EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO PAINT MURALS

EVERYTHING YOU WILL NEED TO START DESIGNING:

IPad

For designing mural concepts.

IPad Pencil

For designing mural concepts.

ProCreate App

Download this app for your IPad. It’s very easy to learn & it will make designing your mural concepts much easier once you get the hang of it.

Paper-like Screen Protector

This will make drawing on the ipad feel just like drawing in your sketchbook.

EVERYTHING YOU WILL NEED TO START PAINTING:

Paint!

I often get asked what kind of paint I use for murals. I personally prefer Behr paint, which can be found at Home Depot, but any brand of latex paint will do!

Zibra Brushes!

The BEST brushes out there for muraling. They are popular for a reason. The smoothest lines you could ever paint.

Wooster Palm Brushes

My OG favorite paintbrush. Perfect for edging, cutting in, and covering large areas.

1 Inch Flat Brush

A great example that more expensive is not always better. I love these. Awesome for medium sized work. You can use them flat or on a side angle to achieve clean line work.

Detail Brushes

For those teeny tiny details. Again, cheap, but work great. This is my favorite brand of liner brushes.

Rollers!

You’ll need rollers to fill backgrounds and large spaces in your mural design

Multiple Size Rollers

I find it helpful to have 4-inch & 6-inch rollers as well for filling in big chunks of color. This will save you so much time and gives a smoother finish than filling in spaces with a brush.

Roller Extension Pole

For those hard to reach areas. This one goes up to 8 ft.!

Paint Trays

Metal tray underneath is a must & I always buy the plastic trays in bulk. I do reuse them but still go through so many.

Drop Cloth

Can you imagine spilling paint on a clients floor?? One of my biggest fears as a mural artist.

Plastic Drop Cloth

Great for travel. Takes up less space & makes for easy clean up.

Frog Tape

You will not catch me without some frog tape on me! Even if you think you won’t need it for a certain mural, you will need it for something.

Stucco Tape

Great for tricky wall surfaces like brick or stucco.

White chalk

For sketching out your design! I go through this chalk so fast, so make sure you have plenty.

Sidewalk Chalk

If you’re sketching on a white or light colored wall, you’ll need colored chalk, but be careful because if you’re painting a light color over dark blue chalk, it’ll blend into your paint.

Posca Markers

Posca’s work great for drawing out your design, they are just a more pricey option than using chalk so I use them more sparingly.

Chalk Reel

This will come in handy when you need to make a straight line. Much easier/more accurate than going in with your tape right away.

Projector

Preferred method of transferring my design onto the wall. A must have for muralists in my opinion!

Projector Stand

Just bought one of these this year and can’t believe I went this long without one! I used to spend forever positioning my projector on ladders or whatever I could find. This is a game changer.

Extension Cord

You never know where a outlet will be at a job site, sometimes they are realllllly far away. Always a good thing to have an extension cord on you, especially if you are using a projector.

Tripod

Film your process! People love to see murals being painted. This pripod is amazing because it folds up but is still sturdy. Sometimes those foldable ones are flimsy & fall over easily.

Bendy Tripod

An option for something small that can attach to anything. I like to put it on my ladder to get some better close up shots.

Transfer Paper

A great option if you can’t use a projector or if you need to transfer small details in your design to the wall — things like lettering

Rubber Mallet

You’ll want to secure your paint can lids to keep your paint from drying out and to avoid spills.

Paint Rags

Trust me, you’ll need them!

Crocodile Cloths

Sometimes, dry paint rags just won’t cut it.

Tape Measure

For measuring your walls accurately. You’ll need accurate measurements to make sure your design is to scale on the wall.

Water Bucket

This will come in handy to set your brushes in & clean them if you don’t have access to a sink. + everything is better if it’s collapsable.

Paint Cups + Liners

These are great so that you don’t have to try to balance your paint bucket on a ladder or hold it, which can be very uncomfortable, not to mention super sketchy. Also great for mixing paint

Floetrol

This stuff is awesome. You can use it to thin out your paint if it’s too thick or starting to dry out. It’s also perfect for when you are about to run out of a color. Just add a little bit of floetrol to make it stretch a bit further.

Step Ladder

Walls are big. People are little.

Big Collapsable Ladder

We don’t need to be lugging around those giant clunky ladders with these as an option. Great for those bigger walls.

Scaffolding

I would invest in scaffolding the second that you get hired for a big enough wall. It’s cheaper to own your own than it is to rent. This one is easy to put together & will make a huge difference. I have also seen artists sharing scaffolding so that they don’t have to buy their own right away.

Milwaukee Packout

I love my packout. You can customize it in a way that works best for your work flow. I use the bottom for bigger items like paint trays and gallons, middle for paint, and top for brushes & supplies. Didn’t invest in this until a couple of years into muraling, but worth the money.

Packout Add On

Eventually replaced the middle piece for this one because it made more sense to store paint samples.

Wagon

Great for transporting your supplies & keeping them organized, especially if you don’t have something like the packout. If you are doing art shows as well, this is a must have!

Multi-Use Tool

This all-in-one tool will be used more than you think. It’s designed with muralists in mind

Foldable Level

Sometimes you’ll need to make sure things are level & this one doesn’t take up too much space.

Portable Charger

I use my electronics all day when painting for projecting my design, music/podcasts, ect. + it’s just not safe to have a dead phone, especially when you’re painting alone.

Waterproof Speaker

Love my JBL! You won’t always be able to play your own music, but it’s so nice when you can!

Headphones

Sometimes the noises around you painting in public can be so distracting (at least for me) I always put my headphones on if I have a lot to get done in a short amount of time.

Hydroflask

Stay hydrated artists! Especially if you’re working outside, water intake is SO important. & don’t forget to fuel yourself with proper food!

Foam Roller

Mural work is TAXING on your body. Make sure to take proper care of yourself so you can keep painting (: