Hello everyone. I have been painting murals for a bit now but have never done a ceiling. Any good tips for getting the image up there, what is the best paint to use, etc. Anything would be helpful. Thanks!

Julie

>Hello everyone. I have been painting murals for
>a bit now but have never done a ceiling. Any
>good tips for getting the image up there, what
>is the best paint to use, etc. Anything would be
>helpful. Thanks!
>
>Julie
It,s imperative that you have good stable scaffolding,moveable with good breaks on! planks that extend at least 1 foot or more beyond the superstructure.Inspect the planks for cracks ,nails, and dry rot.If you are going higher then; 6ft./1.8M. then you will need a safety line hooked to something solid!!! on the scaffold strong enuff to support a possible fall!!! ( your weight gravity inertha at seconds to minuntes falling at length of the safety line.)hope U got that. I prefer shorter safety lines . Make sure when you move around that you stay hooked! make sure there is railing all around!I prefer double railing at the bottom every 6 inches apart. People have been known to fall out the 1 foot opening at the bottom & fall out slipping on wet oil paint, tool, orwhatever ,to their death.Keep tripping hazards way out of the way. off to the side. NO stepladders are permitted on a scaffold ...ever! Do Not step on a bucket! Just build the scaffolding up more! Look up.. Do not walk or work under where people is working above you. & have a sign at the bottom "people working aloft."Keep children and unauthorized personel out of working area. If you are going up higher then; 12 ft./3.7M. then, the top of the scaffolding needs to be anchored to something solid. No horse playing around up here!Wear a Hard Hat Be very careful. Dont take a step to meet God&Jesus & and They probably would not be so happy about you being inattentive to safety issues. pray to your God before going up. Have a safety inspector check everything .... Post Scriptus have a pail and pulley and a hired hand at the bottom to get things and pull things up up up to you.take your rests and get off the scaffold once in a while.Eat lunch off the scaffold.Work with Expieranced people.
Above all inspect frequently and be safe.Get the job done.
M.A.

I also need info on ceiling murals. If one chooses to paint in the studio and then hang, how does one go about getting the canvas to adhere to the ceiling without bubbling??

>I also need info on ceiling murals. If one
>chooses to paint in the studio and then hang,
>how does one go about getting the canvas to
>adhere to the ceiling without bubbling??

you push the bubbles out with a plastic spatula - same as with wallpaper hanging.

you can always paint it in the studio and glue to the ceiling. most efficient way...

here is an example of 17feet diameter mural by
www.iLAdesigns.com

Hi Julie...man, sounds like safety mike may have fallen from scaffolding at one point in time...but, yes, always pay attention to your surroundings...virtigo tends to take place up there when your consentrating on your above image, more often than not...
I have a tip to share with you...for image placement, since you are upside down basically, it's hard sometimes to take too much time standing back to check perspective, so...I sometimes enlarge my own artwork onto tracing paper with an opaque projector (saving time), then procede to trace its backside with a graphite pencil (against a surface your not concerned with marking up)...then when you tape it into position (graphite side against surface)...draw it out again on the original sketched side (using a harder lead) and the graphite will transfer to your chosen layout area in a light transfer. I like to then immediately darken some lines after removal of the paper "template"...while the design is fresh in your mind. Sounds like many steps, but it saves you from getting up and down from the scaffold to check your prospectives. Then, the paint I choose to use for color layout depends on the size of the area...artist acrylic/oil tubes (a thicker consistency reducing drips in your face) or a latex paint (Ie. sherwin williams/benjamin-moore...quarts) with an added medium to build the body of the paint up...avoiding drips again. Hope this helped. Enjoy creating, we are blessed with this gift!
Cindy

I've got the same problem painting ceiling mural and idea for a projector is great.Any information about Opaque projector or similar.
Adi

>I've got the same problem painting ceiling mural
>and idea for a projector is great.Any
>information about Opaque projector or similar.
>Adi

We use this projector for our murals

Art Projector

Hello Artblue,

I am a mural artist myself and I've never painted a ceiling either, but I do have some suggestions for you.

1) Scaffolding is a must! You should also have all your paints at hand. Use a palate. If you don't have a palate, you can use disposable styrofoam plates. They work just fine for smaller projects. If you are creating a large mural, you can make your own palate out of a piece of cardboard. Yes, I said cardboard! When you're finished, you just toss it. No clean up there! If you are mixing paint that you want to save later on (maybe for touch-up)you can store it in those ziplock tupperware containers. I know it sounds crazy, but I've done it this way and it saves me time and clean up.

2) In order to actually paint on a ceiling, it is best to first get a feel for the scaffolding. Once you are comfortable working at that height, you should not have any problems. Bring a pillow or pad. You are going to need to lie down while painting. You want to feel comfortable while you are lying in that position painting for hours at a time.

3) Transfer paper is a good way to mark the ceiling for the mural, rather than doing it freehand. Take your original drawing and make a grid. Enlarge the drawing to fit to actual size and then transpose it onto the ceiling. It sounds difficult and it will be for the beginner, but once you've done five or so, you'll be adjusted to it.

If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.

D. Windseth