How to Paint a Wood Table

This Old House: Mauro Henrique demonstrates how to refinish an old piece of furniture with the help of Kevin O’Connor. Mauro’s client has a table that belonged to her grandmother and she would like to spruce it up so it can come out of the basement and be showcased in her home.

Meet the Soil Scientists Using Dirt to Make Stunning Paints

Science | Smithsonian Magazine: In September, as wildfire raged in Medicine Bow National Forest, Karen Vaughan watched smoke billow in a choked-off Wyoming sky. The sun was reduced to a matte neon-pink disc behind the haze, and Vaughan worried about her research site in the burning mountains. One of her graduate students still had one more day of fieldwork to complete, and the roads would soon be closed, if they weren’t already.

All About Paintbrushes: What Type to Use and How to Clean Them

mymodernmet.com: Paint and paint brushes go hand-in-hand. Although brushes aren’t a requirement when it comes to painting (just ask artist Iris Scott), they are a ubiquitous tool that nearly every artist has in their studio. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you’ve got a lot of choices when it comes to picking out your favorite paint brush.

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Boott Mills Standard Sheeting for Stage Scenery at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.

Drypigment.net: While traveling across the country, I documented historic scenery at several venues, including the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado. We pulled into Leadville on June 18, having scheduled a quick stop at the Tabor Opera House, before heading to Twin Lakes and Independence Pass. The next day was my 49th birthday, and I decided to treat myself to a morning in the attic at the Tabor Opera House.

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar – The Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado. Painted Shutters by T. Frank Cox, 1888.

Drypigment.net: The Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, was renamed the Elks Opera House when the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (B.P.O.E.) purchased the building in 1901. Immediately after the purchase, the building was renovated. Part of the stage renovation included adding a fly loft, so that new scenery could be raised out of sight. Previously, the Tabor Opera House used wings, shutters, roll drops and borders.

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar – The Richmond Scottish Rite, October 24-26, 2020

Drypigment.net: It has been a busy month, and I am currently in Richmond, Virginia. The Richmond Scottish Rite Theatre appeared on my radar again last month. The timing was less than ideal, since I was packing to leave for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado. On September 17, I received word from Art DeHoyos that the Richmond Scottish Rite was selling their building and had no plans for the historic scenery collection.

Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Day 6 at The Tabor Opera House. September 26, 2020.

Drypigment.net: Saturday was our last big day to lower scenery from the attic at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado. It was the sixth of seven workdays in a row. We did manage to hit our goal of lowering all remaining shutter scenes, plus a few other pieces, to the stage floor. The attic looks positively bare. Only eight borders remain for me to document today. That being said, some scenic pieces still remain in the loft above the attic and on platforms high above stage right and stage left.

Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio – Knights Templar Ship Design

Drypigment.net: Scenic design by Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio of Chicago, Illinois. This painted setting was designed for a Masonic clientele; the Masons used theatre as an instructional tool for members. Scottish Rite theaters were constructed to produced dramatic productions, teaching a specific lessons, similar to a morality play.

If you ever wanted to take up painting as a hobby you need to check out these classes

Boing Boing: If you can say anything for the current state of our world, it certainly isn’t boring. However, the constant churn of high-stakes activity happening around us every day is enough to make even a Buddhist monk feel a twinge of anxiety now and again.

Tested From Home: Kayte Sabicer's Projects!

Tested: Our resident modelmaker and fabricator Kayte Sabicer checks in from home to update us on the projects that's been keeping her busy the past month, including painting a watercolor postcard every day, making small laser-cut goodies, repurposing cardboard, and working on repairs. There's no project too small to keep your hands busy and creativity at work!

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 639 – Operating Means for Curtain Drops, Victor H. Volland in 1926

Drypigment.net: A little more than a decade after Seth G. Bailey invented an electrical mechanism for handling hanging scenery, Victor H. Volland came up with another option to handle scenery. In 1930, the United States Patent Office published an application filed on August 23, 1926 for operating curtain drops.

