Prop Designs

Old Buoso in the half tester bed

Sometimes things we need on stage just don't exist.  Sometimes they are too expensive to buy, Sometimes things have to be built.  For that there needs to be a design.  Typically, for bigger things the scene designer designs the prop or furniture piece and either the scene shop or prop shop builds it.  For smaller things, sometimes the scene designer gives photo reference and leaves the actual design up to the prop master.

Here are a few of my designs for furniture or other props

Half Tester Bed--Gianni Schicci
For our production of Gianni Schicci, we decided to set it in the 1950's in a mob home.  Old Buoso is dead at the top of the show and we decided to have the entire opera take place in Old Buoso's bedroom.  So we needed a particularly cool bed.  The director wanted a half tester bed so we could hide Gianni Schicci when he's dressed as Old Buoso.

I designed a queen size half tester bed with curtains for the show.  First I did period research on what half tester beds look like.  I decided how big it needed to be to fit in with everything else on stage.  I had to figure how to get it off stage in a ten minute intermission because we did two chamber operas on the same night, the other one was Dido and Aeneas.  As I was preparing to design the bed, I looked in our inventory and found a whole bunch of old porch posts.  I'm sure we'd had them for many years before I arrived.  I decided to design the whole bed around those.

Here are the drawings of the bed, followed by a photo or two.

Side view of the half tester bed

Top view and front elevation of the half tester

Plan view of bed

Details of headboard and footboard

The half tester bed

The Podium--Doubt
We did the play, Doubt in the Black Box Theatre.  The play was done in a modified round and we needed a podium that looked stately but still was portable enough to be moved on and off stage.  Once again I turned to our supply of porch posts.  Also in our inventory we happened to have some resin corbels and some gallery rail finials.  Some props have a life beyond their original purpose.  We have used the podium in several plays since the original.

Here is the drawing of the podium followed by photos

Drawing of the podium

The podium as used in the play, Doubt

As used in the play Bielzy and Gottfried

The Prie Dieu--Lamp at Midnight
For Lamp at Midnight we needed a prie dieu for the Pope to pray at in her personal chambers.  I did some period research and discovered many different kinds of prayer stands.  I chose one that was kind of rococo looking,  I realize it was a little out of phase historically, but it was portable and had to be schlepped on and off rapidly.  I had a few bad 1970's plastic wall shelves that I had picked up at a thrift store a few years ago, so I decided we would Frankenstein them together to create something that would work for a renaissance era Pope.

After it was built, it was painted and I upholstered it with red velour and gold bullion fringe.  When that was done, it just didn't look finished so I took some sewing gimp and twisted it around the center post, reminiscent of the twisted columns at St. Peter's Basilica.  After that, I coated the trim with mastic and painted it to match the rest of the piece.

Plans for the prie dieu

The prie dieu in Lamp at Midnight

As a scene designer who has also been a properties master, designing props is gratifying.  Designing props that are used over and over in show after show is especially gratifying.  I love taking things that exist already and making them over into something they weren't meant for.  Prop people see things not for what they are but for what they can become.

Art Nouveau Compact--Tutorial

Modern makeup compact

As a prop master, I've had to come up with vintage makeup packages and applicators from time to time.  Sometimes I'm fortunate to find vintage pieces, but there are times when they need to be created.

My wife had a used Covergirl compact for face powder and I asked her for it when it was used up.  I had an idea for making an Art Nouveau compact that would be stage worthy.

Step #1:  Research
I did a quick google search for Art Nouveau compacts and came up with a couple of images I liked.  One was a dragon fly with a blue background, the other was a cast silver piece with bas relief.  I decided to Frankenstein the two of them together.

Image research

Step #2:  The Colored Background
I chose a scrap piece of red velvet for the background color for this piece.  First I turned the velvet over and with a sharpie pen drew the outline on the backside.  Then I cut the circle out, but made sure I cut it a little smaller than actual.  I don't know if this was good, bad or indifferent, it made sense to me to do it that way.

When it was cut, I took it to the fume hood in the shop and coated the top of the compact and the backside of the velvet circle with Super 77 Spray Adhesive.  I double coated the velvet.  I gave two coats to the velvet because fabric is absorbent and I wished to seal the fibers.  The second coating was for adhering.

I can't say enough about having proper ventilation when using solvent based adhesives or other chemicals.  If you are fortunate enough to have access to a fume hood, use it.  

I waited for a few minutes to let the spray adhesive get tacky and then I put them together, hoping to create a permanent bond.  I was successful.

The parts

Tracing the outline

Obvious

Cutting the circle

Circle of velvet

The fume hood.

3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive

My Dad always said it was a fool who stated the obvious...

