TheatreFace
Putting a Face on Theatre
I'm currently working on SEUSSICAL and looking forward to making a handful of set pieces (including a wonderfully funky bathtub, egg, nest and tree and a stationary Who-like set piece) on a high school budget.
I'm also on the heels of a production of Peter Pan I was recently in where the earthy set pieces were made from an Epoxy mix (and I think they even used a stucco mix?!) and they turned out AMAZING. I've used ABS glue en mass in conjunction with cheese cloth in some cases to create lightweight set pieces...but I was wondering if anyone could share their processes in using these mediums to create desired results. Thanks for the time and consideration.
I'm also on the heels of a production of Peter Pan I was recently in where the earthy set pieces were made from an Epoxy mix (and I think they even used a stucco mix?!) and they turned out AMAZING. I've used ABS glue en mass in conjunction with cheese cloth in some cases to create lightweight set pieces...but I was wondering if anyone could share their processes in using these mediums to create desired results. Thanks for the time and consideration.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Grant on -
I've used hotwires to carve and shape blocks of EPS foam, any interest in that?
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Permalink Reply by Eric Hart on -
At the display company I work at in the fall, we use a lot of foam:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/organizingthesoup/3079370786/
The robot in the lower-left corner is almost entirely foam. I've used both EPS (the blue foam) or expanded polysterene (the white, beaded foam used in packaging). Though EPS is better to work with, you can get the same results from both if you cover and sand them well, and people throw away a lot of expanded polystyrene, so you can save money by finding places that discard it regularly. You can also use less foam and build sturdier pieces by constructing a hollow frame/structure for the inside, and attaching foam as the outermost layer. You can also glue blocks of foam together to get bigger chunks. I prefer 3M's Fastbond Contact Adhesive 30NF (green glue) for attaching foam to foam, or foam to wood. Regular contact cement for foam works well too, it's just more toxic. Gorilla Glue is also good stuff for attaching foam to wood.
For sculpting, I prefer cutting foam on the bandsaw or with an electric knife to the basic shape, and then just going at it with a Sur-Form, and finally finishing up with sandpaper. It's far less toxic then a hotwire, and for scenery and larger pieces, you just don't need that much precision.
For coating, we usually use Rosco's Foamcoat. At about the tenth of the cost, I just started using a mix of roughly 4 parts joint compound to 1 part white glue. You can mix in a bit of water to get it to the consistency you want, which is thin enough to spread easily, but thick enough so it doesn't run. It's nearly as strong as Foamcoat, it sands far easier, and you can get an extremely smooth finish with even just one coat. I just used it on the wiggle-wood of a bar I built for a show, and was very happy with the results. The glue keeps the joint compound from cracking and flaking off.
Hope this helps, and I can't wait to hear how your set pieces turn out!
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