Giant Mural Pays Homage To Kobe Bryant In Tri-Valley

PLEASANTON, CA — Pleasanton-based New Ground Technology paid tribute to Los Angeles Lakers sports icon Kobe Bryant, who tragically died with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, in a fiery Sunday morning helicopter crash.

The 115-foot-tall, 92-foot-wide tribute was done in honor of the basketball player who "touched so many lives," said longtime Pleasanton resident Kelli Pearson, who creates designs for New Ground Technology. Her husband, Pete Davis, created the machine used to make the designs.

The news came as a shock, she said.

"We love Kobe Bryant," Pearson said.

The creators did not want to reveal the location of the tribute, but said it was located one of Pleasanton's many parks.

Read: The Final Moments Of The Flight That Killed Kobe Bryant

New Ground Technology creates temporary designs on grass fields — usually golf courses or baseball fields — using a "TurfPrinter" that uses air to bend grass, creating a contrast seen only from above, she said. Blades bent away from the viewer are lighter, while blades bend toward them are darker. Grass is not harmed in the process, Pearson said.

It takes about an hour to create a hundred-foot image, she said. Each pixel on the design is the equivalent of a three-inch square of grass.

See how the tribute was made: