Scenic Art - Study Task 1 - 20/1/16

Scenic Fitches

Scenic fitches are used for the majority of artwork requirements in scenic painting. In particular, they are most often used for line work and offer flexible control.
They can be attached to sticks to allow the artist to work on backdrops at distance.
They can come with flat, rounded or angled bristles. Although some scenic fitches can appear similar to the pointed sash brushes, they can be identified by their long, thin handles
Pointed Sash

Pointed sash brushes have a rounded copper ferrule and are cut at an angle all round. They are usually  fairly multipurpose but are most useful for drawing lines of any kind. In addition to creating lines, they can also be used in dry brushing to give off a weathered effect.

Foliage Brushes

Foliage brushes are perfect for creating an earthy foresty effect. 

Softener
Stippler

Stencil Brushes

Stencil brushes are used in a -------------

Sponges - natural and artificial

Sponges can be artificial or natural. Natural sponges have a more uneven and bumpier texture, shown with the blue paint above. while artificial sponges typically offer more uniform, finer textures, as pictured in the blue. The effects can range from delicate finishes to bold and striking areas. It can be a inexpensive method to cover large areas quickly.

Sign Writing Brushes

Sign writing brushes tend to have longer bristles, which offer more flexibility and control over movement. Pictured above is my attempt at using a sign writers brush to write out my name. I found this task brush slightly more difficult to work with as I am not used to calligraphy or working in great detail. 

Stamps

Stamps are an incredibly quick and effective way to create repeat patterns. They are ideal if the scenic artist wants to create geometric shapes, flowering and lettering. From my own experimentaion with stamps I have discovered that I may be the only person incapable of using them. My first attempt ended in disaster after using too much paint and my second one didn't go much better. 

Graining brushes

Graining tools

I found the graining brushes to be reasonably effective but had a little difficulty getting the paint ratio ratio correct, which affected the neatness of the grain and knot. I also had some trouble with the rocking motion used to imprint the knot but I think that was just lack of practice and I will improve over time. I tried with a few different tools and found the pictured tool to be the hardest to use as I couldn't get the rocking movement right. 

Rollers - textured

Pressure sprayers

Techniques

Blending

Spattering

Puddling

Cross Hatching

I used these brushes to achieve this effect

Not much on tools. All 14 techniques, what brushes?

Role of the Scenic Artist

Extra

Extras - Scenic Painting

Woman In Black
I thought the scenic painting added to the overall moody and bleak atmosphere. Some sharkstooth gauze separated the stage, which blocked out certain elements to be revealed later, and was painted to look like a stormy sky. This could also be an example of scenic painting used to distract the audience of other effects/locations until they become relevant. I think that this feature set the tone for the play and added to the overall sense of dread and moodiness. It also worked well with the with the dim lighting, which increased the effect.
My guess at how they accomplished the effect is using stippling brushes to due to the immense size of the netting in order to add the darker colours, before using brushes to add the lighter colours and then sponges to blur out the lines and create the cloud like effects, similar to how I created the water sprays for the end of year scenic art project. I would use Rosco paints when creating the gauze as I would be able to create a much more watered down wash, similar as to the one seen in the picture.
Sidenote! Credit for the picture goes to Iona.

Peter Pan
This was a low budget youth theatre production so they couldn't create an expensive set. To enhance the idea that they were on a magical, far away land they painted the backdrop to look like a boat on clear water. They also added three dimensional  elements like a mast to give some depth to the sight. I think that this was a brilliant idea as it further separated the scene from the real world and created the image of an island. It is also a great example of incorporating scenic painting into the actual set in order to increase immersion.
If I were to attempt to recreate the backdrop I would first attempt the grid method before blocking in the main colours and then adding the detail. This is because the backdrop covered the entirety of the stage and I feel projection would be too difficult to get the correct scale. However, after looking at Ashleigh Wheeler's second year scenic art project that she somehow managed to do with minimal gridding, I think that it would be possible to come up with a final outcome without the need of all the intensive background work. Additionally, the image she came up with happens to be fairly similar to the backdrop of Peter Pan so it shouldn't be too hard to use similar methods. To create hers she began by initially painting a small version of the final piece before free handing it onto the flats with pencil. She is, however, an apparent pro so I may suffer more difficulty.