Kenny Boyd promised his daughter Gabby, eight, a Hogwarts bedroom wall. With no mural experience, he is learning to airbrush and wants tips from Wirral artists.
A Wirral dad who promised his eight-year-old daughter a Hogwarts bedroom wall is teaching himself to airbrush a mural of the castle, and he is asking local artists for help. Kenny Boyd had never painted a mural when Gabby asked. “Apparently that detail only became relevant AFTER I’d said yes,” he told us.
The job has grown into what he calls “The Hogwarts Project”: “a huge learning adventure involving airbrushes, colour mixing, magical creatures and an unreasonable amount of time spent painting one very small bit of wall.”
He has a deadline in mind, of sorts. “Gabby’s eight now. I’m hoping to finish before she leaves for university.”
From warehouse floors to Dobby’s face
His day job is running Resin Coating Specialists. “I’m used to covering warehouse floors, but getting Dobby’s face right requires considerably more finesse,” he said.
The mural is not his only extra commitment. He also coaches Heswall Hornets girls’ football and New Brighton junior rugby. “Between work, coaching and learning to paint, I appear to have accidentally applied for several extra jobs. None have offered annual leave.”
Gabby has a role too: she helps mix the paints and supervises. Her feedback, by his account, is limited in range. “There’s only so much artistic feedback you can get from an eight-year-old whose main question is, ‘Is it finished yet?’”
Six episodes so far
Kenny is also learning to film and edit so he can share the work as it goes, “the successes, the mistakes and the bits that looked better before I ‘improved’ them.” He posts the progress as a YouTube series under the same name, on his @Boydyrm channel, and on Instagram as @boydyrm.
The first episode went up on 24 October. In it he lists his kit as an Iwata airbrush, Dulux Trade paint, “plenty of enthusiasm and absolutely no idea how many hours I’ve just committed myself to.”
By episode 6, posted on 5 November, the colour was going on. That episode covers the ivy, an arched Hogwarts window and Dobby the house-elf, “with layers of colour, shading and detail.”
The AI question
He is open about one part of his method that some artists will not like. “I use AI support to help explain colour recipes and painting stages alongside tutorials, experimenting and advice from artists,” he said. “I know opinions differ, and I’m happy to discuss that honestly.”
The painting itself is his own. “Sadly, it hasn’t worked out how to unblock my airbrush or physically finish the wall, so those jobs remain firmly mine.”
What it means for you
If you paint murals, airbrush or teach either, Kenny would like to hear from you. “I’d love to connect with local artists, mural painters and airbrush enthusiasts willing to offer advice or teach me a few things,” he said. “I’m serious about developing the skills and understanding the craft.”
The easiest way to reach him is through Instagram or the comments on his YouTube episodes.
“It’s a story about a dad keeping a promise, a daughter with a very ambitious decorating brief, and discovering a passion I hadn’t expected,” he said. “This feels like the beginning of something, although finishing her bedroom would be a useful first milestone!”
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