Scene Painting terms

Handle

the wood or plastic part of a brush that you hold

ferrule

a crimped metal cylinder that holds the bristles to the handle

bristles

the head of the brush that holds the paint, can be made of natural or synthetic fibers

heel

the back of the bristles, held in the ferrule

toe

the tip of the bristles

charge

the reservoir of paint held in a brush’s bristles, longer bristles hold a bigger charge of paint

base, carrier, medium, or solvent

keeps the paint liquid until it evaporates

pigment or color

tiny particles of material that provides the color and hides the underlying surface

binder

holds the paint to the underlying surface after the base has evaporated

additives

additional chemicals which give the paint special properties such as faster drying, iridescence, thickening agents, intentional crackling etc.

water based paint

latex or acrylic paintw

water based paint characteristics

less toxic

doesn’t require respiratory protection

much easier cleanup

non-flammable in its liquid state

no special storage requirements

usually cheaper

when dry, the paint is usually more flexible

often more fade resistant than oil-based paints

can be legally disposed of almost anywhere

oil based paint

uses mineral spirit or other oil-based carrier

oil based paint characteristics

components are more toxic than water-based paints

more expensive to purchase

more expensive clean-up

much more difficult clean-up

special storage is often required

highly flammable in its liquid form

often more flammable than water-based paint even after drying

when dry, often forms a hard-shell coating, as in enamel paints

some specialty paints are ONLY available in oil-base

often difficult to legally dispose of

stain

can be either water-based or oil-based. Used to enhance the appearance of bare wood rather than obscuring it

dry brush

adds texture by applying thin translucent layers with a stiff dry brush

wet blend

blends two or more colors of wet paint on a surface to create a color gradient, often used on scenic drops for painting skies

scumble

adds thin layers of randomly applied paint to a dry painted surface to add texture or depth, often used for clouds on scenic dropswo

wood graining

uses a dry-brush technique to represent cut wood surfacesma

marbling

a wet-blending technique to represent marble surfaces

schlepitchka

uses a feather duster to flogger to apply paint in a random man