Introduction to Scenic Art

Interested in how the sets for National Theatre productions are created? Want to acquire new skills and techniques? This introductory course offers you the opportunity to discover the art of scenic painting – how to interpret a theatre set design and scale it up to 25 times larger than the drawings.

During the first part of this practical course, participants will learn various scenic painting skills: wood-graining, marbling, stencilling and trompe l’oeil. In the second part of the course they will use these skills to translate a designer’s vision and create a piece of scenery.

Led by Hilary Vernon-Smith (NT Associate Scenic Artist)

Course Outline
Week 1: Wood-graining using graining tools and brushes
Week 2: Marbling using a simple and fun printing technique
Week 3: Stencilling to create a wallpaper
Week 4: Trompe l’oeil – to create a simple 3D effect
Week 5: Meet the designer and look at the piece we will paint
Week 6: Paint the piece of scenery using the skills from the first 4 weeks
Week 7: Continue to paint
Week 8: Look at your finished piece of work under theatre lighting
Course content may be subject to changes.