Central Park Nursery Mural

I recently had the pleasure of painting a nursery mural with a Central Park theme. It's a little different for me. My client wanted a loose feel overall with some actual landmarks and a nod to the famous mural by Ludwig Bemelmans, in the aptly named, Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel. 

We chose to paint two walls in the room. The longer wall includes the Carousel, Bethesda Fountain and Terrace Arch Bridge, skyline and of course, snack tables. The celebrated zoo is painted behind the crib, across from a nice large window. 

I like the mix of clothed cartoon-like animals at work or play with the more natural ones resting and roaming the grounds :)

Safety first! guess the babies should be in helmets, too. hmmm 

Here, a sweet tiger talks to a blue bird. Placed just above the crib, he's an important element, because their young son was born Year of the Tiger :)

Taxi ?!

Badgers have to stay fit, too.

Cat-itude. Why is it so hard just to buy a treat?

 Looking for mom...

Thinking squirrel.

I like walking! 

Thanks for taking a look at my latest custom mural. I'm happy with the way it turned out and I couldn't have asked for a nicer couple with whom to work. They have one of the cutest baby boys I've ever seen, plus they printed out some of my reference for me. Can't beat that :)

It's almost the weekend... have a fun one!! xo, Allyn

My Murals: from Sketches to Finished Walls

Custom Hand Painted Murals for Nurseries & Children's Rooms

I often receive emails asking about my mural work and how to go about commissioning this type of thing. So I thought I would illustrate the process here...



I usually receive an email or a phone call about custom artwork and most people have an idea in mind of what they would like, but not everyone. We discuss ideas, possibly a color scheme and whether it will be an entire room, a wall or two or some simple elements throughout. I can sometimes give a ballpark cost estimate, but it's best for me to see the room. This consult is free of charge, as are the initial sketches. Here are examples of my sketches and the final outcomes...


As you can see, I like to sketch in watercolor to give some idea of the palette. Initially my sketches may be rough, especially notes I make for myself. Edits are made through email exchanges and I sometimes make a change once I begin a project. For example, the orange airplane above worked much better facing the window rather than the direction it took in my original sketch. No need for them to fly smack into a tree ;D



The above mural is a favorite of mine and we let Jonathan, who was one at the time, choose characters he liked from my portfolio. I put them into a nonthreatening little jungle scene.

Below is a sketch I did for an exercise bike cover. I painted a playroom full of animals, countryside scenes, even a castle & a clock tower. Laura, quite the creative mom, decided to store her exercise bike in her daughters' new playroom, camouflaged as an animal! A buffalo made the most sense since the handles could look like his horns. My friend sewed it perfectly and I painted his face & fez hat. Pom poms added for flair ;)



Below, a mix of pencil sketches I made for myself. This nursery would incorporate a tea party and animals en route to it...







Racing Day was for a nursery with twin boys. A car theme was desired to go with their bedding. I usually do at least 3 or 4 color sketches from which to choose or combine various aspects a client likes most.


It wasn't until I got there that we decided to make it a race that appears to come towards the viewer, into the room.



Some sketches are almost identical to the finished product like the piggies above :)

Perfect in it's simplicity-- kind monkeys watch over the little one who sleeps here :)


hello little owl :)

This pink nursery mural was inspired by a single chair upholstered in a lovely french toile fabric. The turret was a perfect place to start!


A Brooklyn mural, it caught the attention of a local writer and was featured in the New York Daily News :D




Above, some sketches that have not been fully realized, but they are full of hope ;)



I enjoy painting playful, amiable animals that engage each other and hopefully your child. I look forward to some outer space and underwater scenes this year!

Feel free to contact me if you have questions about custom work, it's a very simple process. Please visit my site to see more work :)

xo, Allyn