SCENE PAINTING 101

COLOR:

Hue (actual pigmentation)

Value (lightness or darkness)
Chroma (intensity or purity)

PARTS OF A PAINTBRUSH:
Paint brushes are made of three parts: the handle, the ferrule, and the bristles. Each of these parts
contributes to the overall feel and quality of a paintbrush.
BRISTLES Also called the hairs or tuft. The actual brushor the part that applies
paint. Tufts come in various shapes, such as round, flat, fan, and liner.. They also
come in various sizes. Try to choose brushes that have the size displayed clearly on
the handle. It is the bristles that often determines the overall quality of a paintbrush.
FERRULE The part of the brush that connects the handle to the bristles. It can be
synthetic or natural. Generally, the higher-quality paintbrushes have nickel-plated ferrules that are attached to the handle without double-crimping. Look for ferrules that
are seamless, as they help prevent solvents from leaking inside and damaging the
bristles.
HANDLE

The section of the brush you actually hold. Usually made of wood or plastic. Make sure that hardwood handles are lacquered or enameled, to prevent deterioration. Choose a handle that feels comfortable in your hand and provides an easy grip

PAINT:
Scenic paint is composed of three parts: the binder, the pigment and the medium. The binder is what makes
the paint adhere to the surface to which it is applied, the pigment gives the paint it's color, and the medium
is designed to disappear as the paint dries. Scenic paint provides a good binder that will adhere to a variety
of surfaces, and (as much as possible) a single pigment color, which keeps the color of the stage light from
affecting the perceived color of the paint. A variety of paint types are available depending upon the surface
and the artists' preference.

BINDER The binder, commonly referred to as the vehicle, is the actual film forming component of paint. It
is the only component that must be present; other components listed below are included optionally, depending on the desired properties of the cured film.
The binder imparts adhesion, binds the pigments together, and strongly influences such properties as gloss
potential, exterior durability, flexibility, and toughness.
Binders include synthetic or natural resins such as acrylics, polyurethanes, polyesters, melamine resins, epoxy,
or oils.

PIGMENT Pigments are granular solids incorporated into the paint to contribute color, toughness,
texture or simply to reduce the cost of the paint. Alternatively, some paints contain dyes instead of or in
combination with pigments.
Pigments can be classified as either natural or synthetic types. Natural pigments include various clays,
calcium carbonate, mica, silicas, and talcs. Synthetics would include engineered molecules, calcined
clays, blanc fix, precipitated calcium carbonate, and synthetic silicas.

MEDIUM/VEHICLE The Medium is what allows the paint to flow properly. It is often made of oil or water, but historically, was often consisted of milk.

COLOR WHEEL/COLOR MIXING

PRIMARY COLORS The Primary Colors of Pigment are RED, BLUE, and YELLOW. In traditional color theory, these are
the 3 pigment colors that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived
from these 3 hues.

SECONDARY COLORS are made by combining two primary colors. They are ORANGE, GREEN, and VIOLET.
TERTIARY COLORS Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green.
These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's why the hue is a two word name, such as
blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.

COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

are colors which are located directly across each other on the color wheel (i.e. Violet and
Yellow). When complementary colors are placed next to each other, they appear to be brighter and more intense than
when placed next to other colors. In scenic painting, complementary colors are often used to balance or tone down the
intensity of their complement.

HOW-TO: CLEANING PAINT BRUSHES

1. Rinse brush thoroughly with warm water (not hot).
2. Always hold bristles facing Down (to preserve glue).
3. Add small amount of soap to ferule & bristles.
4. Work soap into brush.
5. Rinse the brush until there is no paint coming out of the brush.
6. Repeat the process. Rinse the Brush until there is no paint coming out of
the brush.
7. Rinse the brush again and shake the excess water from brush.
8. Shape the tip of brush.
9. Hang brush in rack above sink or on nail with bristles facing down.
**If you have any questions, please ask the instructor of graduate assistants.
If you are using an oil-base or polyurethane-based paint, see instructor before
cleaning your brushes.

Other Pointers:
-Dip brush in clean water and shake out before starting to paint.
(This helps to ensure that paint does not get up into the ferule of the
brush).
-When stopping work, even if only for a minute, rinse the brush out.
(Carry a bucket of rinse water with you to all jobs).
-Dont leave your brush resting in paint. While painting, place it across the top
of the can.
- Dont dip the brush into the paint all the way up to the ferule. Keep it on the
bristles.
- Do not force the brush into the painting surface.
- Make sure that the lids of all cans are tightly closed. If the can is warped,
then use tin foil to cover.

Paint Spills:
Clean up all paint spills immediately!
1. Sop up as much paint as possible.
2. Spread sawdust over spill and sop up all remaining paint.
3. Sweep up all dust immediately. Do NOT let the sawdust dry to the floor.

Scene Painting Brush Techniques

Priming & Base Coats
Crosshatching/ Figure Eight stroke
Push paint into new surfaces. Dont use rollers on new muslin & fabrics. Use slightly different colored paint so you
can see any holidays against the background color.

Base Coats
Wet Blending
Brushing two or more colors together while paint is still wet
Blending from one color into another
Large blending areas may require intermediate colors
Dont over blend as colors become muddy
Water may be sprayed on to extend drying time
Scumble/Scumbling

Blending two or more colors together at random to create new mixes of color
in an uneven but uniform texture or surface. Water may be sprayed on to
extend drying time.
Wet Scumble [Right]- Colors blend together making a more uniform surface
New plaster walls, ground, stormy sky, marble
Dry Scumble [Left]- Gives stronger texture and rougher surface. The color blends not
as much in the paint, but in the eyes of the viewer. Good for Heavy plaster, foliage
backgrounds, stormy sky, surf, etc.

Puddling

A very wet blending process where colors are left to continue to blend together after
the painting has stopped.

Detail or Finish Techniques

Lining- long lines require several trips to the paint bucket. Dont set down brush on surface when starting and stopping.
Have the brush in motion when setting down & stopping a line. Lightly bouncing the brush will create variety in the
line.
Cross Hatching- many smaller lines that create texture or suggest an etching process
Dry Brushing- dragging a brush with only a small amount of paint to create many thin lines
Stipple/Stippling- pushing the tips of the bristles of a brush or sponge against the surface to
create dots of color (similar to pointillism)
Schlapitchka/ Feather Duster- use the duster like a brush or in a stippling action
Ragging or Rolling- wrap a fabric in a loose tube, drip in paint and roll onto surface
Stamp- cut a shape out of foam rubber, dip in paint and apply to surface
Stencil- cut a shape out of stencil paper or plastic, hold against surface and use a variety of
brush strokes to create different looks and textures
Wash- color thinned with water applied to tone a surface
Glaze- and a gloss or semi gloss applied to a surface to make it shinier
Spatter/Splatter- dip brush in paint and lightly smack the ferrule against the fleshy part of the
palm throwing small dots of paint at the surface
Spraying- (spatters, washes, & and glazes may be applied this way)
Dripping- allowing paint to run down a vertical surface simulating water spotting