teen wants a bedroom wall for freeform art

[PancakeGoddess]

Our 13yo is getting his own room at last, and he'd like to have a wall to permanently draw or paint on. This is fine with us of course but we'd like to think ahead about this and do it in the best possible way for him to be able to paint over it and start fresh, or whatever. Should we just take one drywall wall and tell him to have at it? Maybe just his door?

It's a small room without windows, so I'm also a bit concerned about ventilation if he uses his art markers or paints. Suggestions?

[smilecatcher]

If he asked for a wall, I wouldn't limit him to a door.
just an artist's opinion...

I would explain the importance of ventilation and have an understanding with him, that on the days he paints, he sleep on the couch *if* the smell is still lingering.

As a child I was given a HUGE wall at my Grandparents' house, and I loved it!
I hope to one day do the same for my children.

funny thing here, off topic... i find myself proofreading, b/c you are the spelling police! yikes!

[beka1977]

They now have white wallpaper that is meant to be painted/drawn on... You may want to check that out.

I painted a green tree on my wall in high school and it took MANY coats of paint to get rid of it.

[Aubergine68]

I'd consider bolting a big sheet of wood on the wall or stretching and priming canvas ont he wall - something removable.

I have a neice who had a creative wall like this, had her friends sign it, painted pictures, cartooned... she went away to college, her parents sold the house, and she was devastated that she couldn't take the drywall out of her room so she could keep the artwork that represented so much to her.....

Also, puttying a few holes is easier than repainting the whole thing to cover art materials, as others have pointed out.

[BusyBee]

My sister and I painted our entire room and ceiling. I'm so glad we had this experience. It has been almost 20 years since we did this and my parents have some of the original artwork still on the walls-the rest being painted over, of course. The ventilation issue is of concern health wise. My sister and I did our painting in the summer when we slept outside on the deck (one plus for country living). I think you could have an adult conversation with him expressing your concerns and ask him to help think of solutions. I personally can't imagine being in a room with no windows though--I love my fresh air and sunlight.

[PancakeGoddess]

thanks for all the great feedback. busybee, ita about no windows, and so does he.. but 4 kids means a couple need to use the basement rooms. Really it's just a sleeping/clothes-storage room - we actually have a nice room upstairs that he and I get to use as a studio but he wants to still use a bedroom wall for this. A giant canvas is a good idea - not sure how to do it exactly - I'm a fiber girl, not a painter/drawer.

[rere]

I was going to suggest a canvas too.You could just use loose canvas and put grommets in it to hang.That way he could easily roll it up and take it outside if he wanted to do something really stinky.

[PancakeGoddess]

ok, I really like the canvas idea - he can draw or paint on this with paints or markers or anything? Can someone walk me through this - like where to buy it, what type, etc - like you're writing a "for dummies" book? Pretty please? :-D

[rere]

You can buy canvas that is all "ready to go" by the roll or off the roll.You can also buy it untreated but whatever paint he uses will really get sucked up by the canvas(if you don't treat it yourself).And yes,he will be able to use whatever he wants on the prepared canvas.When I used loose canvas I taped the edges so they wouldn't unravel(this will not be archival)folded them over and put grommets(the type you might buy in the hardware store) on the edges to hang it.

If you have art stores in your area I would suggest shopping there instead of a craft store.The staff is more likely to know about canvas and I find the prices to be better(at least in my area).

Another idea is masonite.It's a great surface for painting and drawing.It could be cut into panels so he would still be able to take it outside for stinky projects.

I think it really depends on his comfort level.If he prefers a hard surface or a more fluid one.

[Bennie45]

As a teenager I painted hand prints on my walls. They were easy to paint over when we moved out of that house.