Last week, we posted on our Insta stories before 5:00am with behind-the-scenes on our mural tracing. We had so many people respond asking, “Why so early?” It’s because you can only trace a mural design when it’s completely dark to use a light projector—just like you used to see in the classroom when the teacher had to turn the lights off. Using a projector is the easiest way to transfer a design to a large-scale wall while keeping the design proportional. We also got the height we wanted by placing the projector on top of an SUV!
We use crayons to outline the design, because it’s not as noticeable and permanent as a Sharpie. Crayon also doesn’t blend with the paint colors like chalk does (we learned that the hard way).
We now have worked with a handful of Ankeny businesses to bring more public art to the city. A few of Ankeny’s mural artists include Jenna Brownlee, As Phate and now yours truly, Tina Ehrlich. I was onsite for two days at the well-loved and well-known coffee shop, Cafe Diem, creating “This is home” on the drive-thru side.
Right when I started painting, the client asked, “How long will it take?” I think he saw the size of the wall, and the size of my [small] paint brush, and thought my commitment of two days seemed tight. But, I responded, “Once I get going, it goes quickly.” As long as you don’t hit too many hiccups, which I didn’t, it really does—I was finished in the said two days. More time is usually designated to the design process, before supplies are even picked up. This client had a specific phrase and design in mind, which means there is a good amount of back-and-forth conversation about design drafts before a final is selected. I first created the bones of the mural with Adobe software, which was traced, and then artistic liberties were taken as paint was applied to adapt to the wall’s characteristics.
As an artist, I’m always surprised by how naturally the technique and style of small-scale paintings transfer to large-scale work. It truly is just a big canvas. And a much bigger brush.
This is my second mural in the Des Moines area and myself, as an artist, and we, as an art advisory company, are so honored to partner with business leaders to bring more color to the cities in the Des Moines area. We feel satisfied and happy when we know we’ve contributed to yet another
“pride point”!
