I probably haven’t uttered the words ‘painting by numbers’ since about twenty years ago, but the concept is still alive and kicking, only this time, it’s with wall murals from Wallstory.
A do-it-yourself option created by Fiona, a Berkshire designer and mum, that will save you the small fortune you’d spend if you hired a professional. Choose your pattern, put on the transfer paper, trace the lines with a ballpoint pen and then paint away with the corresponding colours.
Now for the edgy amongst you who like to ‘customise’ and bust up the rules a bit (that includes me), this is an opportunity to be very clever with colours.
For instance, there’s no rule that says that the tree has to be brown with green leaves. Work the mural with whatever your colour concept is. You could do the trees and leaves all hues and shades of one colour and then go bold with the birds for instance. You could also use retro prints to inspire your colour choices.
They suggest that you use satin, semi-gloss or egg shell finish paints by the likes of Winsor and Newton or Daler Rowney. Paints and brushes aren’t included, although you do get instructions and a colour guide.
There are several themes to choose from which are mostly traditional (fairies, pirates etc) so BG readers are likely to find themselves funking up the colour options, but that’s half the fun. The best one by far is actually the simplest – the Tree Mural (£50 each) which has a bit of a retro, Scandinavian print vibe – they should definitely do more like this.
There are varying sizes with them being 4-6ft wide and prices starting from around £29.99 to around £99.99. You can also get custom designs created if you can’t find what you’re looking for, for an extra charge.
I think that this is a really clever concept that will especially appeal to parents who are on a budget. You don’t need to be a painting genius, or even very creative.
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