A friend of mine wants a tree and a cowgirl picture painted on his daughters wall (drywall). I plan to use my overhead projector to get the image on the wall and draw it with a stabillo or regular pencil or whatever works. This much I can figure out myself!!
I want to do it for at least enough to pay for whatever supplies I will have to purchase. Making a little money would be nice too! But I wouldn't mind having it for experience and the portfolio.
I have no idea what kind of paints to use. I am assuming waterbased acrylics. But what kind? Brand? Do I need a ton of them or just basic colors that mix? Can I get the Universal Tints that were mentioned a few weeks ago? Will the tubes of Basic paint at Wal-Mart work?
Then it comes to brushes/rollers? What types do I need for that?
I know, I know.....that Amy ask too many questions!
Thanks in advance.
Posted by Jillbeans (Member # 1912) on :
Hi Amy- this is the type of thing I typically avoid. Just cuz we're artists, everybody is always wanting us to paint cowgirls, dinosaurs, teddy bears, etc., on their kid's walls. Cheap, o'course. But- you can use acrylics, the kind in little bottles from JoAnn Fabrics or Michaels. Use the mini-fitch type brushes they sell there, don't ruin your quills. Buy some thinning medium if you decide to use tubes of acrylic from an art store, and buy some gesso if you can find it. I'd charge by the hour, plus materials. If this is something you want to do, by all means take a lot of photos. But I find this kind of job irritating- dunno why. I did tons of stuff like this back in the day, even in my own kid's rooms! love- JILL
Posted by timi NC (Member # 576) on :
Most of the mural sites I've seen have prices that start out with prices at least $50 a sq ft for retail interior murals. I personally try to figure my time @ $50+ an hr and add materials. Time includes sales,time getting the materials,sales,and design and time to get designs approved,etc. I would use acrylic art paints available almost anywhere that sells art supplies. Be careful to make sure all of the pigments are non-toxic as even some of the artists acrylics have some toxic pigments.As for brushes and rollers almost any type brush can be used with these paints(I would refrain from using my quills in this sort of paint).Alot of the artists brush displays will spec what type of paint certain brushes are recomended for.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Amy
Have fun with this job. The small acrylic paints (hobby type) are good for this job. Charge at least a couple hundred which will more than cover your supplies.
I don't do residential murals for the general public for the simple reason that they don't pay nearly what the same work will fetch when it is commercial. (I do do them for nephews and nieces of course but don't charge for that happy task)
An interior commercial mural will fetch $10-20,000 which can be done in the same time as one in a residence which will fetch well under a $1000. Do the math.
But it is all experience and will look good in your portfolio.
Have fun with it.
-dan
Posted by J.T. Gazaway (Member # 2001) on :
If you use tube acrylics, you'll spend a fortune on just paint covering a large area. I always use Behr interior/exterior flat latex for the large stuff. The same paint you'd use if you were just painting the room a solid color. (I just prefer flat because it looks better to me for most things. That's a personal preference)Acrylic tubes will cost you 3 or 4 bucks each where you can get a whole gallon of Behr for about $15. (It also comes in quarts for about $9)It even goes through an airbrush pretty well if you get the mixture just right. The neat part about Behr is that Home Depot can computer color match it to most anything you have a color sample of. As for the flat finish part, I would definately use flat on the tree because trees aren't shiny. You can get a lot of really cool effects with a combination of flat and glossy paint. For instance, you might want to add a little gloss to the leaves but not the limbs and trunk. Take a look at this mural on my site for an example: http://www.jt-graphicdesign.com/photos/wm003.htm This mural was done in all flat latex except for the film strip that runs through the middle. It's black on black but one is glossy and one is flat. It still stands out great even though they are the same color. As far as pricing, it takes a little practice to see how much area you can cover in how much time. I usually price by the square foot and that can be anywhere from $10-$25 depending on the amount of detail. I mostly spray everything when I can or use 4 inch rollers, but for brushes, I pick up a box of those 2 inch wooden handle brushes at Home Depot. You get a dozen for around $7 and I just throw them away when I'm done. For detail spots I use Grumbacher acrylic/oil brushes. (I don't throw those away)Hope this helps on a couple of your questions. Happy painting! (Gee... that sounded like Bob Ross)
Posted by J.T. Gazaway (Member # 2001) on :
I second Dan's comment. You can get a ton more money for retail work than residential. I rarely ever do residential work anymore. The profit margins aren't even close.
