Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 22: Drawing and Rendering © 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right...

Theatrical Design and Production

Chapter 22: Drawing and Rendering

© 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right reserved.

Drawing and rendering are the primary visual-communication methods used by theatrical designers

It is also important that you learn how to draw and render on a computer

Both methods are important, but it is absolutely essential that you be able to draw and paint well by hand




Materials

Designers use a wide variety of materials to create their sketches

These materials can be divided into two categories:

The material being applied: pencils, inks, paints, pastels, or markers

Paper




Materials

Pencils

Almost any pencil can be used for sketching, but different pencils have different characteristics

Hard-lead drafting pencils make crisp, sharp-edged lines

Soft-lead drawing pencils make wider, darker, and softer-edged lines

Colored pencils also come in hard and soft varieties




Materials

Inks

Some designers use inks for making preliminary and thumbnail sketches and outlining detail on renderings




Materials

Paint

Costume and scenic sketches and renderings have traditionally been painted with transparent watercolor paints

Watercolor

Designer’s Gouache

Acrylic

Brushes




Materials

Watercolor

Watercolor paint is a pigment mixed with water to create a transparent paint

It is the traditional medium for theatrical renderings because it produces a luminescent quality




Materials

Watercolor

Watercolor pigments are available in three types:

Tube—emulsified pigments the consistency of sour cream

Cake—hard blocks of watercolor pigment

Liquid—packaged in small bottles of highly saturated hues

Tube and cake watercolors provide same high-quality pigment, so the choice is a matter of personal preference. Liquid paints mix easily and always remain transparent




Materials

Designer’s Gouache

Designer’s gouache is an opaque watercolor

Available in tubed form in a wide range of hues, gouache closely resembles the “matte” reflective properties and colors of scene paint

Matte—Dull, non-reflective




Materials

Acrylic

Acrylic paint is very versatile

It can be thinned with water to be the consistency of watercolor

When used as a watercolor, the only difference is that acrylic leaves a slightly “glossy” surface, rather than a matte surface

Glossy—highly reflective, mirrorlike




Materials

Brushes

You should buy the best brushes that you can possibly afford

Most artists believe the best watercolor brushes are made from red sable or a synthetic sable

The brushes carry pigment easily, have a good “spine”, and cling together when wet

You will need at least two sizes of brushes to begin—the higher the number, the bigger the brush

Pick a smaller one for detail and a larger one for laying in washes

Spine—the relative

stiffness of bristles




Materials

Pastels

There are two primary types of pastel

Chalk

Oil




Materials

Chalk Pastels

Chalk pastels are formed into square or round sticks that have approximately the same consistency as blackboard chalk

The square sticks are generally more useful for theatrical sketching because you can draw relatively sharp lines with the edges as well as a smooth wash with the flat surfaces

Chalk pastels are available in soft, medium, and hard

The brilliance of the color is linked to its hardness—the harder the stick, the less brilliant the color!




Materials

Oil or Wax Pastels

Oil or wax pastels have a slightly greasy feeling

They are manufactured with a soft wax binder

The wax makes these types of pastels very easy to blend




Materials

Markers

There are a number of different markers and marking pens available

The principal differences are in the shape and material of the tip and the nature and characteristics of the paint or ink contained in the marker




Materials

Paper

Most final scenic and costume sketches are drawn or painted on some type of watercolor paper or “illustration board”

Other types of paper, such as charcoal and velvet can be used with pastels, pencils, and markers, but they don’t work well with paint

Illustration board—watercolor paper mounted on a pressboard backing to prevent wrinkling or bending




Materials

Paper

There are three primary surface finishes for watercolor paper and illustration board

Hot-press finish—a slick, smooth texture achieved by pressing paper between hot rollers

Cold-press finish—a slight surface texture achieved by pressing paper between cold rollers

Rough finish—a pebble-grained texture achieved by cold-pressing paper with a textured roller




Computer Drawing

There are a variety of drawing programs, and they contain a number of features

Generally they can be divided into two generic types

Painting programs

Drawing programs




Computer Drawing

Painting Programs

Programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Fractal Painter are generally used for nontechnical drawings such as renderings and sketches




Computer Drawing

Drawing Programs

Objects created with drawing programs such as Strata Studio Pro and/or 3D Studio are object-oriented or vector images

Vector programs can be used to create sketches and renderings, but their most used to create drawings containing multiple objects that may need to be manipulated independently




Computer Drawing

Drawing Programs

The actual drawing can be done with a mouse or with a “digitizing tablet”

Most of the current drawing programs include color palettes ranging from a minimum of 256 hues to over 1.6 million colors

These programs also allow you to select specific surface textures

The majority of the programs also allow you to design the lighting for your drawings

Digitizing tablet—an electromechanical device that converts the pressure of a stylus on a flat plane into binary information that can be understood by a computer




Computer Drawing

Drawing Programs

Drawing programs can be used in several ways

Original sketches can be created with a program, such as POSER

Hand-drawn sketches or research illustrations can be scanned into the computer and manipulated

Scanner figure




Drawing and Rendering Techniques

The following suggestions will familiarize you with some of the basic techniques that are used with the various media

Sketching

Figure drawing

Graphite transfers

Watercolor

Pastels

Pencils and Markers

Combined media





Sketching

Scenic, costume, and property designers need to be able to make quick, clear sketches

Thumbnail drawings and preliminary sketches are presented and modified during production meetings

Three principles:

Lines must reflect the qualities of the materials they represent

You must be intimately familiar with the physical characteristics of the materials you are drawing

You must know what you’re drawing before you draw it





Sketching

Sketching creates a simplified view that shows the basic appearance and spirit or character of the object

A major stumbling block is that people try to draw what they think they see rather than what they actually see

All sketches are based on three principal elements: thematic lines, line angles and intersections, and proportion





Figure Drawing

It is imperative that designers, especially costume designers, be able to sketch the human figure easily

Some designers believe it is important that a figure have a readily identifiable face—others do not

The quick figure sketch is used to capture the flavor and personality of the character





Figure Drawing

Proportion is the single most important element of figure drawing

Designers should become familiar with the skeletal structure of the body and how the various muscle groups work to animate it

Practice, practice, practice! Take life drawing classes and draw during idle time.





Graphite transfers

Watercolor and pastel renderings and sketches usually begin with a pencil drawing

It is standard practice to draw the design on tracing vellum

After the sketch is complete, the vellum is turned over and covered with graphite

The drawing is taped face up onto watercolor or illustration board and traced, thus transferring the design





Watercolor

A wash is the covering of relatively large area with a smooth layering of paint

A wash can be laid down wet or dry

Since watercolor is a transparent medium, you’ll need to remember that the whites and light colors are achieved by letting the paper show through

It is normal procedure to build up a watercolor rendering from light to dark





Pastels

Oil or wax pastels are easy to blend and give a smooth, opaque finish

Chalk pastels give a chalkier, luminescent finish

Most designers prefer to use chalk pastels because they, unlike the oil pastels, can be used with watercolor

Once the pastel has been applied, it can be blended using blending sticks, tissue, or your fingers





Pencils and Markers

Colored pencils and pens, as well as watercolor or oil markers, can be used to good effect for both scenic and costume renderings





Combined Media

To be able to select the appropriate visual expression for a design concept, a designer should feel free to use and combine a wide variety of rendering materials, styles, and techniques

Theatrical Design and Production Chapter 22: Drawing and Rendering © 2006 McGraw-Hill. All right...

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