Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2000 - 14

course four inches ,ride: in the case of concrete blocks, no
o,'erlap was needed since the mop head ,ras the same eight
inches as the blocks. If done 'reB and fast. the course line
should be pretty straight. If not. it \lould be adrisable to let the
base coat dn and then ch;dk some guidelines (four-inch or
eight-inch as needed) "ith charcoal po"der.
Before the ne\t step. the mop ,ras rinsed and stamped
sereral times to get rid of e\cess 'rater. The brick base ,ras
then stamped ,rith the sponge mop one course at a time. This
color ,ras not as ,ret as the base coat so the edges of the bricks
stared crisp. SpaCing between bricks-one-half inch to threeeights inch-,ras eyeballed. (If rour erebaB is not trustworthr
then a guide mar be taped to the top of the mop to ensure reiatire" eren Yertical mortar joints.) The "Suggest o' Brick" technique ,ras demonstrated using small groupings of bricks to
gire the suggestion of a complete masonry 'rail.
For the block technique, instead of using the mop like a
stamp. it ,ras pushed si:\teen inches across the surface to get
the length of the block. with a slight rocking motion of the
mop to cut a good edge and ending with the opposite side of
the mop to finish the cut of the block. The first course of blocks
"'as measured out-Si\leen-inch blocks, one-Iudf-inch mOllar
joints-and each subsequent course ,ras eveballed off that.
Adding te\ture to the bricks or blocks ,ras the ne\t step.
For the bricks. t\ro colors ,rere alternatelY stamped with
a dry mop and uneven pressure. A"'arm color ,ras stamped
on the side from ,rhich the light 'rould be coming, and a dark
brick color ,ras stamped on the shado,,' side. The dark brick
color was then spattered, followed br a ,rarm spatter. Although
time doesn't aI,rars allO\r it. a finishing spatter of roral purple
and 'rhite if it is an erening brick wall. or yellow ochre and
white for a dadight brick "all. was applied diagonallv to simulate the light source faLling across the "aLi.
For the blocks, a spatter of a darker version of the block
color and a lighter version of the block color gave the blocks
te\ture. 'ie\t, a light source ,ras suggested by using a shado'"
wash and feather the shado'red side. Finally a spatter of highlight color was applied in the direction of the light source.

WOOD GRAIN USING PIGMENTED STAIN ON SLICK SURFACE
demonstrated by ROBERT SMITH
One of the features of this wood graining technique is that it
may be broken down into relatively simple steps which beginning students are able to quicklY master to produce reasonablY good "ood graining. Another feature is that the technique
is fast. The dO\m side is that pigmented oil stain typicallY requires a day or two of drYing time before it mar be handled.
This 'rood graining techniquc requires a hard slick surface such as 'rood or Masonite. It 'rill not work on canvas or
other soft surfaces. Agloss or semi-gloss base coat is put on
over a "'hite prime coat. One may use either a real oil-based
gloss paint ,rith mineral spirits and the resulting fumes and
delayed drying time or a late\ semi-gloss paint without the
fumes and dlYing problems. Alternativelr, a mi\turc of paint
and rinrVacrYlic/late\ clear gloss finish will produce a surface
which seems to he slicker than commerci;tl semi-gloss late\hased paints. hut not as slick as oil-hased gloss paints. The
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color selected for this base coat is determined br the t\'pe of
'rood to be emulated. An ochre base ,rorks 'reB for oak,
,rhereas a base coat ,rith a more reddish or peach tone would
be appropriate for mahogall\.
After the base coat has dried. a pigmented oil stain is
used to create the grain effect. It is important to remember
that dre stains 'rill not work. The pigmented stains. which are
t\-picallr used for e\terior applications, have the needed body
and consistency to 'rork in the process because ther have solids in the stain. The contents label for the stain ,riLl make clear
'rhether the stain is pigmented or not. The color of the stain is
selected for the finished graining of the desired wood. For old
oak, a dark color is most appropriate. The stain is brushed on
over the base coat and smoothed out ,rith the brush strokes
going in the direction of the finished grain. It is important to
work on relatively smaLl surface areas before moving on to
other areas. The lim.iting factor is hO\l long it takes the stain to
set up. On items such as doors, it is usuaUv wise to do each of
the recessed panels first and then do aU the horizontal members. Last. the t\vo vertical pieces are done. The real idea is to
grain each piece of ,rood as a separate surface.
The actual graining is created with a very stiff brush, t\-picaUya corn-straw whisk broom. The whisk broom is dragged
through the stain to create the grain. The stiff bristles push the
stain aside to allow the base coat to show through to create the
graining effect. It is also possible to push the broom through
the stain rather than to pull it. The results will be slightlv different. If the graining result is not to vour liking, merely smooth
out the stain and repeat the grain process. The process may be
reworked until the stain starts to set up. Obviouslv, the whisk
broom is dragged or pushed in the direction of the finished
grain. IdeaUv, there will be a thin glaze of the stain over the
base coat in some areas for the light grain. In other areas, the
stain ,riB completely obliterate the base coat underneath it.
The stain \I'ilJ begin to build up on the wisk broom and must
be shaken out or rinsed out with mineral spirits. If the broom
is rinsed out, allO\r time for the broom to drv before continuing. Knots and similar effects may be done with a paint brush
or a finger. The painted scenery is then put aside to dry. When
\lwking on a door, one complete side of the door may be
done without waiting for the surfaces to dr\'. After that side has
dried-typic;tlIY a fuLl dar-turn the door over and do the
other side. If mitre joints are being painted br masking with
kraft or butcher paper. it will be necessary to aUow the stain to
firmly set up before tning to do the other half of the mitre joint.

INTRODUCTION TO AIRBRUSH TECHNIQUES
demonstrated by NICK ULARU
Spray painting is qUicker and can be more economical than
classic brush p;tinting technique. especiaLly \I'here there are
large areas such as backdrops or Doors to be painted and te\tured. The airbrush is ide;d for properties, hlI'lliture pieces,
p;tinted surfaces with photographic details, or 'rork of a nature too difficult to brush.
Using a vertical moving paint frame is the ideal 'rork position for spraving. Preparation is ker as surface areas which
will receive no paint or paint of another hue must be masked.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2000