Casein Paints are the traditional paints used for theatrical scenic backdrops. The pigments were originally made from milk and whey proteins to produce intensely rich colors that interacted vibrantly with theatrical lighting. Now made with soy proteins, these paints allow a variety of dyeing, rewetting, blending, and overglazing techniques that create a uniquely soft, yet lush color palette. I usually paint on raw muslin stretched over plywood to further accentuate the warm textural qualities of the medium. The resulting artwork has a velvety quality, distinctly different from oil and watercolor works you are accustomed to viewing. You will also notice a difference in color and tonal qualities of the painting under various lighting conditions, changing from day to evening, and with the type of bulbs used to illuminate the work.
Scene one, take two
When I was working as a scenic artist, we stretched and stapled large backdrops to the floor. (it was not unusual for backdrops to be 20 ft. high and 40 to 60 ft. wide) We attached our brushes to bamboo poles so that we could walk walk around on the drops and paint from a standing position. It was customary for teams of artists to continuously rotate and shift to different areas so that no element had the signature style of a particular artist. One thing I loved about being a scenic painter was my socks. We always painted drops in stocking feet to avoid getting shoe prints and street dirt on the canvas. The casein paints dried quickly as we shifted areas, but inevitably we stepped on blobs or pools of wet color. My white athletic socks always boasted riotously colorful soles, dyed with all the tones of the many productions I painted.
Scene one, take two
Casein shares some characteristics of oil, acrylic, and watercolor media, but also has unique aspects that affect technique. The raw pigment is a thick batter, (though a bit softer than oil paint) that can be thinned with water all the way to a wash. It dries fast, a blessing and a curse when you are working in a large scale. Perhaps the key quality is “rewettability”, that is the ability to rewet and reblend areas of paint that have previously dried. Reblending can create beautifully soft color transitions while maintaining the full intensity of hue. This is probably the most distinguishing feature of casein paintings.
Bind Me, Fix Me
By introducing a clear acrylic binder into the casein base, rewettability can also be controlled or stopped altogether. This is an important feature if you need to layer depth elements, like putting a tree branch over background landscaping. Once the background is fixed under acrylic, additional layers won’t affect it. You can also then overlay color tone in the form of transparent glazing, although this causes me some frustration when photographing my work. The camera eye tends to pick up only the top glaze color, not the base tones below the translucency. This is another good reason why art should be viewed in person!
Sexy Socks
When I was working as a scenic artist, we stretched and stapled large backdrops to the floor. (it was not unusual for backdrops to be 20 ft. high and 40 to 60 ft. wide) We attached our brushes to bamboo poles so that we could walk walk around on the drops and paint from a standing position. It was customary for teams of artists to continuously rotate and shift to different areas so that no element had the signature style of a particular artist. One thing I loved about being a scenic painter was my socks. We always painted drops in stocking feet to avoid getting shoe prints and street dirt on the canvas. The casein paints dried quickly as we shifted areas, but inevitably we stepped on blobs or pools of wet color. My white athletic socks always boasted riotously colorful soles, dyed with all the tones of the many productions I painted.
