I’ve used it as a general source of pattern and colour and collaged it on the wall construction shown below (the pieces of this model are also shown at the beginning of this article). Both are good reasons but I also feel that as even the way that full-size theatre sets are created is changing through new technologies it should open up new methods of representation in the model .. at least that’s part of my argument for it. Although I try to separate ‘creating surfaces’ and painting up time-wise, as subjects for teaching, and because they involve their own materials and methods to an extent, in practice they are inseparable! It doesn’t have to exact. The representation of a location on stage is equally artificial and equally a balance of real and unreal. It stands to reason that it’s going to be a lot easier to shape your strip while it’s still supported, still part of the board. For example mistakes are often made when representing brickwork not only in getting the size wrong but also by not knowing the basics of the different brick patterns and the reasons for them. Below I’m making a profile strip composed of three separate pieces but gluing the top two on the edge of the sheet first before I cut the larger bottom one. Your email address will not be published. Most of the points made here and some more can be found in my article Creating surfaces with Kapa-line foamboard in the Materials /- surfacing section. I’m also using the clean side of a sanding block as a guide to glue up against. Allow the paint to dry for two hours. This will always be one of the foundation stones of this work, at whichever stage of the process. This was because when I tried a darker wash first, the white of the Pvc was too visible in the highlights. These woods will also accept staining or varnishing in a ‘true to life’ way. They can also, of course, be undercoated with normal acrylic gesso first if you want to start from a white base. .. having to make a small-scale model is an integral part of this process of concentration. The most important practical part to remember is that the foam surface needs to be sealed properly before latex can be applied, otherwise it will stick. Methods borrowed from the domain of mouldmaking&casting tend to creep in everywhere in these articles but the following one is not solely due to my special interest in it .. Always be careful when using pins on thin or sheer fabric. When appearance matters, you will probably want to choose a different material. We take a belt-and-suspenders approach to air-sealing by backing up the screen with a sheet-metal drip edge. Stitch the seam and press it open. .. and I do think that plays a part when people say that they just like using wood in the model for whatever purpose. As I’ve already said, this doesn’t mean that ‘the look’ won’t be simplified or condensed in the end .. but only after one has a clearer idea of the true ingredients! It also tends to give a better finish on closed seams. when you have finished creating a bevel, you may notice a lot of holes or bald edges in the foam. Seal larger gaps, up to 1/2 inch wide, with polyurethane caulk. In the example shown here I’m gluing thin obeche wood onto Pvc plastic. The fact is that although these may not have as many specifics as the walls of Versailles, they still have some which can’t be just imagined! This is teacher training! It’s also structurally ‘unsound’ (speaking of the real-life construction) if the grain of the wood goes in any other direction than the length. Sewing with Denim: Tips and Tricks for Stress-Free Sewing, Sewing Essentials: How to Accurately Mark Fabric For Sewing, Sewing 101: Basic Sewing Terms You Need To Know. The garage door bottom seal (or door sweep) is a long strip of rubber or vinyl that attaches to the bottom edge of the garage door. As a material wood evokes a lot of sympathy .. we’re all very familiar with it, it’s sustained and supported us for many thousands of years, we’re grateful towards it .. hopefully! Once it is ‘grained’ in this way it will take stain, polish or washes of acrylic well, even acrylic rubbed over using a cloth, and the colour will emphasize the surface structure. The French seam is a nice, neat seam that is sewn twice to enclose all the raw edges. So quickly .. the ways of dealing with it! Sealing or strengthening foam surfaces. Seal your styrofoam if you have to use a paint that doesn't adhere well. I tried using foam but the only block foam I could get locally was the 'soft' type suitable for cushions etc and although I could cut down into the foam, I could not sculpture out the base of the recesses without making a real pigs ear of things. Sealing or strengthening foam surfaces. But if you’re worried about durability or want to make the surface more resilient for handling, there are a number of further options. There is a special medium called Prosaide, used as a glue for sticking latex prosthetics to the skin, which can be mixed with standard acrylic to make it paintable on latex. The Origins of Artistic Expression – Part 1 ‘Things looking like other things’, The Origins of Artistic