Roger Reiman Mural - Introduction

Mural Painting - The Way of the Walldog Meet 

 

I would like to take you through the entire process for designing and painting a large-scale exterior mural project as it applies to a "Walldog" event. This will require a series of posts, starting with the initial mural project concept selection process, up through the completion of the painted mural.

I have mentioned the Walldog group in previous posts, but will post the link again. If you are interested in more information, you can click on the link below and look around the site. If you are interested in participating in one of these "meets", there is information on future events.

The Walldogs

Over the last 20 years, we have been working with various cities or towns around North America to hold a large Walldog event where 6 to 16 murals are painted over a 4 day period. In 2012 the event was held in Arcola, IL. In 2013 we will be celebrating 20 years of Walldog events with the community of Kewanee, IL.

Subject Matter

One of the first things a community does in the initial stages of planning for a Walldog event is to pick the subject matter for the murals. Usually the subject matter chosen is related to the town's history, town founders, celebrities, historical business, etc. 

The Walldog representative who is organizing the event works closely with local event organizers to pick subject matter that most people in the community can relate to and enjoy seeing displayed on the walls of their town. For obvious reasons, we try to stay away from subject matter that might be considered advertising for present day businesses. The Walldogs want to create works of arts that the community can all celebrate and enjoy over the years.

Project Leaders

 

The Walldog representative hosting the event, is usually the person responsible for choosing the Walldog Artists that will lead each mural project. He or she does their best at matching each Project Leader with a subject matter that the Artist can fully enjoy and perform well on. Some project leaders have many years of experience, and some will be leading their first ever mural project.

Mural Site Selection

The community members who are sponsoring the Walldog event once again work closely with the Walldog representative to choose the best sites for each mural project. Permits and permissions have to be obtained and signed off on before wall prep can begin. Once the mural sites are selected, they have to be prepared to be painted on. Occasionally, the walls may need to be repaired or updated before they are primed and ready to paint. If the selected site walls are not smooth enough for paint, Aluminum Composite Material (ACM) panels are built and attached to the wall or an easel before painting. These panels are attached to an aluminum framework and also need appropriate preparation for the type of topcoat being applied.


Ok, there you have a rather generic outline for the initial steps for a Walldog Mural Project. My next post will describe how I was selected to lead a project for the 2013 "A Hog in Dog Heaven" Walldog event in Kewanee, IL