If you’re looking for artwork that makes an impact, without being too bold or in your face, a Silhouette Mural is a great way to go. This is one I painted for my dentist so she has a calming, delicate backdrop when she’s working in her office between patients. These days, you can find graphic patterns like this in vinyl. But with painted silhouette murals, you’re not limited to the pre-cut sizes. You can paint them the exact size you need to fit a particular space. And, best of all, you can paint them in what ever color you choose.
You’ll notice in the “Before” picture, that this particular office is pretty narrow. But it has really tall ceilings, so I wanted to call attention to that by painting a mural that takes the eye up somewhat. The base color is already on the walls, so I painted the accent wall a taupe-y gray that’s only a couple of shades darker.
At this point, I already like it. I can hardly stand plain rooms. I need something…ANYTHING…to look at. And isn’t this wall pretty? Seriously, it takes so little to make me happy. But back to the mural… So now that we have these two colors up — the one on the accent wall, and the one on the other three walls — this is pretty much what I’ll be working with. I’ll be using the lighter paint color to paint the mural on top of the darker wall. By sticking to these two colors, the artwork is a little more subdued.
Using the leftover paint from the other three walls, I hand painted the tree branches and leaves. As far as murals go, this is about as simple as it gets. Unfortunately, you’ll have to take my word for it. I was doing this on a Saturday afternoon, when the dentist’s office was closed, and there was no one else there to take a picture of the process as I worked. Add to that the fact I was painting like a mad woman (I like painting in daylight and wanted to be done before the sun went down), and you’ll see why my picture taking was an after thought.
I finished up with a few well-placed birds in a bright orange color, and called this silhouette mural DONE. Thankfully, my dentist was kind enough to let me come back later to take pictures once everything was back in place. I have to admit, it’s kind of fun going there now. And not just because of the artwork. I appreciate having a dentist who takes the time to get to know each of her patients. Sitting there, with my mouth wide open on her dentist chair, she still found out I love to paint. Now little birdies remind her of that, all day long.
