Theatrical Scene Painting: A Lesson Guide

19. Drops and Scrims

222 19. Drops and Scrims Many amateur and educational theaters are forced by budgetary restraints to reuse a scenic drop or a repertoire of scenic drops year after year. If lucky, the same drop won’t be needed in shows mounted back-to-back. But even the most magical of painted illusions lose their allure, and with frequency and overuse become an inside joke, if not downright boring. The time will come to either pack it in mothballs or try to paint over it. Most drops are not left to hang between uses but are rolled for more compact storage. In order to allow the drop to be rolled, it likely is painted with dyes or washes of color, as opaque paints can clog the fabric weave and prevent the drop from rolling without cracking. Attempting to “erase” previously dyed backdrops is a futile endeavor. Even the most vigorous cleaning and mild bleaching will fail to erase the majority of details and colors. Floating images will remain, as if a ghost of what once was. So, the obvious follow-up for the dyed backdrop is to paint over it with opaque colors. Even then, some of the more tenacious dyes might ghost through the dried paint. If a drop was first painted with opaque paints, it was likely stored hanging or lying flat; all subsequent designs must be repeatedly layered with opaque colors, and the reused drop will eventually weigh as much as a threestory building. But for those fortunate enough to attack brand new drops, a basic step must be taken to prepare the fresh fabric for dyeing or painting. Inexperienced painters may become frustrated by the uncontrollable bleeding of dyes and washes that occurs and spreads throughout the weave of the drop. Although designers sometimes call for such a bleeding of color, such an effect is always a preplanned notion involving a well-monitored technique. Painters can encourage the spreading of color by wetting the drop with water before, during, and after the applications of the actual colors. Regardless of the painting technique employed, however, all new scenic drops should be glazed with a primer of liquid starch. This will not only prevent the running of colors but also provide a tightly stretched and firm surface on which to paint. Laying Out Lay out the drop on the floor. Sweep clear the paint-shop floor, and place lengths of gray bogus paper over an area a bit larger than the drop itself. Overlap the side edges of the lengths of paper as they are being positioned, 223 and tape the ends to the floor to avoid the paper from shifting. Then, on the paper, snap a chalk line indicating where the top of the drop is to be placed. Parallel to this line, snap a second line at a distance from the first line that equals the height of the drop. This second line serves as a guide for the bottom of the drop. Placing a large right triangle (painter’s floor triangle) or reliable scenery jack at the left end of the top line, extend the perpendicular edge until it crosses the bottom parallel line (see fig. 214). Mark the top and bottom lines at these points, remove the perpendicular guide(s), and snap a line to connect the top and bottom guidelines. This third line indicates the left end of the drop as seen from the front. Measure from this third line along the top and bottom lines the same distance as the length of the drop, and make hash marks. Connect these two points by snap line, and the guidelines for the placement of the drop are complete. Check the accuracy of the box by measuring from corner to corner. The distance between the lower-left and upper-right corners should equal the distance between the upper-left and lower-right corners. Place the drop on the gray paper, adjust to match the snap lines and, at intervals of 6 to 9 inches, tack through the hems into the paint-shop floor. If the floor is not made of wood, construct a wooden frame the exact size of the drop. Make the frame. Use lengths of 1 inch × 3 inch pine scarf-jointed or butted together with keystones to form the four long-running lengths required and place on the floor as if building a large scenic flat. Use a standard corner-block assembly to attach the four 90 degree corners, but substitute the corner...