As soon as the FW Mural project was pitched to the team, I knew this was going to be one to leave its mark. It was Nat who put the idea on the table, after acknowledging the success of our first mural produced for the ‘Factory East’ project.
BTS of the FW Team painting the mural for the Factory East project
Even with our experience on the first mural, we quickly realised that the task of painting the large office walls would be a different story. We couldn't make use of the tracing method (where a projector casts the design onto the wall), since our staircase was too narrow and across different levels. In short, we were complete novices when it came to creating a fully designed mural.
That’s when Daler-Rowney came to save the day! We were already big fans of their work, so when Sci - our brilliant animator - proposed linking up with them for this project, we jumped at the idea. Simone Grau - working in Global Marketing Communications at Daler-Rowney - helped us not only with art materials but she connected us to our main collaborator, Pepe Gaka, the international mural artist.
Step 1: The Starter - Designing the mural
The first step was to design our FW Mural. The idea was to capture the essence of FW - which was more challenging than I expected! After researching via social media and talking to the team, I drafted a theme. I had to figure out how to compose these elements together within a fun and coherent world. Pop surrealism was the answer, allowing me to play with shapes and sizes, grouping them in varying scenes to guide and unify the story. For example, Nat and Rob’s huge heads provide breathing spaces to the viewers as they stand out from the tiny details that are around them. I also let some of my own characters join the fun - such as the little devils and ‘rainworms’ (shout out to Nat’s daughter, Marya, for the name!).
FW Mural Wall A design (left) + Sketch’s previous artwork (right).
Inspired by my personal love of ‘Adventure Time’ and a candy coloured theme, I developed the style accordingly. I am very pleased with the result, I believe it successfully captures the fun energy of the FW team and the history of this lovely company.
Step 2 : The Main Course - The logistics
Our main challenge was finding the right scaffolding. We had to ensure it could fit within our tight staircase, reach up to five metres, and be flexible enough to be operated on uneven levels. Thanks to Pepe’s help, we found one that incorporated a levelling system that could be used both on flat and uneven grounds. In addition, it had two gates on each side which allowed the team to securely pass under the scaffolding.
BTS of Aditi painting under the scaffolding
To physically prepare the office for painting, we cleared the space, including taping the floors, switches and metal bars with protective sheets, and priming the walls. I put the most pressure on myself during this preparation process, as Confucius claims: “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.” (I can’t believe I am quoting Confucius!). Also a note for next time: always add five extra rolls of masking tape to the shopping cart!
Step 3: The Dessert - Painting the mural!
As exciting as the painting stage sounded, it was equally daunting. But thanks to Pepe’s comforting presence and energy, this stage was the most fun one. Reassured by Pepe’s thumbs up for our priming job, we started by painting light dots at the intersections to form a grid on the walls. This allowed us to start the transferring process of the digital sketch. I was familiar with the transferring grid technique, but never had I done it to such a scale. Due to this, I had to reach spots in uncanny angles and not always at eye-level. I was worried about this distorting my perspective but Pepe helpfully advised us to focus on building a base at this stage. Following his advice, I was able to work faster. In fact, we finished the transferring process on the first day with Pepe. With the base of our lineart done, our next step was the coloring process. That is when we really discovered the beauty of Daler-Rowney’s System 3 Acrylic Paints.
BTS of Pepe and Sketch mixing colours with Daler-Rowney’s products
We made use of the Titanium White paint, which is quite opaque and only required us to coat one layer of paint for the colours to pop out strongly, saving us time and effort. We found painting with Daler-Rowney’s products such a joy. Each of their products are crafted to the highest standards. I loved how their brushes were of such fine quality, they were good to use for a variety of applications.
As we got closer to the finish line, each of us got stuck in to help complete the mural. Even Simone popped around to meet the team, see the progress of the project, and leave her mark as well.
BTS of Simone Grau joining us with the painting
It was a great triumph finishing the mural. After months of planning, in a matter of days it had come to life. And it had been a great initiative for the wider team. Better still, it had given us the chance to collaborate with someone external. Working with Pepe has been an incredible experience. His passion, appeasing energy, professional experience, and dedication helped to guide this mural to success. One of the greatest parts of this project was meeting such loving and passionate people with whom we could enjoy and connect through art.
As I painted my last brushstroke, I had this bittersweet moment - I was both happy and sad. Sad to have come to an end of such an amazing project and experience, and happy to have been a part of it. There were lots of firsts for me during this project. It was my first time undertaking a more producer-led role, designing over a 30m2 canvas, meeting an international muralist, creating a proper mural, building a scaffolding, writing a health and safety guideline, and sleeping in the office for four nights in a row!
As an artist, I have gained such unique skills and had the chance to learn from such a driven and hard-working artist such as Pepe. I was also able to grow closer to the FW team by interacting collaboratively with everyone. At first, I remember feeling unsuited to lead such a big project. But now, I am grateful I was trusted to do it. I thank everyone who has worked on this project and for having brought such joy and fun. I hope that everyone who stops by FW and sees our mural can grasp the essence of our company and team, and that it will spark some joy for their day. Enjoy!
A snapshot of the part of the final FW mural.
by Sketch Kuro, FW’s in-house illustrator and animator.
Check out our film showcasing our journey creating an office mural here.