Whittier's First LGBTQ+ Community Center
LA CADA recently received funding to complete renovations on a new LGBTQ+ focused center in the heart of Whittier, CA. This center provides meaningful services and volunteer opportunities to the community of Whittier, which means those within the community no longer have to drive long distances to either Los Angeles or further east to find those services (or volunteer).
As part of this renovation, they had an ambitious mural designed, one that would start near the entrance with a set of illustrated characters and wrap all the way around to the other side of the building. The process itself would require a number of techniques be used, from type work to highly precise line drawing to make sure it ended up exactly as designed.
Designs on Elevations
The designs that we were given were highly detailed, and laid out exactly as the architects had envisioned. This was a great way to be sure of exactly what we needed to accomplish, but set the bar extremely high for the level of accuracy we needed to maintain. Painting murals to match exactly how they were designed is a speciality of ours, but this one required a tremendous amount of attention to detail to ensure that the lines were the same as what had been drawn.
Not to mention that this wall was a full 80 feet wide, more than 15 feet tall, and had a 3-foot awning above the windows that we couldn't work around with just a ladder. In addition, while this elevation was on a flat plane, the actual surface sloped to allow for drainage, meaning that the math we had to do to ensure straight lines needed to correct for this. Finally: a pressure washer had to be used to make sure that any of the dirt and old paint wouldn't present any issues when applying our paint.
Painting Begins
Painting a project of this size required a lot of dividing and conquering. We had to first project and sketch the illustration mural on the side of the building (which required some FaceTime-mediated placement discussions), including both the faces and type. This then changed slightly how the lines were going to match up when they went around the side of the building, requiring a bit more adjustment around how to make sure everything hit as planned.
Once this piece was complete, the lines had to be measured, taped, and painted. These lines were huge in scale, and had to make their way the entire height of the building, frequently as much as 20 or 30 feet across, and sometimes through the awning. Certainly not simple, but the impact that lines this big had was huge.
In addition, we needed to make sure that some elements were extended beyond the original designs to keep a consistent look even when initial designs may not have called for it. As an example: the lines as designed stopped in the upper-left of the illustrated mural, but to someone visiting the site it could look like they ended abruptly. So we pushed those lines further into the second floor to achieve a consistent look.
The finished product
When the building was completed, it looked better than we could've imagined. The scale and size of it was amazing – when you're driving toward it the building, instead of just sinking into the background, suddenly pops into view with a huge, multi-colored display of paint. We couldn't be prouder of the finished product. The work that it required was significant, but to be able to help create something that can be such a benefit to the community is an amazing feeling.
Also a first for us was being recognized by both the County of Los Angeles and the California Legislature Assembly for our efforts. We're really truly proud to have been a part of such a worthwhile project and hope we that we can continue to use what we do to drive the kind of change in the world that we want to see.
