Suzanne Whitaker - Creative Kids Murals You Can Paint

creative

kids

murals

you can paint by Suzanne Whitaker

www.artistsnetwork.com

Creative Kids Murals You Can Paint. Copyright 2006 by Suzanne Whitaker. Manufactured in Singapore. All rights reserved. The drawings in this book are for the personal use of the decorative painter. By permission of the author and publisher, they may be either hand-traced or photocopied to make single copies, but under no circumstances may they be resold or republished. It is permissible for the purchaser to paint the designs contained herein. No other part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by North Light Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236. (800) 289-0963. First edition.

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Other fine North Light Books are available from your local bookstore or art supply store, or direct from the publisher.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Whitaker, Suzanne
Creative kids' murals you can paint / Suzanne Whitaker.-- 1st ed.
p. cm
ISBN-13: 978-1-58180-805-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-1-60061-606-8 (EPUB)
ISBN-10: 1-58180-805-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Mural painting and decoration--Technique. 2. Children's rooms. I. Title.
ND2550.W47 2006
751.7'302430523--dc22

2005034588

Editors: Holly Davis and Gina Rath
Production Coordinator: Greg Nock
Art Director/Designer: Clare Finney
Interior Layout Artist: Barb Matulionis
Photographers: Tim Grondin, Al Parrish and Christine Polomsky

Metric Conversion Chart

About the Author

Suzanne Whitaker is a professional artist and former production artist and illustrator for F+W Publications. She has a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Cincinnatis Design, Architecture, Art and Planning Program, and has painted murals all over the greater Cincinnati area. Her work appears in private homes, shops, doctors offices, Procter & Gamble research rooms and day-care centers.

Suzanne, who owns and runs the business, Murals by Suzanne, feels that being a mother has given her special insight into what appeals to children. She now lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband, Ken, and her son and daughter, Ean and Sedona.

Dedication

To Mom and Dad
For the paint and permission to let my adolescent energy create a jungle in there!

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to so manythanks to Holly Davis and Gina Rath for their vision and clarity in words; thanks to Clare Finney and Christine Polomsky for their vision and clarity in graphics; and thanks to Jamie Markle, Kathy Kipp and Amy Jeynes for seeing the potential of it all.

Thank you to all the wonderful kids and their parents for allowing the picture-takers into their homes to show off their rooms for this project.

A big thank-you to my favorite technical adviser, my sister Rose Whitaker, for dispensing endless knowledge and making me laugh hard all the while (We will do that book together someday!); and to Josh Knarr, who is number-one spouncer and precision striper; and to my friend, Connie Musuraca, the ideamaker with a generous heart; and also to Mary Pat Burke, Tracey Seibert and Eileen Bord for the years of giving great love and care to my children so that my brush could roam. And thanks to the balance of my siblings, Jim, Rita, Colette and Sharon Whitaker, for unending support over the years. Thanks also to Cath and Mr. Price for their quiet, guiding spirits and to Oprah, of course, for being my contemporary spirit guide.

Special, special appreciation goes to my husband, Ken, for loving me and enduring my never-ending spastic moments and to my children, Ean and Sedona, whose young, inventive minds and vision never cease to amaze me!

contents

introduction

Childrens rooms are the perfect place for your creative spirit to take flight because children are amazed at and genuinely appreciative of your creativity.

What I most enjoy about creating for children is listening to their ideas. In their minds' eyes there are no boundaries! A child clearly envisions dinosaurs and volcanoes of long agoand even hears the sounds they make. Ideas blossom just by listening to a preschoolers account of a family of bunnies having tea with their friends in the garden. Absorb these creative morsels and transform them into a visible environment the child will love.

My hope is that this book will motivate you and give you the tools needed to transform your childs personal space into a magical wonderlandjust follow your heart.

Suzanne Whitaker

A few words of encouragement: When attempting something new, my young son often gets discouraged if he is unable to perfect it immediately. When this happens, I always encourage him to start with what he knows and practice that firstthen work up to the next level.

As an adult I sometimes have to remind myself to practice what I preach. We all want to immediately get it, but when attempting something new, were always better off beginning simply and working our way up.

Ive tried to keep the projects in this book simple and easy to follow. At first glance, some may appear to be detailed, but if you look closely, youll see that each project is broken down into simple steps that anyone can accomplish. If, however, youve never picked up a brush and still feel a bit hesitant about jumping into those projects that appear detailed, then turn to and check out the section called Easy Designs. This might be the place for you to start. Try one of these quick and easy designs, and not only will your child have a fun and colorful room, but also youll loosen up and feel confident to tackle other designs in the book.