How to Spray-Paint a Photorealistic Squirrel on a Public Electric Box

Back to our regular programming after the madness called "Artists in Wonderland".
I painted this squirrel on an electric box last week as a commission. I did't plan on making a full video out of it, in fact, I just wanted to check out how my new DJIO Osmo Action 4 performs out in the streets. So I didn't talk much. It was also super, super hot.
But the painting turned out great I think, so I thought, why not share a little process video with y'all.
By the way, for all of you Artists in Wonderland ultras, I might have something special in store for you guys. Keep an eye on my channel over the next few weeks. I'm working on something.
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:35 Dot Grid Stencil
01:35 Chalk First Lines
01:56 Painting the Background
02:48 Painting the Subject
08:04 Details with Brushes
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Follow me:
Instagram: / nickmoodyart
Facebook: / nickmoodyart
TikTok: / nickmoodyart
Website: nickmoodyart.com

[@yona_makes_bad_art]

Now the real challenge: paint a photorealistic electric box on a squirrel

[@NickMoody]

😂

[@SMOENOVA]

@@NickMoody hahahah

[@mjpete27]

Hullo Nick, absolutely a fantastic squirrel! Creating a beautiful scene on an everyday eyesore is simply the best!

[@NickMoody]

Thank you. Yes it is!

[@drumshtick_artstudio]

Thanks to Artists in Wonderland, I discovered you...and what a piece this is!👌👌

[@NickMoody]

Yeah! Welcome and thank you for the compliment! 🥳

[@ellycat5703]

Such a nice way to beautify the space

[@oeb3847]

Perfect! One of my favorite subjects...the Squirrel, looks like a fox squirrel. I'm a wildlife rehabilitator, and I can honestly say that they are some of the funniest babies around. I love how you bring such life to your paintings.

[@NickMoody]

Thank you! I love nature!

[@amyjanegardner9908]

Found you cause of Artists in Wonderland.....Stayed cause of your art work

[@NickMoody]

That's wonderful to hear. Thank you Amy! 🙏

[@batcactus6046]

Probably my favorite title for a youtube video ever, so far, in my life.

[@Woak.1]

Came out awesome!! I love the grid stencil, so smart

[@NickMoody]

That thing was more of a game changer than I though initially

[@ChuckLeeMBM]

I freaking loved the color palette in this. Super dope my friend!!

[@NickMoody]

Thank you Chuck!

[@ambero8726]

Great play of light and love that you put the colours up on screen for us, inspired idea there. Thank for sharing your time and art with us, till next time

[@NickMoody]

People have been requesting this so often. I figured I’ll finally do it. I might continue doing this if it’s of value to some people.. I don’t know, we’ll see..

[@ambero8726]

@@NickMoody if anything the little block of colour on the screen gives a 'true' colour. When it's going on top of other paint layers in a subtle way or the light of the shot keeps shifting. I love it mate

[@tammydialgray2835]

Amazing! You are adding beautiful art to the mundane. Lovely!

[@CharlesHancockCreations]

Great work, Nick! The use of the pegboard is ingenious. Your ability to use a can in such a small space, yet not overspray is...almost infuriating.😅 Beautiful. What a rad gig! Very dope.

[@NickMoody]

Thanks a lot!

[@raccoen7441]

i like the addition of the color popups for each can u use

[@NickMoody]

This has been requested a few times now, so I figured I'm gonna give it a try.

[@juliakremenchugskaya1542]

Once again stunning! You did such a beautiful job with the fur, it looked nice even before, but those extra touches with a brush made it just the cutest fluffball! Squirrels are my mum's favourite animals, I showed her your art and she said you did them little rodents justice hahaha Thank you so much for doing this and sharing with us!

[@GrandmaLoves2Scuba]

My Mother painted a utility box in my brothers back yard. She camouflaged it so well that unless someone pointed it out, you would never know it was there!

[@NickMoody]

Those are the best!

