How to Paint Circles for a Wall Design
Seeing spots isn't always a bad thing. A spotted wall can be chic or whimsical, and you only need simple tools to create one. A row of red circles just above a baseboard resembles balls, a playful touch for a kid's room. Clusters of soft yellow dots add a soothing look to an infant’s room. You can mix up sizes and placement or keep them uniform. Paint some flat and others shiny, and add as many variations as you can dream up. Because it’s only paint, if you don’t like the look of any circle, just paint over it and start again.
Hold a circular object, such as a dinner plate, saucer or bowl, against the wall with the rim of the object touching the wall.
Trace around the rim onto the wall with a pencil.
Set another round object, or the same one, against the wall in a different area and trace around it. Make as many circles as you want. Scatter them on the wall for a loose arrangement or make the circles close together for a tight cluster.
Dip a small, narrow-tip artist's paintbrush into a can of latex paint. Trace the pencil line of one of the circles with paint, outlining the design.
Switch to a wider paintbrush, such as a 1-inch angled trim paintbrush, and paint the center of the circle inside the outline. Go slowly around the edges to keep the bristles inside the circle. Paint more circles on the wall with the same color, if desired.
Rinse out the paintbrushes and switch to another color of paint, if desired. Trace around the outlines and fill in the centers. Continue painting the circles until each one is colored, then let the wall dry.
Add more circles to the design after the first group is dry, if desired. In this step, you can overlap the edges of circles to create layers, which adds some depth to the arrangement.
Paint a narrow band around the perimeter of each circle with a contrasting or complementary shade of paint if you want a striped ring effect.
Add a dot at the center of each circle, if desired. Dip a foam-tipped stencil pouncing tool into a contrasting or complementary shade of paint, and tap it at the center of each circle. You can also make small, independent circles with this tool.
- Make hollow rings on the wall by tracing a circular object on the wall, then tracing a smaller circular object inside the larger circle. Paint between the lines to form a ring.
- For a tone-on-tone look, paint the whole wall with flat paint, then paint each of the circles with semi-gloss or gloss paint in the same shade.
- If you’re short on circular objects or just want a wider range of sizes, buy circle stencils.
- Combine circles to form a variety of shapes. For example, an undulating row of green circles becomes an inchworm when you add whimsical feet, a pair of eyes and antennae. For cherries, create a few red circles and paint on green stems.
Carole Oldroyd, a writer based in East Tennessee, has authored numerous DIY home improvement, Human Resources, HR and Law articles. In addition to holding a degree in paralegal studies, she has more than 10 years of experience renovating newer homes and restoring historic property.