Figuring It Out on the Wall

A mural journey full of firsts, failures, and small wins

Kia ora e te whānau,

I was blessed with the opportunity to be commissioned for a mural inside an office space used to upskill people. Straight away, I knew this one was going to push me. New space, new tools, new problems — exactly the kind of challenge I need.

The room itself was plain white. Clean, but missing something. It needed wairua. The vision was clear though — three legends who changed the world in their own way: Bruce Lee, Bob Marley, and Kobe Bryant. Behind them, a bold splash of colour, and quotes to carry their whakaaro into the space.

Simple idea… not so simple to execute.

Projector Setup with skylights blocked up.

I’ve painted portraits before, so I was confident there. But everything else was new. Spray paint indoors wasn’t going to work — too many fumes, and the scale didn’t suit it. The wall was smaller than what I’m used to. No ladder, tighter space. That alone told me I had to switch things up.

So I landed on using an airbrush.

Something I had never properly used before.

Colour work? Not really my lane either.
Text? Never done it.

Sweet as.

Of course I said yes anyway.

Masked the sketches so I could paint background.

I knew I’d figure it out. I’ve spent years watching mural artists, picking things up without even realising. When it’s your passion, that kind of knowledge just sits there waiting to be used. So I got into research mode.

After long days painting at the Upper Hutt Tigers clubrooms, I’d come home and watch airbrushing videos, trying to understand what I actually needed — especially from artists like CORRADOMURALS. The tricky part was translating all of that into something I could actually get here in Aotearoa. Different products, different setups… it took days to figure out what paint and gear would work.

Eventually everything arrived.

And I did what I always seem to do when something new shows up — I left it in the box. Told myself I’d finish the Tigers mural first. Looking back, that wasn’t the move.

By the time I finally opened everything, I had about a week before starting the job. I thought I’d get a few solid practice runs in. Instead, I ran straight into problems.

The hose didn’t fit the compressor. Suddenly I’m learning about couplers and adaptors like I’ve been doing this for years — except I haven’t. I ordered parts online, waited a few days… wrong parts. Back to figuring it out again.

In the end, I walked into Mitre 10 and found what I needed in about five minutes. Could’ve saved myself some stress there.

When I finally got the airbrush running, I tried to get some practice in. Dots, lines, control… then a portrait. It didn’t look great. I couldn’t get those smooth values I’d seen in videos. Later I realised the artists I’d been watching were using different types of paint — stuff you can build up slowly and even erase. The paint I had was strong, bold, unforgiving.

With everything else going on in life, I barely got half a practice portrait done before it was time to start the actual job. Not ideal… but there was no turning back.

Day one on the wall, I went in ready to sketch using a projector. Straight away, another problem. The skylights made the room too bright to see anything clearly, even with the lights off.

Lucky for me, the team at Pop Training were awesome. They sorted me out with a ladder, some rubbish bags, and tape. Bit of DIY later, skylights were covered and I could finally see what I was doing. Sketch done.

Background painted in with the portraits still to go.

The next day I got stuck into the background. That part was actually fun. Felt like being a kid again, just going for it on the wall without overthinking it.

Then came the real test — the portraits.

I started with Bruce Lee. Took it safe and began with the hair. But I knew the face would expose everything. Right before I started, something clicked.

Instead of trying to copy exactly what I’d seen online, I adjusted it to what I had. I wanted the wall itself to stay as my brightest white, so I thought — what if I just build the values step by step? Start with white, add a drop of black, paint the next layer, then repeat.

Simple idea, but it worked.

Figuring out my method on the fly.

Honestly, it felt like the answer came right when I needed it. I finished that first portrait and just sat there for a moment, buzzing. I’d actually done it.

First airbrush mural completed

The next portrait, Bob Marley, flowed way easier. Everything just clicked. The airbrush behaved, the painting felt smooth, and I even surprised myself with how it turned out.

2 portraits completed.

Then came Kobe. I went in confident… maybe too confident. A few hours in, the airbrush clogged completely. Wouldn’t budge.

So there I was again — back in problem-solving mode. Driving around trying to find what I needed, learning on the spot. Interdental brushes, isopropyl alcohol… even borrowed a wrench from a kind lady at Repco in Petone.

Lost a few hours to that, but I got it going again. Still, I had to call it for the day before finishing Kobe.

The next day, I came in focused. Finished Kobe, and to be honest, it was a tough one — the angle, the expression — but I got it to a place I was happy with.

Three portraits done - lettering to come.

Then I moved onto the lettering.

That’s where things went sideways again.

I tried outlining with charcoal first. Didn’t work. Tried painting it freehand while the projector was up… one letter in and I knew it wasn’t it. Looked rough.

So I stopped. Took a breath. Rethought the plan.

Stencils.

Packed everything up, went home, and got to work. Resizing everything to match the wall took way longer than I expected. Then came cutting.

Stencils applied

From 6pm to 3 in the morning, I sat there cutting out letters. Music playing, podcasts running, just locked in. Long night, but I got there.

The next morning, back on the wall. Stencils up, spray adhesive, paint on.

And yeah… it worked.

Not perfect — a few spots needed touching up — but way better than what I was heading towards before. Definitely worth the late night.

By the end of it all, I was just relieved. Grateful. Proud too, in a quiet way. But more than anything, it was seeing the reaction from the team at Pop Training that stuck with me.

That’s always the best part.

Completed mural of Bruce Lee, Bob Marley and Kobe Bryant.

Seeing people light up, feeling proud of their space, connecting with what’s on the wall — that’s what makes it worth it. Their manaakitanga the whole way through made a big difference too. Makes the hard parts easier when you’re working with good people.

This project stretched me in ways I didn’t expect. New tools, new problems, figuring things out on the go. But that’s where the growth is.

Grateful to God for the strength to push through each challenge, and for the lessons that came with it.

On to the next one.