[@stephaniegrehan9084]

His face looks incredible. whoosa fluffy squirrel!

[@NickMoody]

Thanks Stephanie! I think he's very cute too :)

[@tracybowling1156]

Squirrels are my fav animal! I love this painting!

[@loricody4956]

Great job! 👏🏻

[@BubbaHead1]

80% of all these techniques were popularized by Greg Z, that's the original freestyle speed Painter spray paint artist from the 80s , the same guy that everyone in Vegas copies after he left. He would be very impressed. He loved this type of art over tagging. ❤

[@noahproblemo1257]

Fantastic!

[@NickMoody]

OG's know what I forgot

[@drumshtick_artstudio]

@@NickMoody I'm not an OG here but after binge watching your videos, I think its varnish you forgot... 🤔

[@NickMoody]

@@drumshtick_artstudio Nope, varnish has been applied haha. But you're close 😏

[@troypicou]

Did you sign it? Looks great!

[@MissRoseTrucker]

Tape!

[@NickMoody]

@@MissRoseTrucker You know it!

[@malsmith2012]

Great job Nick.. Squirrel looks fantastic mate... 😎👌

[@NickMoody]

Thanks a lot!

[@tmarbs]

That looks awesome. Great work, i love the detail in your animals.

[@FrankSirius]

Alter 😀 das springt doch wirklich geradezu aus dem Kasten heraus. Echt krass geworden. Sorry für einen deutschen Kommentar 😀🙌

[@NickMoody]

Ich würde mich selbst über Kommentare auf spanisch, französisch, oder Swahili von dir freuen :)

[@FrankSirius]

@@NickMoody Se ve muy bien. Una gran obra de arte 😀☀️

[@NickMoody]

@@FrankSirius muchas gracias, amigo

[@SMOENOVA]

😂😂😂

[@English-Lass]

Gorgeous

[@donnadees1971]

Love your work.

[@Porco1984]

Came out so good and such nice weather. Thanks for sharing your thought and work process, I always get so inspired by these electric boxes videos ✌😁

[@NickMoody]

That's awesome! Never sure how much those electric box videos actually add... But always happy I posted them anyways.

[@InformationIsTheEdge]

I misread the title and thought it was, "Prehistoric squirrel" and my imagination went wild! This was better. :)

[@VaderisOne]

I can F up a stick figure….my sister does plant life for a major video game company and has sold some of her art! But she calls me when her car, HVAC or a home appliance needs to be checked, everyone has their own strengths! Nice work!

[@NickMoody]

Exactly 💪

[@PaulaZF]

How nice to see a red squirrel! The gray squirrels are forcing them out from everywhere!

[@NickMoody]

The red ones are the most common ones here. I don’t even know if I’ve ever seen a gray one here. But I know them from other countries.

[@PaulaZF]

@@NickMoody Wow, not sure where you are. It looks like L.A. maybe? We have only gray here in Boston. But in London they had only red then someone introduced a gray which was devastating for the Red.

[@NickMoody]

@@PaulaZF Haha that's funny! I got photos of gray squirrels in some Boston park somewhere on my hard drive. Filmed that many years ago. I was surprised they would come up to you. I live and work in Germany and those red ones are super shy.

[@4legdfishman]

Looks amazing! It's so much better than a plain metal box. Thanks for sharing your talents! Greetings from the United States 🇺🇸

[@NickMoody]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@captainhoratiobungleiii7147]

Just discovered you and I am hooked! I sprayed some garden furniture this year and it was a massive pain in the hole. You are incredibly talented.

[@NickMoody]

Thanks a lot 😂

[@packratarkansas5388]

I am "truely impressed" !!

[@ShelvesterD]

What am incredibly lucky neighborhood to have this art!

