It's A Small World Kids Room: Wall Mural

When I decided on the Small World theme for the kids room, I knew I wanted a wall mural. So I did a quick Google image search for Mary Blair, and there were loads of pictures to choose from. I settled on this image. This was her concept art for It's A Small World and it was just what I was looking for, a reference without looking like the ride itself, exactly.

My first thought was to transfer the design using a projector and a pencil. Unfortunately, the projector couldn't get the image as large as I wanted it to be. So, instead, I went old school and put a grid on the wall (in pencil) and then transferred the design block by block.

If you're like me, the math involved seems overwhelming. Here's how I simplified it: draw a grid on the paper first - make sure the squares are small enough so that the image in each square can easily be transferred. I used 1/2" squares.

Count the number of squares across the top of your design (we'll call that measurement A). I have 21 squares across. Then measure your wall space, horizontally (we'll call that measurement B). Divide measurement B by measurement A (For me that's B divided by 21). Your result is the number of inches in each wall square needs to be. For me, I needed my squares to be 5.75". At that point I used my 18" ruler and the laser leveler and drew my lines on the wall. (If you look closely, you can see that I cut off the last bit of the design on the left side of the picture. I was willing to lose that to make the measurements easier to deal with.)

I used basic craft acrylic paints. The total cost in paint was $41.00. It's hard to go wrong at that price! I am mostly pleased with this decision, but I will say the coverage on the lighter colors was not so great; I had to put on 2 and sometimes 3 coats. The Folk Art brand was thicker and in general covered better than the Craft Smart. I'd say it's worth the minimal extra cost for the thicker paint. Once everything was painted on, I sealed it with a clear coat of Golden's Soft Gel Gloss Medium mixed one part water to two parts gel. The gloss is important here. The matte and semi-gloss will cloud the colors of your mural. After all that work, I really wanted the colors to pop! I carefully followed the "skyline" so that only the buildings would shine. Hopefully the sealant will make it last a bit longer; time will tell. Kids can be awfully hard on paint!

The finished product

Until next time may all your days be filled with fairy dust!

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