Painting a Wine Mural
2010-01-04
The trompe l'oeil wine murals has been a part of a small but
lucrative niche within my mural painting business. It has become a
great alternative to offer a customer who wants a mural but doesn't
have the space that a mural deserves. Although there is great money
involved in painting murals once you are established, sometimes
painting a smaller niche holding wine bottles, a vase, or maybe even a
window overlooking a customer's favorite travel location can make a
more dramatic statement.
This trompe l'oeil niche has served its purpose time and again. Whether placed in a more traditional setting such as a wine or as a final touch on a kitchen wall, it is a quick project that always gets its due of second glances.
I
love painting this wall niche with all of its variations. It is full of
simple but fun techniques. Over the years I have learned to use my
techniques in an order that maximizes speed without sacrificing the
quality of the finished work of art. When techniques are used
correctly, the trompe l'oeil mural should take no more than three hours
to paint in its entirety. The final mural is perfect to admire while
enjoying a nice cabernet with a very pleased customer.
Step 1:
I like my piece to have depth and texture. To accomplish this, I
recommend using subtle faux finish for the background. In the
instructional photographs, you can see that I first applied a frottage
finish using a brownish taupe with a touch of orange. Be sure to make
enough of the glaze to use later when painting the mural.
Step 2:
Once the glaze for the background dries thoroughly, use a pencil and
level to sketch the niche into the wall. To accurately sketch the wine
bottles, I use the actual bottles and carefully trace around them. This
saves time while recreating the realistic size and shape of each
bottle.
Step 3:
Begin planning your mural! Add some brown to the glaze from Step 1.
This is used to create shadows which are consistent with the light
source. The shadows in my example appear to the right of the bottles,
only slightly lower in height. I also add shadows below the shelf,
under the arch, and on the back wall (to the left).
Step 4:
Next, add a darker shadow. Using two different shades for the shadows
will create more depth for a more realistic piece. For this I add more
brown and a touch of blue to my original glaze. This will be applied to
the lower corner of the bottles' shadows and the upper left corner of
the background. At this time, I also create a highlight area where the
light hits the inside wall on the right side, as as on the top of the
shelf. For this, I use the same glaze with some white added to it.
Step 5: It is now time to prime the bottles. Using blue paint with a little brown mixed into it, paint each bottle leaving
the label areas blank. Let this dry.
Step 6:
This step requires a wet-on-wet technique. We now add a second coat of
the blue/brown paint. Paint one section of the bottle at a time. While
the paint is still wet, use another brush to apply some white on the
left upper side of the bottle. Blend it outward into the darker paint.
Do the same on the bottom of the bottle. Repeat on each bottle, then
let dry.
Step 7:
For the labels, I use white paint with a touch of brown. After painting
the label, I use another brush loaded with white white paint and apply
it vertically down the label, just left of center. Let dry.
Step 8:
To paint the foil on the top of each bottle, I use the same process as
the labels but with darker tones. Use brown paint and add the
highlighted are with off-white paint, then let dry. Add a couple of
horizontal pin stripes to it and the foil is complete.
Step 9:
Adding distressed areas to the wall around the niche will help create a
realistic mural. To do this, I use brown/blue paint with an off-white
for highlighted accents. Be sure not to overdo your amount of
distressed areas.
Step 10: Add details to the wine bottle labels. I recommend recreating labels from the customer's favorite bottles of wine. The more colorful and decorative the labels are, the better.
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