Logistical Challenges

Creating what is possibly the largest colored pencil drawing in the United States…and perhaps the world…does not come without challenges.

“When Dick accepted the commission, I had a sense of relief, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders after my 28-year search. That quickly evaporated,” the client said, laughing.

Mueller agreed, stating that it was by far the largest project he has ever taken on. “One of the first challenges we encountered was finding large sheets of paper to draw on,” Mueller said. “Normally I draw on illustration board, but that does not exist in such a large scale. The client was able to find 4-ft. x 8-ft. sheets of museum grade matt board which has worked out very nicely,” he said.

Mueller began the project in September 2007 and finished it in May 2008. He spent over 500 hours drawing and used more than 100 colored pencils. He used up to eight layers of colors in order to generate proper shading…he said “this is basically like doing a 4-ft. x 8-ft. drawing seven or eight times.”

He first created several preliminary drawings to see which one fit the client’s vision. Once that was agreed upon, he gridded the preliminary drawing into one-inch squares, and then using a one-foot square cut-out, the preliminary drawing was transferred to the large board, eliminating grid lines on the large drawing.

Fortunately, Mueller’s studio ceiling was high enough so he could set up the museum grade board on an easel. But he found that he often had to step back several feet in order to make sure everything was proportioned correctly. Mueller’s image of the hanging man is very close to the real photograph, but he did take some creative license. The man was originally believed to be 5-ft., six inches, and Mueller chose to make him smaller so that he could include the desert scene in the background and the image of the man was not overpowering. He also added a few missing ribs.

Framing the piece presented another challenge. The client searched for and finally ordered Plexiglas from the East Coast and had a special metal frame fabricated for the piece. The unique textured finish and patina was done by Paul Diefenderfer of "Desert Rat Forge" in Cave Creek.