A foliage ceiling mural - Part 3 - Practising the detail

A Foliage Ceiling Mural - Part 3 - Practising the Detail

A key part of my process is to always create a practice panel. Not only does it offer a chance to work through the finer details of a design, but in combination with the mock-up, it's an invaluable way of communicating ideas with clients.

Tips for Your Practice Panel

• Try to incorporate at least one of each of your key motifs so that you feel confident with each element when it comes to painting on the wall.
• Now is the time to assess your colour choices, and perhaps try mixing some of your own paints to achieve the perfect shade.
• Consider the kind of brushstrokes and techniques you'll be using to create your motifs - it's nice to have variance between each element of your design.
• Your practice panel is an extremely helpful reference tool and can be taken to the site with you as you work on the mural. You may wish to write notes on it, such as colour references or dimensions, which will be handy to have when painting the real thing.

You Will Need:

• A surface to practice on

This could be an offcut of wood or Canvas MDF boards

• Chalk pencils or watercolour pencils

I use Aquarelle

• A selection of the smaller paintbrushes
• Emulsion paint in a colours of your choice
• Paint palette
• 3 x water jars filled with water
• Damp cloth

Sourcebook

Yellow Pink, by Little Greene

Marigold, by Little Greene