Posted by Lotti Prokott (Member # 2684) on :
I did murals in two churches ( here's an idea for future work) using flat acrylic latex for the background. Have it mixed in quarts to whatever color you wish. Sponging works good for clouds and other effects. I used a product called Mini Premier, don't know if and where you could get it, but it's latex in little jars with a sponge attached to the lid. They're meant for testing color before painting or small paint jobs and come in tons of colors. I would also charge by the hour plus material costs. Sometimes when charging by the hour I quote a customer a maximum and minimum price that I think will cover me. They react good to that. Doing something for a friend will probably not pay much but who says you can't have fun anyways?
[ May 14, 2002, 02:41 PM: Message edited by: Lotti Prokott ]
Posted by John Cordova (Member # 220) on :
Hi Amy,
I normally charge by the square foot. I charge $25/s.f. for easy cartoon type murals. For instance, if I were to do something like Looney Tunes (which of course I DON'T do 'cuz they're copyrighted Hee. Hee.)and $50/s.f. if it is detailed. I use the cheap tube acrylics that you get at Hobby Lobby or Michaels or Wal-Mart. They mix well, airbrush just fine. Attached you will see a mural that I charged $50/sf for. I didn't have one closely available to show you of the $30/sf. Good luck and above all...have fun! These can be a whole lot of fun and great portfolio pieces. Posted by John Cordova (Member # 220) on :
Let's try that again... Posted by AdrienneMorgan (Member # 1046) on :
Amy, lots of good advice there...I did a step by step on interior murals for Sign Builder Illustrated ( Sept, 2001).
Don't under estimate your abilities and work for free.....charge a resonable amount (I started at $350 for a child's bedroom wall).
You will get more respect from the client and feel better about yourself when your finished.
I never got repeat jobs or referrals off free jobs.
Believe me, it's a lot of work, so you will see why even $350 will seem small after your done.
Have fun!!!
Let us see it when your done.
A:)
Posted by LEE ATTEWELL (Member # 2407) on :
Have a look at what Rod Tickle did on his daughters room. It was on the portfolio page. It absolutely blew me away.
Posted by AdrienneMorgan (Member # 1046) on :
Here's John's Ship pic...(Beautiful work John!)
What is the size on this?
Where is the post on the portfolio page with Rod's girl's room?? I wanna see that! A:)
[ May 15, 2002, 01:00 PM: Message edited by: AdrienneMorgan ]
Posted by Amy Brown (Member # 1963) on :
Thanks for all the replies everyone. If I do it I'll post picts (only if it looks ok!)
John, Sure would like to see your pict! LOL!
Posted by John Cordova (Member # 220) on :
Thanks so much Adrienne for posting that pic for me! I've only done it a couple of times. The size of that is 4'x5'. It is in a restaurant in a casino. It was painted on loose, stretched canvas, cleared, and then applied to the wall with carpet glue.
Thanks again!!
Posted by bill riedel (Member # 607) on :
Hi Amy, my two cents, I love workimg with Jo Sonja's acrilic paints, if you can find a supplier, you will love them too. When compared to others, there is a great difference. It can be had in tubes or large jars. They also come in many colors and go far. Doing pictorials is a great way to enjoy what you do and as far as charging by the square foot, well it works better for the one who is fast. By the hour, for the one who is slow. The experience is the most important part. Later you can worry about charging. Good kuck, Bill Riedel
