Scenery Painting

[homersignalman]

Hi,

 

Slightly odd question but can anyone suggest the best paint for painting a cloth, NDFR UN/BLCH MATTING DUCK

Size 19` x 10` 6" drop?

 

In the past we have used emulsion but have found that it cracks very easily.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

John

[Dave m]

Not a scenic artist but thin the paint and add PVAHave a look on YouTube or maybe flints have a "how too" section

[andy_s]

something like Rosco paints here will be much better for scenery painting.

 

the reason the paint cracks is to do with the nature of the binder component (the glue that sticks the pigment to itself and the surface you are painting). in cheap domestic paints there is no particular need for the binder to be flexible, it's typically being applied to solid non-flexible surfaces like a wall. Rosco paints have a flexible binder. There are also other good quality flexible paints and glazes (eg Bristol Paints) available which will give better results on fabric than your standard domestic emulsion paint. Flints website here is indeed a good place to look for products. There's also a bit of info available on the internet about techniques and tools...

 

of course the quid pro quo for quality is higher cost.

[homersignalman]

Great help, thanks.

[ImagineerTom]

For one off cloths or on solid surfaces domestic emulsion paints are ok. For anything that's being used / folded / moved regularly proper scenic paints are the only reliable choice; although they look more expensive they are much more durable and always have much stronger pigment in them which means you usually end up using much less for the same area.