[@SarahSmith-ze3fp]

Very cute! 🙌🏻

[@kerdeel]

Ich mag es, dass es mittlerweile normal ist, dass die Stromkästen Farbe bekommen. Und dieser ist echt nice! Vielen Dank fürs Teilen. Ich hab einiges mitgenommen. Btw. Meine Kurze spielt PokemonGo und da sind einige solcher Kästen als Bilder von Pokestops drin, die man als Geschenke an Pokemonspieler in aller Welt verschicken kann. Ich freu mich über jedes Mural, das bei uns dadurch ankommt oder das wir in die Welt schicken können. Noch ein Grund mehr für tolle Motive und mehr Streetart. Und AiW war großes Kino!

[@NickMoody]

Ah mega! Vielen Dank für das Feedback. Ich hab schon sehr oft Kommentare gelesen, dass die bemalten Kästen als Pokestops genutzt werden, aber ich wusste nicht, dass man Bilder davon verschicken kann. Da würde mich ja mal interessieren, wie viele meiner Kästen da schon im Umlauf sind 😀

[@corrinastanley125]

Cool and cute, nice work.

[@jkell42]

Great job Nick moody!

[@sandjfnffs]

wow! nice one.

[@Aakino]

That's incredible, bro! 😎

[@NickMoody]

Thanks! 😁

[@SewingBoxDesigns]

Lovely! 😃

[@JUA_XR]

Beautiful piece. Your control is insane 🎨 🐿️

[@NickMoody]

Thank you!

[@LGlifeisgood]

Great job Nick

[@NickMoody]

Thank you!

[@saraczirjak6591]

Wooooow your intro!!!!❤❤❤❤

[@LadyVEE_]

Excellent

[@vivianramsay2527]

This is so cool ! My community has commissioned all the utility type boxes in our small downtown and each one is very different style and subject. But never saw the actual artist at work ! So thank you for sharing and your art is awesome as well !

[@NickMoody]

Thank you!

[@linsaraillustration]

Awesome

[@delmarrosa8596]

Wow, amazing work!

[@richardroy2430]

More illustration than photo realism ❤

[@oculusangelicus8978]

I love to watch fellow artists work you can see what is going on in their minds when they are working their piece, well only because I too am a painter and love the medium. Paint is something that can create anything you want it to. and the one thing non-artists fail to see that we artists do is that when we paint something, we paint what we see, we don't trouble ourselves with the whole image that is done long before we pick up a brush. we simply recreate the lines and colors of the subject matter we see or are using for our work. as an artist becomes more familiar with their subject, the better at painting it they become. people fail to understand this can be done by anyone. they think it all hinges on talent. and I guess is a certain aspect it does, but there is no reason why someone cannot learn how to accomplish an image with whatever medium they choose and then paint the lines and colors that make up the image. After a while, they will realize that they somehow have the talent for it. meaning any skill can be learned by Humans, it is just a matter of how driven they are to learn how to do it. Thanks for sharing! You earned my subscription!

[@fraggedchimp]

awesome

[@jsud5559]

AMAZING!! Thanks.

[@NickMoody]

Glad you liked it!

[@nikkifreehling310]

Amazing as usual Nick!

[@NickMoody]

Thank you Nikki!

[@mb-3faze]

Your title is the very opposite of click-bait. We got exactly what you advertized!

[@NickMoody]

Thank you!

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

Oh my gosh that so cool using spray paint with a brush! I love 💕 how realistic it looks, even down to the fur textures!! The way you are able to blend the colors together without any issues of lines or splotches of paint is amazing. I am curious to the number of cans of paint it takes for this size painting to be done? Definitely a gorgeous piece of art! Thanks so much for sharing this with us. 🐿️💕

[@NickMoody]

Thank you Coleen! It's really not that much for a box that size. If I had to guess I'd say probably less than 3 cans. You need to bring a lot of different shades though, so it's kinda tricky to measure.

[@sotepniques]

you got so much talent bro!

[@NickMoody]

Thanks a lot brother!

[@jonnycowen6525]

Sick piece nick!!!🔥🔥🔥

[@NickMoody]

Thanks Jonny!