Expression – Part 2 ‘The making of marks’, Full course description and daily schedule, Technical drawing for theatre, film or television designers, Introduction and provisional daily schedule, Figure modelling reference images – caryatids, atlantes and ‘hemis’, ‘quick view’ comparisons of casting materials, Using plaster as a filler in polyurethane resin, Filling polyurethane resin with used tea/coffee, ‘quick view’ comparisons of mould materials, Creating surfaces with Kapa-line foamboard, Making relief patterning tools using Sculpey, Printing patterns for scale wallpaper, curtains and carpets, Pressing decoration into foam, shaping and wire-brushing, Template drawings for furniture model-making, ‘Beginner’s Basics’ – mouldmaking and casting explained, Making a simple 2-piece silicone block mould for a puppet head, Making a small mould for a four-legged animal figure and casting in resin, Making a supported silicone mould for a life-size head and casting in fibreglass, Making hollow casts in open or ‘closed’ moulds, Updated sources/prices of specific materials, Some of the principles of technical drawing simply illustrated – Part 1, Some of the principles of technical drawing simply illustrated – Part 2, Advice for anyone interested in beachcombing or mudlarking the Thames Foreshore, ‘Thames Foreshore Collection’ project log, Deptford: Upper Watergate Stairs, St George’s Stairs, Surrey Docks: Trinity Wharf (Surrey Docks Farm), Horn Stairs, Pageant Stairs, Rotherhithe: Globe Stairs to Pageant Stairs, ‘Faim de siècle’ multiple series 1997-2003, ‘Model-making Basics’ – creating surfaces. So I had to make another ‘cast’ on top of this using silicone rubber .. all the stages are shown above .. which could then be covered in plaster to make the correct mould. It’s easy to sand the foam and it’s easy to do it smoothly and evenly with a bit of practise .. the main danger is the tendency to apply a little more pressure at either end of the piece making these more flattened. Kapa-line foam compresses very well i.e. When you’re done sealing your attic bypasses, push the insulation back into place with an old broom handle or stick as you back out of the attic. Wrap tape around the Styrofoam to create a protective barrier. Sisal is a natural plant fibre, like hemp, and a convenient source can be found in garden stores. In real panelling, whether on walls or single doors, the grain of the wood will almost always go in the direction of the longest side of the rectangle. Another way is to spraymount surfaces onto card instead of applying polyfilla or paint to it directly. That’s why before we move on to our next garment project I want to cover how to finish raw edges. will bring up a whole variety of images, some of which might well be very helpful in refining your perception of what looks convincing, but many of which could be misleading! You can make your absorbent surfaces more non-absorbent by sealing them .. by spraying them with a thin coat of spray primer such as Simoniz acrylic primer, for example, or trying anything such as fixative or even hair-spray to seal the surface, as long as it dries properly, accepts texture medium or paint over it and doesn’t contain water as a solvent. So it’s important to experiment .. to rehearse how to achieve the look you want and explore the variables, before you commit to doing something irrevocable to a piece of model you’ve just made. . If sprayed on one surface it will remain temporary for about 12 hours whereas if both surfaces are sprayed this will be reduced to 2 hours. I like this option on heavy fabric because it’s easier on the hands. Our special formula Foam Guard PVA vinyl emulsion sealer is designed to extend the life of new foam edges by preventing moisture absorption, microbial attack, and UV damage. Below is a convincing simulation of weathered tarmac made by a student at Rose Bruford College. 3M’s lower-tack ‘Spraymount’ can be used though if you want the option of repositioning. Sugar can be sprinkled onto a thin layer of glue without dissolving too much but I’ve painted it with a spirit-based undercoat. Air-sealing a home is not part of the building process for many contractors and unless the owner specifically requested it, this process is generally skipped. You can purchase edge covers, particularly for garden edging, that are thick vinyl or plastic and formed to look attractive. You will need to replace the screws with wider or longer screws so that they can dig into wood that is not damaged. You seal air leaks and water leaks around your windows in the same way — by caulking and replacing weatherstripping. There are only a few strands of real chain used here .. the rest I’ve dry-brushed with enamel paint and ‘Treasure Silver’ which is a wax-based, metallic paste applied with the finger or a cloth. I’ve found that if it is properly dry it will take even thin washes of acrylic without resisting them (unlike the Plasti-kote brand next to it which, true to its name, behaves more like a coating of plastic). it stays put and doesn’t fill out again when it’s painted. However, whereas one can usually trust that