I wanted to create a special space for our little girl to dream, create, and let her imagination soar. Inspired by rainbow murals, I decided to transform her room into a colorful, inspiring haven. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how I did it.
Materials Needed:
Paint in rainbow colors (I selected Behr pink sea salt, flamingo feather, twinkled pink, pumpkin essence, pink elephant)
Paintbrushes (various sizes)
Painter's tape
Drop cloths or old shower curtain to protect the floor
Pencils and a ruler
Step-by-Step Guide:
Create the First Arch:
Start by determining how large you want your rainbow. Use small pieces of blue painter's tape to outline the outermost arch. Don’t worry about it being perfect; the goal is to have it look perfectly imperfect. This process can take some time. All your other rainbow arches will be based on this first one, so it’s worth spending extra time on this step.
Fill in the outermost arch with painter's tape. I found it easier to make small cuts in the tape to bend it to the desired shape. If you get tired of cutting, you can use small overlapping pieces of tape to create your arches.
Draw Rainbow Rays:
Depending on the number of colors in your rainbow, you’ll need to decide the width of each ray. I loved the look of varying widths, so mine measure (starting at the top arch and moving inward): 8 inches, 3 inches, 7.5 inches, 6.5 inches and 9 inches. My white gap between rainbow colors is 2 inches.
I cut a piece of cardboard and taped a pencil to the top. I marked out the different ray measurements along the cardboard edge, 8 inches, 3 inches, etc. I also marked a 2 inch measurement so I could quickly trace my 2 inch gap between rays. See image above.
Now, run the non-pencil side of your cardboard tracer along the tape mark of your rainbow stripe to create the width of the stripe or the white space between. Then, use painter's tape to tape along the outside of the pencil line. Alternatively, you can skip the taping step if you plan to freehand paint the edge for a more imperfect look like mine.
Paint the Rainbow:
Starting with the top arch (pink sea salt), paint each color of the rainbow. Use a medium-sized brush for the arcs and a smaller brush for detailed areas.
I painted the outer ray first, working inward so I could keep painting the rays without worrying about smudging the wet paint.
Touch Up and Finish:
After everything is dry, remove the painter's tape carefully.
Touch up any areas where the paint may have bled.
With a bit of planning and creativity, you'll transform a plain wall into a magical, colorful rainbow mural that will brighten up any little girl's room. Happy painting!
