A long bench where David rested
A large kite for old Master Dick
Three or four flower pots to complete the picture
Nearly all properties need some decoration. Some need color, others need
merely stain. Occasionally it is necessary to give the effect of carved
wood. This is necessary in plays of the Middle Ages like _Sigurd, the
Volsung_, and _Men of Iron_, where your properties represent old wood
carving. Gesso may be used to suggest this carving. Gesso was used by
the craftsmen of the Middle Ages, especially in Italy, for enriching
surfaces. This is the formula for making it: 2 tablespoons of varnish,
12 tablespoons of glue (best quality), 8 tablespoons of linseed oil. Mix
these three ingredients together and allow to stand. In a separate dish
put 20 rounded tablespoons full of whiting and then mix with water until
it is the consistency of thick cream. Pour this into your first mixture
and cook in a double boiler for ten minutes, stirring constantly. Then
pour into a bottle and cork tightly. The gesso is now ready for use.
Work out your design and then draw it carefully upon the chair, chest,
or throne which you mean to decorate. Apply the gesso with a small
brush. Be very careful to keep well within the line of your design. The
gesso will give you a pattern in relief. You must keep each surface flat
for at least 12 hours, or until dry. If the design is not high enough
when it is dry, a second coat may be applied. When you have covered all
the parts which are to be painted and the gesso is dry, rub it over with
a bit of oil paint mixed in these proportions: ¾ of ivory black, ¼ of
burnt sienna thinned with a little turpentine. After the oil paint has
dried, add a coat of dull finishing wax and rub down.
[Illustration: [Fountain]]
A fountain is a most effective and beautiful device. When placed in a
garden, surrounded by miniature ferns and flowers, with birds singing,
and soft colored lights playing upon its jetting water, it makes a scene
of enchantment. Fountains are very simply made as you can see in this
illustration. A low cake tin, with a hollow tin centerpiece, a funnel,
and a piece of ¾-inch rubber tubing about six feet long, are the only
materials necessary.
Occasionally there is a need for smoke. In the play of _Aladdin and the
Wonderful Lamp_, the genii appear out of a cloud of smoke. In _Sigurd,
the Volsung_, the dragon may be made to breathe forth smoke. In the
_Adventures of Alice_, you may remember the old caterpillar who sits on
a toadstool and smokes his pipe. Smoke can be made from ammonia and
hydrochloric acid. The illustration shows how this is done. In order to
make the dragon breathe forth smoke, a rubber tube was run through its
body from mouth to tail. The end that extended from the tail was
connected with the tube that came from the bottles. When a boy blew
through the tube, smoke came from the dragon’s mouth. In the marionette
play of _Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp_, a hole was bored through the
stage floor at the spot where the genie was to appear. At the clap of
thunder that announced the genie’s appearance, a cloud of smoke poured
forth.
[Illustration: [Lamp]]
In the _Adventures of Alice_, when the caterpillar was made, a tube was
run through his body from tail to mouth. When this tube was attached to
the bottle tube, and the lazy old fellow took his pipe in his mouth, he
appeared to blow out great puffs of smoke to the surprise and delight of
everyone.
The toadstool was such a nice property that you may wish to know how it
was constructed. The girl who made it found some beautiful pictures of
toadstools in an old number of the _National Geographic_. She chose one
of interesting shape and color as her model, and reproduced it with
papier-mâché. When it was quite dry, she colored it to represent the
illustration. It was winter time when this play was given. Had it been
any other season, she could have gone to the woods and fields and
searched out a beautiful specimen which would have served her purpose
much better than the illustration.
Fireplaces and stoves are comparatively modern inventions. Braziers were
used in earlier times. They consisted of a metal tripod and a basin to
hold the coals. A brazier could be used appropriately in a Greek or
Roman play, or in a play of the Middle Ages. The tripod could be made of
wire or of tin. The basin could be made of tin, wood, or papier-mâché.
Both the tripod and the basin should be painted to imitate bronze or
iron. A tiny red bulb can be fastened into the center of the basin, and
attached to a wire leading down from the tripod, through the stage
floor. Slightly conceal the bulb with small bits of wood. The warm light
from this brazier will throw a glow on the face of a marionette, who is
warming his hands over it.
A marionette may carry a lantern. This marionette lantern may be made
from any small tin or cardboard box. Find some pictures of old lanterns
suitable for your play, and then make a lantern as much like the
illustration as you can. A pattern of holes should be punched in the
sides. A tiny electric bulb may be fastened inside the lantern and its
wire carried up to the controller and from there to the battery.
Properties should be made in a craftsmanlike way. A craftsman respects
his materials and his tools. He cleans his brushes and palette as soon
as he finishes the work of the day, and puts his materials in order for
the next day’s work. He never hurries. His reward is his satisfaction in
the excellence of his work.
[Illustration: [Marionettes]]