Painting a nature inspired Nursery Mural in the Upper West Side
How the project came about
They say the more you try the luckier you get, and it certainly seems my hard work has been paying off and people know I exist now! This project fell into my lap, the author Morgan Pager had put a story on her Instagram about wanting a mural artist, and one of my lovely followers must have sent my profile across.
Designing a nursery mural for a New York City home
Next thing I know, I’m on a call with a very pregnant and excited Morgan, and we’re dreaming up something unique for her beautiful private residence on the Upper West Side. It was going to be a custom, hand-painted design, based on dragons, castles, knights with a calming natural feel.
She had bought some furniture already, so I had a beautiful William Morris rug to compliment, and the bottom half of the design was going to be mainly obscured by the crib so it was important to put the focal points in the top half of the wall. In the past, I’ve left gaps behind furniture, but experience has taught me to fill the whole space; you never know if the furniture will move or be replaced and it’s important that murals are future proof.
The design process
After an initial brainstorming session where I nailed down roughly what would be in the mural (dragons, castles, trees and lots of nature!) I headed to Barcelona for a dear friend’s wedding.
I wanted to begin the designing the mural while away, and thought where better to get inspired than by painting in the beautiful Parc de la Cuitadella. With it’s fresh Mediterranean colors, castle and historical buildings it seemed an ideal place to start.
It’s very easy as a freelancer to get stuck looking for inspiration inside your laptop, but I’ve found the most rewarding projects (and often richer designs) are made from working from life. I reached out to Morgan to see if she was onboard with the idea- as if it was planned, she let me know how she’d studied in Barcelona and spent a lot of time in the beautiful park and she loved it there. It was one of many slightly unbelievable coincidences that have peppered these past few years, it seems when I follow my instincts the universe pays me back!
I began painting from life using Gouache and watercolour paper, brainstorming ideas and trying to capture some of the beauty of the park.
Illustration of Parc de la Cuitadella
Lovely tree in the park
Gouache palette
A dragon sculpture perched below the water feature
Locals enjoying the green space
The castle of three dragons
My Mock Up
My original mock up, carefully planning the design to make the most of the space
A 3D mock up of how the design would wrap around a corner
Hand-Painting the Nursery Mural in the Upper East Side
One big pro of working as a Mural Artist in NYC, is how I’ve had the opportunity to explore so much of the city (as well as New Jersey and Upstate New York). This project was no exception- I spent my lunchtimes wandering this lovely area with a distinct flavor, lots of lovely boutique shops, a park by the river and lots of tall residential businesses.
Tongue sculpture in Upper West Side
Cleo the beautiful cat!
Getting my clients to pose so I could include them in the mural
The tape grid I used to transfer the design
Hills, trees and blue skies as the background for the nursery
A work in progress shot, with dragons, knights, bunnies and castles
For the rest of my time I worked to bring the nature-inspired artwork into this family home!
I began by laying a tape grid, which I used to transfer the design onto the wall after protecting the surrounding area. I then hand-painted the background, using large, textured brushes (including a sweeping brush!) to create a unique, illustrative textures. Finally I added on all the special touches like bunnies, horses with knights (including a female of course because we’re in modern times!) and a sleeping dragon. Part way through the project we realized we’d missed a trick- so I asked the family to pose so I could add mum, dad and, an imagining of, their little boy into the mural. This is something that can be so special about having a bespoke piece of artwork for your home, you can customize it to fit your story and family.
Custom Murals for Homes Throughout NYC
If you’re interested in a custom mural for your New York home, organization or business, I can design something that is bespoke to your space and story. From calming nursery murals to large scale exterior walls, each project is thoughtfully tailored to the architecture, light and feel you’d like for your home.
I collaborate with homeowners, families and interior designers and can guide you through the exciting process of bringing the artwork to life. We can move beyond the limited one size fits all solutions like wallpaper or decals to create a calming, nature-inspired mural. If you’d like to learn more and receive a quick quote, click on the button below to fill in a short form for a quick quote.