[@Poppacap79]

It’s crazy to me the detail you can paint with spray paint.

[@NickMoody]

You can paint quite detailed. But at a certain point you just need to use brushes.

[@D_A86]

So cool 🤌🏼

[@melle8658]

Gerne mehr davon !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@speedfreak8200]

My Fishing Gear ⚙️ is in the Kitchen !!

[@JakesBeats]

Awesome work as always man! Super! And very nice little video edits with those what colors you used. Nice work.

[@NickMoody]

Thanks man! Yeah I’ve been craving my simple easy edit videos. Especially after that Artists in Wonderland madness 😂

[@JakesBeats]

@@NickMoody haha i bet😂😂

[@graffitiEZOS]

Good jobs bro

[@stephenbaker7786]

Very cool

[@chantalrochon3566]

Good work🎉😊🎉

[@eurodollarsigns]

Just had dinner and watched this. Perfect! Its exactly what I was hoping to see. I dint usually comme t on KZbin clips because Im watching it on TV but I got to gi e you your Props Nick! Geil gemacht!🎉

[@NickMoody]

Danke Bruder! Even nicer then to see you in the comments sometimes. I appreciate it.

[@kate_c_]

Nice job, it looks really great! That dang tape 😉

[@NickMoody]

I camouflage my own masking tape 😂

[@Everykneebows]

Sic work. All my pants look like yours lol..

[@NickMoody]

I'm not even trying to keep em clean at this point 😅

[@boydstongrove]

Great video, thanks man.

[@wunderlichdrive]

It is so charming when non-native English speakers try to say "squirrel". I think it is the hardest word to pronounce in the English language. This is in no way a critique of your English, which is actually very good (better than many native speakers). More importantly, the painting is outstanding. It seems like you did that quite quickly. How long did it take you? You seem to have a very refined ability to pick out colors and create a palette, which works extremely well. I love seeing these kinds of public boxes painted in this manner. It just brings a smile to everyone's face that sees it.

[@NickMoody]

Thank you! Yeah "Squirrel" is a tough one. The German translation "Eichhörnchen" is probably equally hard for English natives 😂 Appreciate the kind words! Thanks! The painting itself (no cleaning, sanding, priming and prep work included) has roughly been 4 hours I believe.

[@wunderlichdrive]

@@NickMoody Ja, "Eichhörnchen" kann ich immer noch sehr schlecht aussprechen und ich wohne seit über 20 Jahre in Deutschland!

[@PipMiister]

🌻

[@Dansel3]

MARV . . . !

[@BlackCat_2]

Very cool! Do you ever get annoying people who think you are vandalizing? Heidi p.s. edit - if I lived nearer to you I would take those throw away brushes off your hands to repurpose them into art! 😊

[@NickMoody]

Only online on TikTok pretty much 😂 Never in real life. People are very used to this here and I assume my whole setup looks like I'm working and not vandalizing. But many people stop and talk to me. They're generally very open minded and curious about what I'm doing.

[@juanQuedo]

🐿

[@Oogly]

Real nice stuff this! Here they're just stickering the boxes. They have been hiring people for a some of the overpasses tho. which is nice. What caps do you usually use for these lvlup boxes?

[@NickMoody]

It's a rather small surface. So for backgrounds I usually use Montana Level 1 and standard Gold cap for blurry effects or clouds. Subjects and details mostly MaClaim cap and Montanan Black/Black.

[@danielzavala2691]

Teach!!!

[@MommyOfZoeAndLiam]

Gorgeos! Question: Are you commisioned by the city or the homeowner? If by the homeowner, do you get permission from the city first?? I have a box in my front yard (not on the sidewalk, ON my property, but obviously I don't OWN it. So I am just curious.

[@NickMoody]

Commissioned by the electricity supplier. They own these boxes.

[@robroy289]

Do you put any clear sealant on these?

