I thought it would be a nice idea to take a photo of each stage of one of my murals, so here they are!



First of all, I paint the background shape with white masonry paint. It looks a lot better with 2 layers of paint on altogether, and it also covers up any old paint or flaws on the brickwork.



Then I put on the next layer. It takes a bit longer because I have to paint every leaf individually, using 2 shades of green masonry paint. I don't worry about it being too neat at this stage, though, as I will be putting outlines on the leaves later.



Then I draw on the outlines of the characters with chalk. I usually draw up some layout and character ideas on paper first before I draw them on the wall.



Next, I colour them in with more white masonry paint, so I have a blank canvas to paint on. No need to paint the tree white, though, because it doesn't really matter if you can see a little bit of green through it.




And finally, I do the best bit - the colouring in! I use acrylic paint for this, and finish it off with a coat of varnish to protect it from weathering and fading. Here's the final result, which took me 5 days altogether for the 2 walls :-)