The "Creation of Adam" is perhaps one of the most famous paintings of all time. It has been seen on T-shirts and parodied on album covers and in cartoons. You can even create your own mural of the Creation of Adam for your school, church, office or even your home. Recreating this work of art can be done with a few simple tools, patience and elbow grease.
Transferring the Image
There are a few different ways you can transfer the line art of the famous "Creation of Adam" painting onto your wall. One of the easiest ways is to find a high resolution jpeg of the classic painting online using a search engine or scanning a hard copy at 300 dpi into your computer. You can then use a video projector to cast the image of the painting onto the wall. A good way to trace the image is to use a wide charcoal stick as this will create a line that will be thick enough to be seen at a distance. You can also use a soft pencil if the wall is not large, or you can paint the line art on the wall using dark brown acrylic paint. If you do not have access to a video projector, you can make a transparency of the classic painting at a copy shop like Fed Ex/Kinko's and use a simple overhead projector.
If that is not available, then you can use what is known as the "grid" method. Simply draw a uniform grid over your smaller copy of the "Creation of Adam" painting and then draw a larger grid on the wall that retains the same proportions and number of squares as your small grid. This will allow you to redraw the line work and keep every aspect of the drawing in the correct proportions.
Painting the Mural
With the line art in place, begin to paint the mural. Acrylic paints work well for mural painting as they are cheap, water soluble and easy to use. When you begin painting, it is a wise idea to start by simply painting in large blocks of medium-tone colors. For instance, in the "Creation of Adam" mural, you may want to block out the background with a light blue-white color for the sky and use a flesh color to block out all of the figures bodies.
After you have put in the basic details, begin to add shadows and highlights. Check your reference image of the painting and add shadows with dark browns where the light source is not directly hitting the object or feature. Add highlights with a thinned white to the tops of arms, legs and muscles that are exposed to the greatest amount of light.
Finishing the Mural
Once you have recreated this masterpiece on your wall, you want to ensure that it lasts as long a possible. One way to do this is to let your mural dry completely and coat the mural with one or two layers of acrylic varnish. This will prevent flaking and chipping and cut down on damage from other materials rubbing against the mural. You can also spray the area over with an acrylic sealer to lock in the paint. It is always important to paint in a well-ventilated area, but this is especially true when using varnishes or spray sealers.
