How to paint a castle room!!!

My son's room has a large arc window that I wanted to paint like a stone castle with a keystone and everything.

So here is the process: (Sorry I have no photos, I did this a few years ago. Please bear with my "Paint" examples)

I told myself if I found some gray paint on mark down I would take it as a sign that I should paint his room. Well, I did find some at Walmart, so I jumped on it and started my project.

The first thing I did was make 2 other shades of gray. One lighter then the base, and one darker. I shaded the lighter one with excess white semi gloss I had in the garage, and the darker color I added some black tole paint from my craft closet. (it didn't take much, I didn't want it too much darker, the wall was already gray)

I painted the entire wall the color of the mortar. I then cut out a cardboard "brick" and traced it on the wall, starting at the baseboard. Be sure to stagger the bricks, and don't always start with a solid brick in the corner. I used white chalkboard chalk to trace my "bricks".  To make my model brick I used a piece of cardboard. (see diagram below)


Once I had the entire wall traced on, I took my darker color and painted a "L" down the left side of the brick and across the bottom. I then painted a light "7" across the top of the brick and down the right side. Here is an example I created on Paint:
In the next step, you take a crumbled up plastic grocery sack and "stamp" the wet light paint onto the dark paint. Repeat this back and forth. Stamping bottom left to top right, top right to bottom left. Fill in the middle with your "stamps". Here is another lovely Paint example:
*Be sure to turn the plastic bag inside out. You wouldn't want "Walmart" stamped in blue ink on your wall"

Repeat this trick over the whole wall. I did a few bricks at a time, but remember that once the accent paint dries, you can not "stamp" it anymore and you will be left with a light and dark line on your brick.

To finish it off, any stamps that got out of control can be painted over using the original gray in the mortar lines.

So, finally.....here is my sons arched window:
This is the arc window that started it all.
Close up of the arc
This was before I decided to do the 2nd wall
Above is the final project as of a few years ago.

And here is the wall today.  I've added a few "medieval" wall hangings (it's been fairly easy to find Fleur de Lise items at Ross) And my son took a dragon calendar apart and hung them all over his room.

Do you remember this shelf I refinished in THIS post earlier this year? (again adorned with dragons)

My boys are fighting over who gets this room when we take the younger 2 out of bunk beds and move my oldest downstairs. :)

You could do this in pink or purple for a girl, add windows with a country seen painted on the wall, or even make the top of the wall, the top of the castle with open bricks. I wanted just a solid wall. I was worried that it would darken the room too much if I did all 4 walls, so the double door closet wall, and the wall with the door I left white. (White under the huge LOTR and Aragorn posters) With this huge window we don't have a problem with the room being too dark. :)

I'm still on the look out for a Medieval Tapestry to hang in there, but they are EXPENSIVE!! I've thought about sewing my own "Coat of Arms" for the room....I'm afraid it will look cheesy so I haven't done it yet.

So.....what do you think?