Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1992 - 62

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Fundamentals ofScenic Painting
(video) by Ron Ranson. Jr. Leucadia. CA: Theatre Arts
Video Library. 1989. 81 min.* 5235.

variery such as stippling, sparrering, rag
rolling, use of the feather duster, and a
rather free-form version of dry brushing,
with some arrenrion given to stenciling
and parrern rransfer as well. These
techniques and the others featured are
well done, well illusrrated, and well

over (Q detailed instructions for cleaning
and caring for brushes and other
equipment-a parricularly valuable
inclusion which is often omirred from
other similar videos.
Ron Ranson is an arriculate and
engaging narraror and, as mentioned
earlier, the materials and
methods included are
well described and well
demonstrated. While it
would be advantageous
to utilize more close-ups
(Q demonstrate such
techniques as lining,
dry-brushing, pounce-wheels, etc., the
video production methods are generally
well done. The principal drawback ro
the video is the omission of the
rraditional methodologies menrioned
above. Arguably, it would have been
more useful to include these techniques
in lieu of the srudenr projects section. At
the same time, it cannot be denied that
this is a very well done presenration of
thearrical scene painting with the
inclusion of many very imporranr
considerations for scene painring, and it
should be exrremely useful in both
college and high school educational
situations. This video is far superior (Q
many other scene painring videos I have
seen.

Produced and narrated by Ron Ranson,
Jr., designet for the University of
California, San Diego and the Utah
Shakespearean Festival,
this video provides a
detailed and well organized inuoduction to basic
BOOK REVIEWS
materials and me mods of
meatrical scenic painring.
Ir is divided inro four
sections: I. Painrs; II.
described. The video clearly illustrates
Tools and Equipmenr; III. Basic Painring
how the techniques can be used ro
Techniques; and IV. Srudenr Projects,
achieve a variety of painred effectswith the material clearly presenred and
bricks, srone, aged wood, wall paper,
discussed in each section.
The section on "Painrs" provides a
foliage, and many others. At the same
textbook-quality inrroduction ro the
time, several standard methods are
components of scenic painrs and the
omirred: scumbled and puddled base
coats, for example; architecrural lining
various rypes of scenic painrs available,
including aniline dyes, shellacs and
techniques used (Q simulate moldings,
substirutes, and bronzing powders. Of paneling, and other ornamenral rrim;
parricular value is the arrenrion given
and specific methods of graining ro
health and safery concerns, suessing the
achieve parricular wood effect such as
need for gloves, respirators, etc. when
pine, oak, etc. The only lining method
working with such potenrially dangerous
demonstrated is a ramer casual and less
substances such as dyes. A very minor
precise version used for aged wood
concern with this section is the
planking or irregular fences, and wood
discussion of vinyl and acrylic painrs as
grain painting is very generalized.
twO differenr varieties rather than
Another minor problem is that Ranson
frequenrly uses rwo differenr colors on
indicating that acrylic is a form of vinyl
brushes, sponges, and feather dusters in
-w Joseph Stell
pamr.
his demonsuations (an admirredly useful
"Tools and Equipmenr" inrroduces
University o/Georgia
and discusses virrually every type of technique), but does not discuss this
procedure aside from an off-hand
painring implemenr used in scenic
*****
statement that he likes ro use this
painring-all forms of brushes, sprayers,
The Movement ofTheater
rollers, sponges, feather dusters, foam
technique.
pads, and even whisk brooms, as well as
The section on "Srudenr Projects"
[Pohyb Divadla]
shows srudents completing several
by Ladisla" Lajcha. Bralisla,·a. Czechoslovakia: Talran.
rypical accessories such as suaight edges,
painring exercises, the colored elevations
1989. 120 pp. ill.
snap lines, and floggers. Alrhough a
for which are included in the video
cerrain of personal preference colors the
discussion of brushes (foliage brushes are
packer. The srudenrs utilize many of the
Every so often a very arrractive and
omirred, for example), the overall
techniques demonsrrated earlier ro
useful theaue book appears in a language
achieve a variery of texrures and scenic
presenration is thorough and informof relatively limited inrernational currency. How good it would be (Q have it
effects.
ative. Agai n, concern for heal th and
available in English! Such a work is
A final section of the video is given
safery is in evidence wim admonitions to
Ladislav Lajcha's srudy
wear masks and glasses for
of the developmenr of
protection while spraying.
theatre architecture,
For the most parr, the
SYLVIA HILLYARD, EDITOR
"Scenic Painring Techtheaue technology, and
niques" illusuated are the
stage design during the
past 150 years, The
broader and more casual

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1992 SUMMER

TD&T

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