Silhoutte Jungle Mural

A friend of mine is adopting a baby from Ethiopia and asked me to paint the nursery.  She wanted to represent the animals from the baby's homeland without being too realistic (possibly frightening) or babyish. 

 The sophisticated silhouettes of the animals are perfect.  Don't you just love the bedding?  She had it custom made and it gives a taste of the African culture. 

I freehanded the border and it's the lyrics to "It's a Small World," perfect for the little guy who is traveling across the globe to his new, loving home.  "There is just one moon and one golden sun,"

 "And a smile means friendship to everyone,"

 "Though the mountains divide, And the..."

 

"...oceans are wide, It's a small world after all."

I painted and blogged about another nursery very similar to this, just wanted to show you the look again!

Welcome to America, Henry!

Painted Children's Rocker

A lot of people love the look of painted furniture and may want to try a quick project of their own.  I picked up this children's rocker at our church rummage sale.

The slatted seats are not my favorite painting surface because it's hard to paint a complete image on it.  But it is great for striping colors and being whimsical. 

 I sanded the piece first.

Then,  I spray primed the entire rocker. 

 Next, I base coated the rocker white and then chose my color palette.  I decided to paint this rocker in girly colors.  Lots of pinks and oranges!

 The stripes and accent colors usually take a couple coats and look great against the white background. 

Adding flowers and painted designs finishes off the look. 

And remember to always protect your painted furniture with a clear sealer to make your painting more durable. 

This piece is sold, so some little girl is enjoying it right now!  Thanks for visiting!

Townhouse Dresser

A repeat customer of mine has long admired my furniture pieces that I paint to look like buildings.  Finally, she had the opportunity to have one custom painted for herself using her father's old dresser.

I typically take a "before" photo, but I must have been so excited to get started that I forgot!  But this piece was your typical stained dresser, it needed some personality!

Once I finished priming, sanding, and base coating the dresser, I usually start with the windows.  I measure them all out with a ruler and then paint the backgrounds gray with a flat brush.  Here is my first blog video showing the next steps of adding the details...

The bottom drawer is reserved for the door to the building and it's fun to add plants, a bicycle, and in this case, the customer's cat!

You can see how painting this dresser transforms it into a work of art and now the customer has a "new" piece she can treasure!

Sports Logos

 Just a quick post as we approach March Madness!  I recently painted this mascot logo for a teenager's room, depicting his school team.  It was a great touch for a slanted ceiling and accented his framed memorabilia on the walls.

Adding team logos to your walls is a fun and unique way to display your team loyalty and show that you are a committed fan.

Sport murals can even be personalized and are perfect for your sports fan of any age!

So, add a sports logo mural to your basement, rec room, bedroom, or garage!
Go Team!

Look Alike

Star Wars Mural

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I had the opportunity to paint this unique mural for a very lucky 6 year old boy. Not only was he a huge Star Wars fan, he was a huge Star Wars LEGO fan!

The theme of the room was to paint his favorite Star Wars Lego figures and they turned out pretty fun! Who would have thought a chunky Lego figure could have so much charm!

I used a great Lego book and actual Lego figures as my visual resources. Plus the boy was often on hand to answer my questions.

I used a computer font projected onto the wall to complete the quote above the bed. And the awesome blue faux finish was completed by my friends at Broad Spectrum. Check out their website at www.broadspectrumpainting.com.

As a final touch, I added a trompe l'oeil lightsaber in the adjoining bathroom. May the force be with you!
And I have to give a shout out to this client's awesome cat, Bailey. She kept me company by drinking my water bin, batting my brush handles, and laying beside me on my drop cloths.

Thanks for looking and I'd love your thoughts!

Corporate Logo

I had the terrific opportunity to work with a company that moved to a new location, thus rescuing an old warehouse in an underdeveloped and poor part of Cincinnati. The folks at Nehemiah Manufacturing asked me to paint their company logo on the main entry wall to greet visitors and announce their mission.

I used a paper template to transfer the image onto the wall, then hand painted the lettering once I had the sketch transferred. I spent many hours on a lift in a poorly heated building! The design is about 7 feet off the ground and approximately 7 feet wide.

On an additional wall, I painted the logo of a product that Nehemiah manufactures: Pampers Kandoo wipes and soaps. The Kandoo word is about 5 feet wide and the frog is about 5 feet tall.

So, consider adding a personal and creative touch to your business through a graphic mural. Clients will be so impressed and it will make the location YOURS.

Stay warm and keep checking back!