ½-1 pint cans. You’ll need enough for 2-3 coats of each color. (I thought the colors were the crux of the entire endeavor, and recruited my friend Lisa to help me. I’ve included the colors I selected in case its helpful.)

3. Draw your outline. Using a pencil, lightly outline the different mountain layers on the wall to provide a general outline of where you want the different colors to meet. This outlines do not need to be perfect – you’ll add details later – but I do recommend looking at a few mountain photos as inspiration. Make sure to note where furniture will be located in front of your masterpiece. It will help you decide where to put your mountains/layers (for example, I painted a wider bottom layer than I might have because it was going behind a bedframe and nightstand).

4. Paint your first layer. I numbered my layers from #1-#9 from lightest (at the top of the mural) to darkest. I started on top, but should have started with the darkest color on the bottom. The first strokes will be nerve-wracking. Use a big brush to give yourself a general outline and fill in the area. Later, you will come back and use a small brush to add detail.

5. Continue to paint, alternating layers. You don’t want to be painting a new color next to the color that is still drying. Paint the bottom – or darkest – layer (in my case #9) first, then alternate at least one layer away so you won’t have any overlap. Darker colors will need three coats, and lighter colors will require two coats plus touch-up work. After painting the top layer, I skipped a layer to paint the next one down (#3). This allowed #1 to dry. Then I could paint #2 and so forth.

6. Apply your second coat. Taking what you learned on all of your layers in your first coat, paint your second coat. Now that you know what you’re doing, pick the method you think it best. At this stage, you can begin adding details along the edges if you want.

7. Add the detail. With the border set between layers, grab a small paintbrush and used paint #2 to add details overtop paint layer #1. You’ll likely need to go over the detailed borders twice. You’ll always want to paint the details as though they come from the “bottom” layer onto the top layer, which is why I used paint #2 to add details on top of paint #1, and used paint #3 over top #2, and so forth.

Tips & Tricks:

  • Set aside a few days to get this done. I already had the room taped/prepped to cover up a hideous red paint from the previous occupants. Prep always takes more time than you think it will, so plan accordingly. Painting my mountain mural took about 16 hours.
  • Get flat paint. Paint comes in different ‘sheens’. Higher sheens are shinier and more durable (that’s why higher-gloss is used in bathrooms). Flat paint has no shine, followed by eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and high-gloss. I got an eggshell, but wish I had gone with a flat paint, even on a textured wall. Flat paint allows you to see your artwork better.
  • Spend money on good brushes. Get a big brush for edging and general application, a medium-sized brush for touch up work, and a very small brush for the detail work.
  • Embrace imperfection. My outline started with parallel and sweeping lines – it’s natural to make a perfect mound with a paintbrush – but once you fill in the colors, it will look like Dr. Seuss took a mountain-shaped poo on your wall. Take a small brush and create smaller bumps and mounds and sharp edges. Imperfections are good. They make the landscape look real.
  • Remember this is an investment in your new home. The paint – plus painters tape, plastic, and brushes – will run you about $200. This ain’t your kids paint-by-number.

How To Paint a Mountain Mural in Photos:

A woman in a yellow shirt and grey shorts puts the first color of peach paint on a blank white wall.
Steps 2-3: First paint on the wall. You can see the light pencil outline. The first few strokes are the most nerve-wracking.
A mostly white wall with a yellow sky outline on the top and a dark blue outline on the bottom.
Steps 6-7: Top layer done, putting bottom layer while it dries. You can see I was trying too hard with layer #9 initially.
A woman standing in a corner paints a gentle ark of a blue mountain on a wall.
To paint a mountain mural, you want to be sure one layer is completely dry before you paint an adjacent layer.
A woman in blue overalls covered in paint stands in front of an incomplete wall mural of a mountain.
You’ll likely need to do two coats of everything. It’s good to have a friend who likes to fill in where the paint wasn’t thick enough the first round.
A woman adds layers of paint to a bedroom mountain mural.
Filling in more “holes”. This shows you the general sweeping lines of the first layers (with the grey on the pink at top left). Before adding the details it really did look like Dr. Seuss!
A painted mountain mural in a bedroom nears completion
You can see the details in the upper half are nearly complete, with one layer yet to be done and the lower layers in need of a second coat.
Up close details of a mountain painting on a bedroom wall.
Here’s a look of the close up details. As you can see, it’s imperfect by design. Mountains aren’t symmetrical or all that predictable. Your mural shouldn’t be either.
A completed mountain mural, as seen from below.
With a good friend and about 16 hours, you too can wake up to a view like this every day.

 

Did you paint your own mountain mural? Tell me about it! I’d love to see your work, and I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have. Thanks for reading – I hope this inspires you to bring the outdoors in to your own home.