ISTOCK.COM Painting the scene A beginner’s guide to tools and techniques BY SEAN O’SKEA IF THE THOUGHT OF painting your high-tech stagecraft, the tools and ma- started. Set aside some time to play and scenery makes you shudder, don’t be terials needed for good scenic art are experiment with paint, when you have ashamed. Many theatre educators have within even the most limited budget. no pressure or worries about “messing remarkably little training in scenic art. If you are a beginner, this article will it up,” and you’ll soon gain confidence Most only get a few days of painting in introduce you and your students to the and skills. Please visit my website, an undergraduate stagecraft class. But basic information you need to greatly www.oskea.com, for downloadable scene painting is the final surface of enhance your scenic art. With a few handouts that expand on the informa- your set. The paint is what the audi- techniques at your command, you can tion in this article. ence is actually going to see. Terrific stop the flat and boring “paint-by-num- carpentry and stagecraft can be made bers” approach and begin adding life The tools to look shabby under a clumsy paint and sparkle to your work. However, job. The good news is, beginning these tips will only be useful if you PAINT scenic art has a gentle learning curve. actually roll up your sleeves and try the •By far, professional scenic paint like It is an easy journey from “Which end techniques out for yourself. You can’t that made by Rosco is the best choice of the brush do I hold?” to a competent expect your students to master paint- for scene painting. Even Rosco’s Off paint job on your scenery or props. It’s ing fundamentals if you don’t learn the Broadway economy line outperforms also nice to know that in our age of skills yourself. And don’t wait until a house paint in texture, color saturation, increasingly complicated and expensive few days before opening night to get and quality binders. If you can afford 22 TEACHINGTEACHING THEATRE THEATRE it, get it. Unfortunately, at twenty to ’SKEA fifty dollars a gallon (depending on O color), it can be out of the range of a SEAN lot of schools. If you do choose to use professional scene paint, find a distrib- utor where you can pick up the paint yourself. Paint is heavy, and the ship- ping cost for a dozen gallons can be staggering. Some distributors may be willing to offer special rates for schools if you are buying in large quantities. Make sure you ask. Don’t worry if you can only afford hardware store house paint to start. The pigments in house paint will be of inferior quality, and you won’t be able to get vividly saturated colors. These tools and brushes are all that you need to do most basic scenic painting techniques. Clockwise, from left: a hand- Plus, you might have some unpleas- held garden sprayer; a sea sponge; a respirator; a few watercolor brushes; a one-inch Purdy sash-brush; a four-inch ant surprises if you start mixing hardware-store brush; and a selection of china-bristle “chip brushes.” colors. But you can still do a lot with an economy-brand house paint that filler in the deep base won’t allow for they range in price from a few dollars to often can be had for around fifteen an opaque pastel color. around twenty or thirty dollars. A one- dollars a gallon, usually regardless of In short, the darker or more satu- inch brush from Purdy holds a great deal color. Shop around: you may find a rated the color, the deeper the base of paint and discharges it very smoothly, store that will offer you an education- paint needs to be. Of course, no mater making it an excellent, economical al discount. For class projects where what paint brand you choose, be sure choice for lining, lettering, or any place the exact colors aren’t important, you are working with water-based latex where a sharp edge is desirable. you can use the paint most hardware acrylic paints. Oil paint is great for fine You will also need some big brushes stores sell (or give away!) when they art, but its very long drying time, nasty to apply large quantities of paint fast. have mismatched a color. These will clean-up, and strong fumes make it a The best choice would be a three- or typically be colors popular in house bad choice for theatre sets. four-inch-wide Purdy or other qual- interiors, so you’ll find a lot of off- ity nylon bristle brush. Unfortunately, whites and pastels, but these are fine BRUSHES these brushes can cost as much as sixty to practice techniques. •A professional scene shop might have dollars. Luckily, the job of laying-in lots When buying house paint it’s best dozens of different types of brushes, of paint doesn’t require a high-quality to buy flat-sheen paint. It’s usually but for a school shop, four or five basic brush. Many hardware store brands are cheaper, shows pigment better, and it’s brushes can accomplish a lot. All of acceptable for this job. You simply need a lot easier to make something glossy these brushes can be found in hard- a sturdy, wide brush that holds a lot of by adding a coat of shellac or poly- ware or paint stores. paint. It’s a good idea to invest in sev- urethane than trying to dull down a China-bristle “chip brushes” are eral large brushes so you can have lots surface that should be flat. perfectly good for many basic scenic of painters working. The hardware store You can also buy universal pig- painting applications. They have the brand will be around twenty dollars. ments in fluid form from a paint store huge advantage of being very cheap, and mix these into paint bases for your so you can afford a lot of brushes for a ROLLERS own colors. Quality scenic paint can class full of students, and if (as hap- •Nothing beats a well maintained and also tint house paint. If you choose pens with students) brushes are not properly employed roller for getting a this route, be sure you understand the cleaned properly, they can be dis- lot of paint onto a lot of surface fast. different levels of paint bases. Your carded and replaced without breaking Rollers have distinct pros and cons, but store will have three or four bases (de- your budget. A one-inch chip bush will for base coating a floor or back paint- pending on the brand), starting with a likely cost about fifty cents. Buying in ing scenery, it’s hard to beat. You can white/pastel base. There will be a mid- bulk makes them even cheaper. Even also achieve a number of quick tex- tone base and then a deep or accent two-inch and three-inch bushes will tures and effects with different covers. base. The white base has a lot of filler only cost a dollar or two. in it to give coverage to pastel colors. It’s a good idea to have a few bet- SpONGES No amount of pigment poured into a ter-quality brushes. Purdy makes a •A few good softball-sized sea sponges pastel base is going to give you a rich, wide range of readily available brushes. are essential. The whole category of saturated color. Likewise, the lack of Depending on the bristle and the width, sponging techniques requires them. TEACHINGTEACHING THEATRE THEATRE 23 23 They can also be used with stencils. no protection at all from vapors and never find a recipe that read: “Step Find natural sea-sponges, as synthetic fumes. one: bake cake.” Instead there would sponges just don’t give the same re- With the brushes and tools de- be instructions on sifting flower, cream- sults. Sea-sponges have gotten pretty scribed thus far you can begin to apply ing butter, folding egg whites, etc. expensive recently (ten dollars or more nearly all the basic scene painting Scene painting is the same way. The for a good-sized sponge), but well techniques. There are plenty of other most elaborate paint treatments are all maintained they can last for years. tools even a shop with a tight bud- sophisticated combinations of a few get can afford. For more information, dozen or so basic techniques. The most SpRAYERS check out the Brush Basics handout on useful are also some of the easiest to •Most scene shops will have a number my website. learn. Below are the first six you and of paint sprayers. Pneumatic spray- your students should learn. ers are actually fairly affordable if you CLEANING BRUSHES AND already have a compressor. If not, you •ROLLERS AppLYING PAINT can get a lot out of garden sprayers After making the investment in qual- •I will frequently assign first-time paint like those originally made by the Hud- ity tools, you must learn to maintain crew students a base-coat project, a son Company. These are air-tight can- them. For brushes and rollers that simple “Here, take this and paint that.” isters with a hand pump to pressurize means carefully cleaning and storing I’ll come back later and see the student the paint. You can achieve a number of after each use. To start, shake or comb halfway through the job they should quick and easy spray effects.