When you aim for realism in your set painting, remember that your audience isn’t getting as close as you are. This means you should take a step off the stage and observe the set from the audience’s point of view. Details that look realistic and pronounced to you may be obscured by the distance between the set and the audience. Check your progress regularly to keep track of the necessary adjustments in your painting habits.
When you paint something in the scene, you know what you want it to look like. With that foreknowledge, you may embellish the appearance of the set in your mind a bit. If you paint a picture to hang on the wall, for example, you may understand it to be a picture of a lion when others don’t see it that way. Ask fellow crew members for their constructive criticism. Someone not involved in the painting can give you honest comments on what your set resembles without advance knowledge of the intended design.
Scene paint is the preferred paint for professional theater designs. Scene paint is durable even when you water it down to get the proper shade and saturation you need. It is also flame-retardant and can stand up to the bright lights used on the stage. As with any paint, though, you should test it out before you paint your entire scene. The colors darken as they dry, which can make a detailed backdrop too dark to see clearly from the audience.
Scene painting is about getting the best possible results in the shortest amount of time. Skip the finer details and focus on the major focal points of the scene. For example, when painting a wallpaper design on your backdrop, use a stamp to create repeated designs instead of painstakingly painting every design by hand. Staple in place other decorations, such as paper boarders and crown molding. The audience won’t see the staples, and it reduces the time it takes to install and to remove it later.