a photo which is captioned ‘Palace of Versailles’ comes from a very specific location (if not of period), one has to be more critical when looking for information on more general surfaces. The seams in a garment or project perform the vital job of holding everything together, but they can also tell a lot about the maker. Below is the representation of a flint wall surface and the ‘skin’ casts I’ve used to piece this together. A 2-inch thick sheet of this rigid foam board insulation provides thermal resistance, or R-value, of R-10. I use the word ‘spraymount’ like most people do as a blanket term for all of them but strictly speaking ‘Spraymount’ is the name 3M gives to its lower-tack, repositionable spray-glue and this is not the best for sticking securely down straight away. Page 1 of 2 1 2 Next > hardboiled86 New Member. Once you have removed the vent cover, you will likely find that the home builder failed to seal the gap between the sheetrock and the ducting. In stock and ready to ship. They can also, of course, be undercoated with normal acrylic gesso first if you want to start from a white base. It's best to put the door seal strip on the body if at all possible. The flashing tape is 101 mm (4 in) wide and is applied by first removing the protective paper from the adhesive and then applying directly to the XPS insulation. Just pressing the wire brush into the foam will create a pitted surface ideal for weathered concrete, paving stones or tarmac, and the hollow tubes of the fixative pipe make a perfect cobblestone pattern. It wipes away any loose fibres or splinters and generally softens the look a little, making it look more ‘in scale’. stippling with a brush, spreading with a palette-knife or wooden fork, pressing with a rag etc. Textures can also be applied on top, reasserting the three-dimensionality. expanded polystyrene, styrofoam or Depron are attacked by solvents such as acetone, present in many spraypaints, or other spirit-based paints and glues. I’ve added some dyed sawdust to the pieces below to give some variety. Normally it’s difficult to glue metal securely in place but it works if the rod is rubbed with fine sandpaper or Emery paper, fixed in place with Pva glue and, once this has set, given another coat of Pva glue on top to seal it in. We may be presented with a fairly detailed ‘slice of life’ on stage but we accept that we can see the cut edges of this, in the same way we accept that a living-room may be missing a wall just to give us a good view. I describe the best methods for doing this in the post Making walls – Part 3 from February 2013 and this applies to working in wood even though there I’m using plastic. Paverpol comes in a few different base colours but includes a transparent one which accepts acrylic or powder pigment well, so one can mix up one’s own base colour. This will also stick to your toolbox (unless you line it) … It is very fine-grained, almost like thick acrylic paint, meaning that it can be spread very smoothly without breaking up and can be sanded if need be to a glass-like smoothness. Secondly only miniscule spots of glue are needed to secure the wood pieces to the plastic firmly .. certainly the opposite of smearing glue all over! This directs water away from the foundation … Do not use polyester resin as it will melt your foam. So for example when an actor moves to the front of the stage to deliver a soulful monologue we are not meant to assume that his character has just happened to notice the audience or that everyone else on the stage can hear him. An advantage of using stencil card to simulate wood panelling is that, because it is relatively thin, layers can be built up without appearing too ‘heavy’. Apart from specific visual references which may be collected as-and-when needed, a theatre designer also needs to build up a certain amount of general knowledge on the subject of common surfaces. When installing corrugated roofing panel, you must seal the edges where the panels meet to prevent water intrusion. This can then be spread onto the surface and left to dry. A bonus is that because the plastic is sanded it will accept paint, even in thin washes, a lot better. Sew the seam and press it flat to set the stitches. I feel it’s worth showing the following examples of printing on very thin tissue paper even though I’ve only ‘dabbled’ with the method so far and am not sure about its usefulness. I’ve found that the best sandpaper to use for easy and smooth shaping of the Kapa-line foam is a medium grit i.e. For the second example here I’ve used the high-resolution photo of ‘leaking plaster’ shown earlier .. which, whatever the specific source, is such a rich surface! It’s important to get the scale just right and bricks look smaller at this 1:25 scale than one imagines, so I always use a brickwork template I’ve drawn up to transfer measurements and spacings to the foam surface. The foam board has a top surface, a bottom surface and at least one cut edge extending between the top surface and the bottom surface. For example, whereas structures require quite a strict attention to scale, the rules can