Use Low VOC Craft Paints to Make Baby's Walls Creative and Eco Friendly

When my daughter asked me to paint a mural on my future grandson's wall, I knew it had to be eco- friendly, just like her. She and her husband are the Greenest couple I know. They're vegetarians with an organic garden in the back yard. They buy Local and organic. They reuse, donate or recycle. They compost organic garbage and toss out the rest in biodegradable trash bags. She drives their Hybrid car to work. He takes public transportation into town each day.

For nearly 9 months they've been storing up Green baby goods. Her registry includes items like cloth diapers, organic onsies and biodegradable baby wipes. My new grandchild will be Green indeed. When it came to adding a hint of creativity to his wall, I had to do my part.

What's a VOC?

My son in law had already painted the baby's room with no VOC paint. VOC? That's short for Volatile Organic Compounds. VOCs are found in most paints and many other household products. When you clean up after you paint, those compounds may end up in the water supply. The gases they release in your home can cause a long list of physical problems: headaches, eye, nose, and throat irritation, and many others. Low and no VOC paints are easy to find these days at stores that stock Green home products. If you can't find them locally, search for online retailers.

Beginning your eco/baby-friendly mural

Supplies and materials

-Clean blank wall

-Soy paint- Following my daughter's lead, I searched for low VOC craft paint. I was pleased to find a new soy version at my local craft supply store. The label described it as eco-friendly, no odor, water based and low VOC. The 2 ounce bottle of soy craft paint costs about the same as acrylic. I did my own paint sniff test. The acrylic paint had a much stronger smell compared to the soy paint.

-Assorted paint brushes: fine, tapered, slanted and wide. You can buy brushes individually or in a set. I found a set of 25 inexpensive brushes and sponges for under 5 dollars at a local craft supply store.

-Pencil

-Large eraser

-Card-stock for patterns (try using a cereal box or other heavy paper castoff)

Designing your mural: keep it simple

You don't have to be an accomplished artist to design a great child's mural. Think simple shapes and bright colors. My daughter wanted a nature theme for the baby's room. She decided on owls, a nice idea except I had to figure out how to draw them. Thank goodness an owl for a child's mural doesn't have to look like the real thing.

Whether you decide on owls or chickens or fuzzy little lambs, here are a few simple guidelines to follow as you design your mural:

-Think like a coloring book artist

-Start with a simple sketch

-Draw your design using simple lines

-Use only a few colors. It's less complicated that way

-Fill in your lines like a.... coloring book

Creating your eco/baby friendly mural

1. Sketch your idea on a sheet of paper. Plain white copy paper will do.

2. Create card-stock patterns for the shapes you want to repeat throughout your design. I created patterns for leaves and owls.

3. Tape your sketch on the wall to look at as you draw. Draw the bold shapes freehand.

4. Trace repeated shapes using your patterns. I drew a large tree, then used patterns to sketch the owls and leaves.

5. Don't get upset if you make a mistake while drawing. That's what the eraser is for. It should eliminate drawing mistakes on the wall almost as easily as if they were on paper.

6. Fill in your lines with paint. Think coloring book.

7- Add textures with contrasting colors but only if you want to.

8- The tree in the illustration has only one coat of paint on the trunk. If you want a more solid layer of color, add a second coat after the first coat dries.

9. After the paint dries, erase any stray pencil marks and lines.

A few additional tips

Pace yourself - From design to finish, your mural could take about 5 hours. Of course you don't have that much extra time in your day. Try doing the drawing one day. Begin painting the next day.

Think fantasy- Even if you can paint realistically, for a simple, easy child's mural you don't have to. Your birds don't have to look exactly like birds. Your tree doesn't have to look just like a tree.

Use whatever colors you choose- My daughter wanted orange owls. I've never seen one of those, but that's will be part of her child's fantasy world. Make a blue dog or a green elephant if you choose

You can always add more- If you want more than just a simple mural but don't have time, draw one large item now and add to it when you feel a creative spark. You baby's mural can grow and change as your he gets older.

Source:

Low or No VOC Paint manufacturers:
http://www.toolbase.org/TechInventory/TechManufacturers.aspx?ContentDetailID=814

Deltacreative.com: http://deltacreative.com/pcid/142/Default.aspx

VOCs: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html