All scenery is painted on ordinary flax canvas which, in the first case,
is only a yard wide. Strips of the canvas are sewn together to make a
large sheet. The amount of preliminary work required may be judged from
the fact that a full-sized ‘frame’ for a theatre measures 60 feet across
by 45 feet in height.
The canvas is joined together in a special way, so that the joins may
not be seen and a perfectly flat surface may be presented. The simplest
way to learn this process is to take two sheets of paper and set to work
in the following way:—
Lay half a sheet of note-paper on the top of another, so that the under
one projects about an inch beyond the upper; paste along both edges of
the papers and then fold the top paper over the bottom paper, but before
doing so push it up about a quarter of an inch, so that it adheres to
the bottom paper. The two papers will then be held together firmly and
the surface will be practically flat.
[Illustration: [Framework]]
After the required area of canvas has been decided on, it must be
mounted and stretched according to the purpose for which it is required.
In dealing with a back cloth, cut cloth, or act drop, the canvas is
merely stretched tightly across the batten and nailed at intervals, it
thus hangs loosely below; the surplus material, if properly dealt with,
drops through a slit in the floor as before mentioned.
[Illustration: [Framework]]
In the case, however, of wings and other moveable pieces a proper wood
framework is required, as shown in many of our illustrations. On this
framework the canvas should be stretched as taut as possible, which can
be done either by tacking the bottom and then pulling the canvas over
the top batten with the hands while an assistant nails it, or, by using
the special pincers shown in the accompanying illustration. These
pincers have a long gripping surface with a toothed surface, one set of
corrugations fitting into the other. Naturally this grip cannot slip
when the pincers are closed, and a great purchase can be obtained, which
makes satisfactory stretching a practical certainty.
When the canvas—which, by the way, costs about eighteenpence a yard—has
been joined and framed up it is ready for ‘priming.’ The effect of this
process is to give it a white surface to which the paint will adhere.
‘Priming’ is made by dissolving whitening in water and adding size. The
usual plan is to use about half a bucket of water. Whitening is placed
in this, and after it has been soaked till it is fairly soft the surplus
water is poured away. The bucket is then filled up with melting size and
is well stirred up. It is necessary to be careful about the quantity of
size, because if too little is used the paint that is afterwards put on
the canvas will come off when it is rubbed; thus, if a back cloth is
painted and rolled up, the labour will be wasted.