Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1992 - 53

any rimes I have been
frusrrared wirh rhe exisring means of spraying
fabric painr onro cosrumes. Painr or floral
spray in purchased spray cans works well
enough for disrressing, bur rhe user is
limired ro rhe canned colors and rakes a
chance wirh washing or dry cleaning.
Good qualiry fabric paints come in
special, mixable colors, bur musr be
sprayed wirh a canned propellant which
is expensive, clogs and splarrers, and, like
spray painr, releases fumes which
somehow seem ro end up in rhe work
environment and even rhe air ducrs in
spire of arremprs [0 ventilare. And rhe
WORTHAM
user has no conrrol over rhe size and
densiry of rhe spray.
I have ralked wirh several cosrumers
who have rried ro use an airbrush as an
alrernarive, bur have been discouraged by
clogging, lack of rhe proper
air supply, and smallness of
A
scale.
To carry our some of my
BREAKTHROUGH
cosrume designs for As You
Like It ar Iowa Srare
TECHNIQUE
Universiry, I planned [Q do a
FOR
fair amount of spraying on
silk fabrics. The rimeless,
THE
fanciful designs included a
gianr bu rrerfly, foresr leaves,
COSTUME
and a rangle of rree branches
PAINTER
rhar called for an "airbrushed" look in large scale.
AND
I wan red a rool rhar
DYER
would allow me ro use good
qualiry fabric paint and mix
rhe colors myself and rhar
would nor clog, drip or
splarrer. For healrh and
environmental reasons, I preferred nor ro
use chemical propellanrs. Funhermore, I
had been frusrrared in rhe pasr wirh
canned propellanrs because rhey did
clog, drip, and splarrer, somerimes
making nasry blorches on rhe anwork.

Auto

Touch-up
Spray
Guns
MAR I A

when George Dowker, rhe TD/lighring
designer ar ISU, suggesred rhar I rry an
auromobile rouch-up spray gun. We
purchased an Asrro brand sprayer for
abour $50 ar a local auro pans srore and
arrached ir ro an air compressor hose in
rhe scene shop. I was delighred wirh rhe
performance of rhe gun. or only did ir
work on air, bur ir was much more
versarile rhan a spray can. It allowed me

at adjllst the shape of the spmy from a filii
about 9" wide down to a coillmn less than
1" in diameter, and it allowed me to
control the amount ofpaint being slicked
up into the spray. I could spray our a
covering coar, a line of wriring, or a
nearly imperceprible misL I was able ro
spray layers of fine misr ro blend colors
righr on rhe fabric wirhour roo much
buildup. I was very happy wirh rhe
airbrushed look I was able ro achieve on
my cosrumes. And ir never dripped or
sparrered pain r.

SPECIAL EFFECTS
When doing rhe painr and dye work for

A Christmas Carol ar rhe Srudio Arena
Thearer in Buffalo,
, I rook advanrage
of rhe sprayer's abiliry ro produce a fine
misr [0 [One some whire-whire fake fur
ro a more narural color. I eliminared
overspray by runing rhe gun down ro a
1" spray parrern and used a very lighr
misL I was able ro spray a variegared
parrern inro rhe fur pile wirhour masking
rhe garmenr ro which ir was arrached.
I also sprayed shading onro a period
jacker rhar had a flar appearance onsrage
by using rhe mosr subrle of black rones. I
was able ro creare "fade marks" on rhe
shoulders of a coar by using a fine misr
of a Iighr color, somerhing rhar would
have been much more difficulr wirh a
spray can because of rhe overspray and
lack of co nrro I.

PURCHASE

TECHNIQUE

My inreresr in rouch-up sprayers led me

I was considering rrying an airbrush

ro rhe 1991 Aurobody and Indusrrial
Trade Show ar rhe San Bernardino, CA,
TD&T

1992 SUMMER

51
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