Finding the Perfect Mural Design

When deciding on a mural design, really just about anything can serve as inspiration.

Of course, there are a few considerations to keep mind...

How will the design look when enlarged?

How complex is it, and can you paint it?

If the mural will be in a public space, will you be violating any copyright laws, or have you been granted permission to use the design?

There are both online and offline resources to help you select the perfect mural design for your space.

Searching Online...

One of the best places to look for designs is...well, you're here...on the internet! There are so many free sources, it's hard to know where to even begin!

For starters, if you're looking for a favorite television or movie character, there are a ton of free coloring pages available. Just ask my two-year-old! Every time he sees me sit down at the computer, he comes running. From Elmo to Mickey to Blue's Clues, and much, much more, just about any popular character is featured in free coloring pages.

These images can be easily enlarged with a projector, filled in using acrylic paints, and outlined using paint pens. If you can color, you can do it!

For general designs, the internet is a great resource for free clipart. Instead of using the standard search engines, I like to use Image Search to track down the perfect piece. Instead of visiting several websites, the clipart images are presented in a gallery format. When I see something I like, I click on the image, and it takes me to the website offering the clipart downloads.

If you don't mind paying a little bit for the image, there are several websites that offer clipart and vector images that you can download for a small fee. Personally, I really like PCCrafter. I have also had a lot of luck with IStockPhoto.

Searching Offline...

There are also unending sources of mural design ideas available offline.

Greeting cards, gift wrap, fabric patterns, scrapbooking papers, even sales catalogs (Pottery Barn Kids is one of my favorites for ideas) - the list just goes on and on!

Story books are also a wonderful source of inspiration. My aunt created a Rainbow Fish mural design using pictures from the popular storybook. She purchased inexpensive paperbacks, cut out the individual fish and other elements that she liked, enlarged them using her computer scanner, and used the enlarged images as a pattern, transferring it to her bathroom walls using graphite paper. Again, just using simple paint pens and acrylics, she painted the mural and it turned out beautiful!