The scene painter’s colours are known technically as ‘distemper
colours.’ They are bought in the form of powder, and the only
preparation they require is the admixture of water. The usual proportion
is one pound of colour to a pint of water, but some colours will ‘take’
more water than others; thus, ivory black requires more water than
vermilion. The powder is merely stirred up until it dissolves, but each
pot of paint will require an occasional stirring while it is being used.
The painter will also require a small pail of water for ‘letting down’
his colour and a half pail of dissolved size for mixing in before
applying the paint and thus causing it to adhere to the canvas,
otherwise the paint on drying would fly off in a powder. The artist will
also need some sticks of charcoal.