Have you ever walked into a home with an amazing wall niche built into a huge wall of block? This lovely niche holds a large vase filled with all colors of flowers beautifully arranged.

Now walk closer to the wall and you will suddenly realize that every thing on this wall is fake. It’s all an illusion created with paint.

That is one of the hardest things to paint in murals… something that looks so real it will fool the eye even for a second. If you can do that… you are on your way to painting a wonderful mural that will be cherished for years.

The trick isn’t just about the ability to paint a picture. The trick is in the shadows. Learning about light and shadow is a must if you are striving to paint realistic art on your walls.

I found a short video that shows the basics of light and shadow in mural painting: