Tips For Educational Theatre -
Painting A Backdrop

"My director wants painted drops.
Any advice?"

Let's start with the fabric. When painting a drop, it is easier to work on NFR (NON Flame Retardant) muslin. The FR muslin has a coating and the funny "hand" to the fabric makes it not take paint as well.

Painted drops can be seamed (always cheaper) unless you plan to make a translucency to light from behind.

The drop should be stretched and stapled down when it is painted. In a space with a paint frame, the drop can be hung vertically. Otherwise you will need to roll out a plastic drop cloth. Cover the plastic with bogus paper and then staple the drop to the floor. Remember to use extra long staples and to not drive the staples all the way in. After all, you do have to remove the drop later.

In case you have "forgotten," here is the math for determining a right angle. (Tip: use 3,4,5 or 30,40,50...)

The drop should remain in place until you are finished and the paint is completely dry. Fans may be used to help dry the paint more quickly.

If the picture is of an architectural element, you will need to square the drop and snap a base line as a reference point. Once the drop is attached to the frame or secured to the floor, use two long tape measures and carpenters square to mark a right angle on one side. Use the snapped base line on the bottom of the drop as a given. Place one tape measure on the vertical edge and let one serve as the hypotenuse of the triangle.

Use a "grid" to facilitate accurate transfer from rendering to drop.

When the tape measures are lined up to give the correct measure for the vertical and hypotenuse, snap the vertical line so you can mark an accurate grid.

Before you can paint your actual backdrop image, you must "size" the fabric - a process which seals the fibers. (A translucency requires starching rather than sizing.) For a typical opaque drop there are several choices for sizing - many scene shops use flame retardant.

For the novice painter, I recommend sizing the drop with very thin (ie watered down) white scenic paint with Flamex P-50 mixed in. This offers a size coat and a priming coat together in the same step. Do not use house paint for this! [more information on flame retardants] I recommend thinning white scene paint to the consistency of skim milk for the size coat.

In the past, many scene painters used "size water" made of glue and water to size drops. The general test was you put your thumb and forefinger in the size water and waited 30 seconds. If it was hard to get your fingers apart - too much glue. If there wasn't a "pop" when you parted your digits there wasn't enough glue in the mixture. You should use a flexible glue like Flexbond. Carpenters glue or other polyvinyls may dry yellow or white or come up through the layers of paint.

Once your drop is sized, treated with flame retardant and primed, you're ready to paint your "scene." Keep in mind that when painting a drop you want the paint as thin as possible so it does not build up thick layers of paint resulting in cracks later. The trick is to achieve an appropriate balance that leaves enough "glue" in the thinned paint for it to stick to the surface. This balance is readily achieved with specifically formulated scene paint.

Why Scene Paint?

Wal-Mart and Home Depot - although great places to find a "bargain" - are not your friend when it comes to scene painting.

Scenic paint is designed to be used in conjunction with Flame Retardant products - and you most definitely want to make sure that you are in compliance with the applicable safety regulations.
The colors of scenic paint are true artist's colors so that it is much easier to match the the artist's rendering.
Scene paints are designed to have enough binder and pigment so that they may be thinned out with good results. House paint is designed to be used out of the can only. Thinning a house paint can produce extremely poor results. If you have ever gone into an apartment that was painted with cheap contractors' paint, you may have noticed simply touching the wall resulted in black marks - the result of paint that doesn't have adequate binder or pigment to maintain its integrity. [more information about scene paints]

Paint Color Tips

Things to keep in mind when working with dark & middle tones include:

dark colors tend to dry darker than expected
applying a sealer takes the result closer to the color of wet paint
using solid, darker colors on a floor will show footprints and dirt. The easy solution is to spatter multiple layers of colors with a P-50 sprayer or a brush to breakup the surface without changing the dark tone of the floor. Using multiple layers of colored spatter will also make the floor more responsive to light.
darker colors result in less reflected or ambient light
when mixing, always mix color from light to dark

When working with white and light tones, keep in mind:

light colors tend to dry lighter than expected
applying a sealer takes the result closer to the color of wet paint
use light colors to base coat except for metallic finishes
"white" paint onstage is NEVER straight-out-of-the-can: you should always mix to a pastel, grey, or off-white tone

Other Application Tips

4" Chip Brush

Crosshatch the base coat whether you are using a roller or an inexpensive 4" "chip" brush. (I prefer using a chip brush.)
Paint from the top down to avoid drips.
Do not allow glue or paint drips to dry. Use a damp sea sponge to blot up drips before they set.
Paint from background to foreground.

Don't Forget

plan ahead
- make sure you have all the supplies, tools, space and help you'll need
- it helps to make a check list / to do list to keep all your ducks in a row
label your buckets with color formula and show name
think about the cast's skin tone when selecting colors
test the paint color by letting it dry fully before continuing
give paint chips to the lighting and costume designer
look at a picture or elevation while you are working
look at the set under stage lights as you are working