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 638 – Electrical Mechanism for Handling Hanging Scenery, 1910

Drypigment.net: Here is a mind blowing article that I stumbled across well over a year ago. It was published in the “Lincoln Star” on Dec. 18, 1910. Keep that date in mind – 1910. I came across the article while I was looking for information pertaining to David H. Hunt, the Sosman & Landis salesman who was a founder of New York Studios, a scenic firm) and Sosman, Landis, & Hunt, a theatrical management company. New York Studios was advertised as the eastern affiliate of the Sosman & Landis, similar to many regional offices established by scenic studios during this time.

Diversion Murals in Dementia Care Units Are Painted to Soothe Residents

Artsy: In the hallways of a dementia care unit in Ottawa, Canada, artist Andréa Fabricius carefully paints over the exit doors with dynamic and unusual murals. They picture dark wood bureaus and armoires, decorated with books and flower pots and, in some cases, surrounded by patterned wallpaper—essentially, interior scenes that could have been plucked from a mid-century home. Known as diversion murals, they cleverly camouflage doors in order to quell the exit-seeking behavior of some people with dementia.

Historical Painting Techniques For The Modern Scenic

Rosco Spectrum: I worked with Wendy Waszut-Barrett, President of Historic Stage Services, LLC, to teach a two-day scene painting class at CITT/ICTS RENDEZ-VOUS 2018. We merged historical scene painting techniques with modern materials. The class was not about replicating any particular composition, but exploring various painting techniques, as each student created unique composition. For the project, we focused on artistic process, coloration, contrast and brush stroke.

10 Watercolor Techniques Every Painter Should Know

mymodernmet.com: Watercolor painting has long been a favorite medium of expression for enthusiasts and professional artists alike. Although you only need a brush and pigments to get started, watercolor is a material with many creative possibilities.

Product Review: Rosco Earth Umber

Guild of Scenic Artists: If you attended USITT and spoke with the Guild, you were likely asked at some point whether you prefer your Umber Raw or Burnt. Surprisingly, the answers were passionate and logically thought out. Some liked Raw Umber’s ability to be used in an incredible number of applications, while others would argue that Burnt is more valuable as it’s easier to replicate Raw Umber in a pinch. During these conversations, I made the claim that it was a shame that Rosco’s Earth Umber was the awkward stepchild sitting in a corner.

Painting the Palace Portal for Head Over Heels

Stage Directions: Here’s a video from Scenic Art Studios, located in Newburgh, NY painting the Palace Portal drop for the Broadway show, Head Over Heels. The drop, designed by Scenic Designer, Julian Crouch was painted by Lead Artist Irina Portnyagina, Natali Pinchuk, Jocelyn Henry, Tisha Paige, and Ivan Pazlamatchev.

Conductive Paint Transforms Walls Into Sensors, Interactive Surfaces

www.cmu.edu/news: Walls are what they are — big, dull dividers. With a few applications of conductive paint and some electronics, however, walls can become smart infrastructure that can sense human touch, detect gestures and detect when appliances are used.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Disney Research found they could transform dull walls into smart walls at relatively low cost — about $20 per square meter — using simple tools and techniques, such as a paint roller.

Six Ways to Green Up Your Paint Shop

Guild of Scenic Artists: My interest in environmental stewardship – called ecology back in the day- began long before I knew that design and scene painting were career paths. In eastern Tennessee where I grew up, reduce, reuse, and recycle (or upcycle) were common practices, even though practitioners had never heard those terms. I recycled and avoided disposable items in my home. At work it was often a different story.

The Paper Trail

Guild of Scenic Artists: Budgeting tools are a necessity for conveying fiscal information to the design team. As a Charge, I have gone through many iterations of estimating templates before I landed on what I currently use. I have found estimates to not only help me convey information, but they have also given me clout in meetings where I had none before.