be bent when it comes to the representation of surfaces. Printing on tissue paper is possible if this is fed through the printer attached to a regular sheet of paper (there will be more about this later). Anything can be used to create an interesting pattern suggesting architectural decoration, including oddly shaped dental tools or items of jewellery as shown below. This is the fourth of five outline accounts dealing with what I consider to be the five defining areas of model-making work; main construction, fine construction, modelling/shaping, creating surfaces and painting. For the samples below I used a coarse (60 grit) sandpaper mounted on a sanding block and dragged firmly but repeatedly in fairly straight lines to achieve the effect of wood grain. Joined: 18 Mar 2011 Messages: 3 Thanks … The best cheap way to seal windows, glass areas in floor s, etc., is with bubble wrap. In stock and ready to ship. The other materials featured include granulated cork, railway modeller’s ‘ballast’ and crushed eggshell. Let’s go ahead and look at how to finish the raw edges on sewing projects. In this context realism is achieved by design rather than exact copying, and relies as much on the power of suggestion as truthful depiction. It has to be practised to get an idea of the pressure needed, what movement works best and the range of what’s possible. We have to take it on trust that this is actually ‘plaster’! Another advantage is that there may be less painting involved (at least less base-coating perhaps) because the foam is dark grey to begin with. There is no other information provided, such as where the photo was taken, what sort of building it was or whether this is an interior or exterior wall. Superglue has to be used for this, and it’s important to realize how little is necessary! The objective for the designer is not to fool anyone into thinking that a real wall has been transplanted onto the stage but to make such a good job of conveying the essentials that the audience can happily forget about the distinction. Zigzagging gives a good finish on more stable fabrics such as cotton poplin or linen. I’ve given these a wash of thin acrylic and then sanded down a little to make the structure more visible. It should cause the raw edge to match up to the inside of the seam. For this piece I’m using small portions of cocktail stick inserted between the pieces of sheet wood to create rounded profiles. It won’t make the surface of Kapa-line foam or styrofoam as strong as that but it makes them much stronger than painting alone. The overcast seam is a bit like an elaborate zigzag. Use foam that's labeled for window and door insulating. If for any reason you prefer to make up lengths of profiled strips separately, rather than building them up bit-by-bit as above, it makes more sense to assemble these together using the edge of a sheet. This seam finish is most effective on tightly woven fabrics. This just makes the strips easier to handle. Most modern sewing machines today have at least one version of an overcast stitch. Once the plaster is dry the mould can be covered with latex but this is difficult using a brush (as the latex congeals very quickly on it) so it needs to be poured in, rocked around to cover the surface and then any excess drained away. I prepared this edge as before by first removing a strip of the paper, but then I took a long slice off the corner first to give the sander something to start on. Once you have removed the vent cover, you will likely find that the home builder failed to seal the gap between the sheetrock and the ducting. but I DO seal the cut edges of the hole in thew worktop so if any water does get through it won't bugger it. Below I have shaped a surface using a sheet of reticulated foam (pulling bits out or snipping with scissors), dabbed this with Pva glue, sprinkled on a mixture of poppy seeds and coarse-ground black pepper, then painted this with thinned acrylic. Paperchase and Shepherds in London (see Suppliers) stock a number of these. Selecting the right foam and glue and how to accurately measure, cut and fit the bulkhead would help. Step 2 Choose a method to cover over the sharp edging. This is an excellent way to finish a seam but it does take a bit longer than some of the ones I’ve already mentioned and it best for light and medium weight fabrics. Seams need to be finished in a way that is both appropriate for the fabric and the usage of the project. Press under the raw edge of one side of the seam allowance by 1/8″ (3mm). I tend to use it a great deal for representing plant foliage, but otherwise only very occasionally when the right ‘look’ can’t be achieved by any other means. Given the irregularity of the framing, this careful cutting of the foam would be time consuming. This wall becomes more of a three-dimensional structure than just a surface and one could argue that it belongs more to the previous post on Modelling and shaping but I wanted to deal with these methods within the context of ‘elaborating on a plane’ and surfaces which are ‘collaged’ together. 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