Decorating: Once upon a wall ...

When designing a child's room, some parents opt for one-of-a-kind, hand-painted creations instead of wallpaper. Color, texture and dimension can be added to a room by the stroke of a brush, according to local artist Teri Wamsley, who specializes in residential murals.

"There has been an increase in murals (in Las Vegas), especially because the new homes come with white walls. Plus, people are becoming more art conscious," said Wamsley, noting that murals can be painted in any room and on surfaces other than drywall.

"People are choosing murals instead of wallpaper for many reasons. Murals are original works of art, and original art is more valuable and more personalized. The children can have something in their room that no one else has.

"Also, if you put wallpaper up and you want to change the room's design later, you would have to tear it off and probably retexture the wall. It could be a very messy and expensive thing to do. But with a mural, if you want to change the room later, all you have to do is paint over it."

The designs are limited only by one's imagination.

"I go to the potential client's place and talk to them about their ideas. I learn about the room I will be painting, the furniture that will be placed in it, and the colors of the curtains and bedspreads," Wamsley said. "My major thing is that when I go talk to somebody, I have to really listen to what they are saying and incorporate their ideas into the design. I try to make them the artist and myself the paintbrush and palette."

Cheré Pedersen of Artistic Heirlooms, who specializes in painting children's rooms, agreed with Wamsley.

"I think that everyone knows what they want in a room, and the secret is getting inside their head and figuring out what they want. We create the room's design together. Adults can be so picky sometimes, but the truth is the kids usually enjoy whatever you decide to do," Pedersen said.

"In addition, I like to take ideas from children's books, wallpaper borders and wrapping paper, and try to center the art around that. I do not duplicate my work, and that keeps it interesting for me. My clients have one-of-a-kind art in their homes."

Both artists paint freehand, usually with acrylics. Wamsley said, however, that exterior paint can also be used because of its resistance to "sand, wind, rain and children's fingerprints."

Pedersen often uses bright colors in boys' bedrooms and subtler shades in girls' rooms.

"I try to make my rooms look fun," she said. "Right now, I'd say fairies and secret gardens are the most popular themes for girls' rooms, and for boys the popular themes have been jungles, dinosaurs, anything to do with sports, race cars and dirt bikes. Sayings are also popular. Sometimes I'll paint `These are a few of my favorite things' and then paint things that the child chooses.

"I try to discourage people from using cartoons as themes because the child will outgrow them, and to instead select a general theme like a jungle or a garden. I often ask expectant parents to pick out one of their favorite children's stories and use that as a theme."

The time required to paint a child's room varies depending upon its size and the complexity of the design, factors which also determine the project's cost. Pedersen said that a very simple project may be priced from the $200s and that a project can take as little as a day or two, while Wamsley may spend as long as two weeks on a child's room. Both artists said that the demand for murals has grown so much in the valley that they have months-long waiting lists created by word of mouth.

For those who consider themselves ambitious do-it-yourselfers, Wamsley offers a few tips. First, select a simple theme and choose complementary colors. Stencils, sponges and projectors may be helpful, although they will not bring the same one-of-a-kind results as a brush.

"You can always paint over it if you don't like it," Wamsley said.S U N D A Y , A U G U S T 4 , 2 0 0 2

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