[@NickMoody]

Yes I do

[@bobw222]

I think it is fantastic that companies will pay you to turn an ugly gray box into a beautiful work of art.

[@Iowa599]

Are you using spray paint in standard rattle cans, or refillable cans with special (replacable) nozzles?

[@WizardClipAudio]

10:30 yw.

[@sharonromer6606]

👍🙋‍♀️🇺🇸

[@janschultz6047]

Style...

[@davidf.8497]

Great job, Nick. Two questions, though : How king did it take you? And if you wish, how much were you paid for this one? Thanks and Hi from Réunion Island, Indian OCean.

[@NickMoody]

Thank you! Boxes like this can be done in a day, including cleaning, sanding and priming. The painting itself usually takes about 4-5 hours. If you're experienced and good at what you do, I would recommend you to charge between 500-1000 EUR for it, depending on box size, and complexity of the motif.

[@davidf.8497]

@@NickMoody Thanks for replying that fast and for the tips. Loved your trip to Artists in Wonderland too! Keep up!

[@SMOENOVA]

that`s illegal!

[@graffitiEZOS]

Ahahahahah 😂

[@D_A86]

😂

[@nurpadwipayana4341]

😂

[@StrudelNoodle]

Yes, you should call the cops on him for turning a dumpy electric box into art.

[@titmusspaultpaul5]

You want to dob him in? Stitches get Stitches 😅.... in any case it could be a commission.

[@ralphpalmer4391]

Lots of squirrels and girls in the world, please paint a girl with the squirrel next time! Lol.

[@steveo7767]

Wo wohnst du? Deutschland?

[@oosmosmoo]

You can generate some cool AI images to spray paint.

[@speedfreak8200]

Nights 🌙 in White Satin ......

[@annieontheroad]

I bet you didn’t anticipate the hardest part of this project would be pronouncing the word “squirrel” 😅

[@NickMoody]

Haha! 😂 Yeah definitely a tough word

[@lukass7630]

First

[@NickMoody]

🥇

[@Iowa599]

Spray paint is normal paint with LOTS of thinner.

[@XzavierStamper]

Goeie dag Mineer Nick please hit translate

[@NickMoody]

Hello!

[@tusk242]

Question do you PROTECT YOUR LUNGS? SEEN and heard far too many spay paint artist end up Dying far too soon, Because their are so few who do your type of Work not much is really heard about it. Enjoyed.. I know a Guitar Store, May be I can do this on his wall that is NEED of work, and I would love a Used Guitar, strings, Case for the art, NORMALLY I work REALISM Nature Art in Acrylic then OIL. on small canvas, but I do not have money to buy a used guitar. I am what one would call the REAL starving artist in USA before someone USED the name to mass produce same style of art, and call it Starving Artist. Guess all who help do the paintings are so called limited in $$$ money.? NOT sure I am 76, so it would mean using a ladder, And working around a time to complete, and never done anything this large, Most of my work is on 11X14" canvas( all I have available, a few are a bit larger) Would have to use your "GRID" or GOLDEN MEANS to map out. and a Template to map out first.

[@NickMoody]

Absolutely. You should use a respirator all the time.

[@DougSnyder-uh7rg]

Nice squirrel, but not even close to "Photorealistic". Are you sure you know what that term means?

[@polygonalmasonary]

‘Photorealistic’ would we say that? Well executed work of art, yes! Photorealistic, not in my opinion, sorry 😢👍🙏♥️🇬🇧

[@imaginitivity7853]

Agreed, but anything is better than a BT advert. Public advertising is highly restricted but for some reason BT can slap any old crap on these boxes and we just have to live with it. More squirrels please!

[@plutoyaldnil4750]

Fairly sure this is STILL GRAFFITI AND SO ILLEGAL

[@NickMoody]

This isn’t ILLEGAL, BUT I APPRECIATE THE COMMENT 🙌

[@user-fc1gq5xd9e]

public box don't mean you're supposed to fuck it up...

[@dianedavis3674]

🐿