Nursery rhymes are so fitting for nursery art, the two go hand in hand. So when the time came for us to welcome our third child into our family, I had the perfect inspiration for my child’s nursery mural.

In addition to the appropriateness of a nursery rhyme for a nursery, the cow jumping over the moon provides a subtle nod to my husband’s and my rural upbringing and every parent’s desire for their child to sleep for long stretches of time.

I began this mural by finding the middle point of the largest wall in the room. Once I had found the middle, I measured evenly to each side of the middle point. I then taped off the mural area and applied a base coat of white paint.

Once the paint had dried, Isketched out the outline of the cow and the moon. The cow proved to be a challenge as I have never seen a cow jump anywhere, let alone over the moon. Yet after a few hours searching for images of a jumping cow, I was able to sketch a satisfactory cow.

After sketching the cow and moon, I applied several coats of dark blue and black to the night sky. I wanted the darkness that black brings but the depth and beauty of an added dark blue. I applied a base coat of tan to the cow and yellow to the moon. Yellows are notoriously difficult, so the moon took more effort than expected. Once I reached the warmth and depth I wanted, I added a touch of metallic gold paint. It added a very satisfying shimmer to the moon. I used white, yellow and metallic gold paint for the start, being careful not to over do the number of stars and detract from the cow and crescent moon.

The cow proved to be a little difficult as well, as it is rare in my experience to see a cow lit from underneath. However, I knew that since the moon reflects the sun’s light, the cow would need to be illuminated by the moon. After adding highlights and shadows, and revisiting several shadows, the cow had sufficient depth.

This mural was a joy to complete, and complete it I did before our third child made his grand entrance into the world. My elder two children also enjoy this mural. I will be sad when the day comes and my children outgrow a cow jumping over the moon, but that will simply mean it is time to complete a new mural.

If you are interested in a mural of your own, I still have openings for 2020. I am also booking for 2021. If interested, contact me at elizabethsteingassart@gmail.com