Harness the power of printed murals by tapping into your ability to create digital art.
If you dream of seeing your art as a mural but painting is your biggest obstacle, I'm here to remind you that you can create murals without painting them!
Here's how: You design the art digitally with Procreate, Photoshop, Illustrator, or Fresco. The client hires a sign company to install the mural as a printed wall wrap, known as vinyl. Printed murals are often used in workplaces, retail and restaurant interiors, outdoor advertising, conferences, and pop-up events!
Experience the magic of seeing your art as a mural without the heavy physical labor.
Printed murals open doors for artists of all backgrounds and physical abilities to have the opportunity to see their art exist as murals. It's a great option for creatives whose lifestyles are incompatible with frequent traveling or the physical labor of painting.
Understanding how to design murals for print has allowed me to grow my mural business without overworking myself. After injuring my hand from the repetitive stress of painting murals, I realized painting every mural is not sustainable for my mental and physical health. My solution is to offer printed murals to clients whenever the project is suitable for print and reserve hand-painting to clients with appropriate budgets for traveling and painting.
I've completed over a dozen mural projects ranging from $2k to $14k USD without painting.
Printed murals can be a great stream of income for digital illustrators. I'll share with you why some projects are worth more than others and my pricing guidelines. I will walk you through all the stages and best practices of printed mural projects so you can confidently offer printed murals as a service. The knowledge you acquire from this guide can be applied to other printed projects like utility boxes, signages, vehicles, and more!
Artists should consider printed murals when:
✹ The art is for outdoors temporarily or indoors permanently.
✹ You can't physically paint due to existing conditions or injuries.
✹ You can't travel due to prior commitments, responsibilities, or transportation barriers.
✹ You aren't ready to invest in paint supplies and liability insurance for handpainted murals.
✹ You're a burnt-out muralist wanting a break from painting.
Clients choose printed murals when:
✹ They want to switch the art frequently and cost-efficiently.
✹ They urgently need the mural installed ASAP.
✹ They require the same design to appear on multiple walls.
✹ They urgently need the mural installed ASAP.
✹ They require the same design to appear on multiple walls.
✹ They want the mural for a one-day conference or a pop-up event.
✹ They desire a lightweight material for easy transportation to other locations.
✹ They are leasing a location short-term and don't want to invest in painting.
✹ They want the mural to be wrapped on a bus or a glass wall.
What you will learn:
✹ Vinyl wrap basics and advantages of vinyl murals.
✹ Understand raster and vector art for vinyl murals.
✹ Understand raster and vector art for vinyl murals.
✹ Crucial questions to ask the client when gathering project details.
✹ How to determine pricing with seven real-life pricing examples from $2k–$14k USD.
✹ How to present a quote and conduct follow-ups with email examples.
✹ How to present a contract with email examples.
✹ Important tips on confirming measurements.
✹ Learn proper file and bleed setup and how to export raster and vector art for printing.
✹ Understand color-proofs and when to include them in your project.
✹ Tips on delivering your print files with usage rights reminders.
✹ How to upsell usage to clients at the end of a project.
✹ Outreach ideas, including how to utilize LinkedIn.
This guide is perfect for:
✹ Artists who are comfortable creating raster (photoshop & procreate) or vector-based art.
✹ Illustrators who are aiming to diversify their portfolio with unique projects.
✹ Freelancers who want to offer murals as an à la carte service to their clients.
✹ Homebodies who wish to stay home and create murals without painting them.
✹ Overworked muralists who want to free up their time by offering printed murals.
The format of the guide:
✹ 21 written pages of content covering 18 topics in pdf format for desktop or mobile viewing.
✹ Interactive table of contents with clickable links when viewed digitally.
Reviews from artists who purchased:
I know many creatives dream of painting murals, and I understand the allure of transforming a blank wall with a brush; however, after five years as a muralist, I can confirm the visual impact of printed murals is equally rad and satisfying!
Unlike handpainted murals, designing for print allows you to work remotely from home and collaborate with clients from all over!
You can work for out-of-state and international clients from the comfort of your home, and the time you save from traveling and painting allows you to direct your energy elsewhere. There are so many benefits to printed murals that I sometimes convince my clients to go for that route instead. Check out a selection of printed murals I've done below!
Need a contract for printed mural projects?
I've got you covered on that, too! When freelancing for clients, it's crucial to have a written and signed contract that protects both you and your client.
A good contract should define:
✹ Project Deliverables: what you agree to create for the client.
✹ Payment Terms: how much clients will pay you and when payment is due. When to activate late fees and the cost of additional work.
✹ Timeline: a tentative schedule that dictates when the art is due and when clients should give feedback and approval.
✹ Timeline: a tentative schedule that dictates when the art is due and when clients should give feedback and approval.
✹ Client Obligations: what responsibilities clients must fulfill for the success of the project.
✹ Termination: when and how you and the client can terminate the contract and what payment and obligations are still enforceable.
✹ Intellectual Property Ownership: who owns the artwork and the right to reproduce, create derivatives, and display.
✹ Usage Rights: how the client can use your art.
✹ Disputes Resolution: how you and the client will resolve conflicts.
You can reference and learn from the contract agreement that I use for my clients, written with U.S. laws in mind and specifically for printed murals. The contract comes with an instruction guide that breaks down each clause in simple language so you can understand each term's purpose. The contract template is available as a bundle with the guide or can be purchased separately.
Don't let painting be the reason why you haven't pursued murals!
Murals are a medium for marketing. Your creativity and ability to draw custom art in your unique style while delivering a client's brief is what carries the most value. This means you don't need to excel at painting, you should excel at creating art that communicates your client's vision. Painting is a technical skill that can be outsourced to a sign painter if clients want to invest in a painted mural, so there's no excuse for you not to offer mural design as a service. Click the button below to start your journey to becoming a Pixel-to-Print Muralist!
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the format of this guide?
Pixel-to-Print Muralist is a PDF guide that allows you to reference the content whenever and wherever you like, as long as you have it downloaded and saved to your devices.
Is this guide a physical book?
No, this guide is digital content for viewing on a digital device. You need a smartphone, tablet, or computer to view the PDF on a web browser or through Adobe Acrobat.
How long do I have access to this guide?
As long as you have it saved to your digital device or cloud storage. You'll also receive new versions of this guide in your inbox if there are future updates. If you lost your guide or never downloaded your purchase, please contact info@annlettering.com using the email you purchased with and reference the order number in the subject line.
Is the content of the guide only applicable to artists in the United States?
The technical content will apply to international creatives. The business content may be relevant to international creatives but is written based on my experience working with clients in the U.S.
What is the refund policy?
All sales are final once the product is delivered, whether or not the file was downloaded. No refunds are allowed due to the immediate access and nature of digital products. The refund policy for presales is stated on the product listing.
Can I share this pdf with someone?
Digital Products are for personal use only. Please review the Digital Product Terms of Use and Disclaimer before purchase. By completing your order, you agree not to copy, reproduce, redistribute, alter, modify, share with third parties, display the content publicly, or create derivative works of Digital Products. You may modify and use the Templates included in the Product in professional applications without credit.
Digital Products are for personal use only. Please review the Digital Product Terms of Use and Disclaimer before purchase. By completing your order, you agree not to copy, reproduce, redistribute, alter, modify, share with third parties, display the content publicly, or create derivative works of Digital Products. You may modify and use the Templates included in the Product in professional applications without credit.