Coated with spray adhesive

Attached with a permanent bond

Step #3:  Prepping
I noticed at this point that there was a paper sticker on the back of the compact that would need to be removed.  I turned to the always handy, Goo Gone for that

One thing I hadn't accounted for is the fact that velvet is a little stretchy and as I applied it to the top of the compact it became a little misshapen.  I used an exact-o knife to trim the edges back to where I thought they ought to be.

Once the edges were cleaned up, I transferred the image to the velvet with a sharpie pen.

An important ingredient in any prop master's kit, Goo Gone

Label gone.  Amazing!

Cleaning up the edges

Transferring the image freehand

The image

Step #4:  Hot Glue
Hot glue fell out of favor among prop artisans and costume craftspeople in the nineties.  I think it's been having a slow rebirth in the prop field.

I like to use hot glue as a sculpting medium when making certain props.  It's a great way to get something 3D in a hurry.  I used two sizes of hot glue guns when doing this project.  A large one and a small one.

Hot glue works best for distance work.  If this were something I had to put on film or very close up I would use a different medium.  However, at a distance it works quite well.  At a distance broad brush strokes show up better than fine detail.  Close up work demands the fine detail.  Fifteen feet away, though this piece becomes stage worthy.

With the line work drawn in, the hot glue step becomes more of a paint by numbers proposition.  Fill in the black parts.

Hot glue is notorious for leaving behind little spiderwebby strands.  It's important to wait for the hot glue to completely cool before removing them.  I used a toad sticker to get the leftovers off of the piece.

Large hot glue gun for the broad strokes

Smaller glue gun for the smaller detail

Glued 

The toad sticker

Step #5:  Gold Leaf
This step can be done with any color metal leaf.  I had originally intended to use silver leaf but discovered I didn't have any on hand.  Since this was a prototype prop, I went with what I had.

I started on the bottom of the compact and gold leafed that, then I moved to the sides.  Once they were done I moved to the hot glue on top.

The first step of gold leafing is to apply the metal leaf size.  Basically it's an adhesive.  I have gold leafed with spray adhesive before, when I was in a hurry.  It works okay, but I think the effect looks better when a brush on size is applied.

The size goes on with a milky color.  When it dries to the touch and the milky quality has turned clear, it's time to apply the metal leaf.  It's imperative to keep your hands free from the adhesive when you are applying metal leaf.  If you don't, it sticks to you and causes messes and problems.  Keep your hands clean.

Lay the sheet of metal leaf on the size very gently, then press it straight down into the size.  Once you are certain you have a good bond, then you can get a stiff paintbrush and burnish the metal leaf.  This does two things, first it completes the glue bond and second it gives the metal leaf a luster.

Once the metal leafing is finished, inspect the piece to make sure there aren't any spots where the metal leaf missed.  Cover any missed spots by repeating the process.  When you are satisfied with the metal leafing, the final step is to seal the metal leaf.  The company that makes the size also makes a sealer.  It's important to seal the metal leaf, especially if you are using imitation leaf.  The metal leaf will dull over time and oxidize to something really ugly.  I've had a little experience with that actually.

Metal leaf size

Gold leaf package

After the size has turned clear, apply the metal leaf gently to the surface, then press straight down into it.

Burnishing

Applying the size to the sides

Metal leaf applied, ready for burnishing

Applying the size to the hot glue

Metal leaf applied to the hot glue

Burnishing

The finished piece

So, this was a prototype, and I think it is definitely stage worthy.  This is project I will attempt again.  I think next time I'll take greater care with the hot glue and maybe choose a pattern that isn't so specific.  This was an enjoyable project for me.  I hope the readers enjoy it.

Haunted Mansion Candelabra

Haunted Mansion Candelabra

Halloween is the propmaster holiday.  When I'm not working on a specific show, I turn my creative energies to building props for Halloween.

I found a cheesy '70's candelabra in a local thrift store.  It was a four arm candelabra with a fifth candle holder in the center.  The base was turned wood and the arms were made of bent pencil rod.  It needed to become cooler.  Personally, I think skulls make just about everything better and so...

Cheesy, 1970's thrift store candelabra

Skulls

I just happened to have a few small foam skulls and a handful of mini plastic skulls laying around.  My thought was that if one skull was good, then five were surely better.

The Process
The first step in the haunted mansion candelabra was to set the larger skull on the central post.  To do this, I sawed the skull in half with a steak knife, then carved out channels for the skull to fit around the pencil rod.

Once the parts were cut and fitted, I reassembled the skull around the center post and fixed it with hot glue.  If I were to do this project again, I would use low temp hot glue.  I think there would be less melting of the foam.  Nevertheless, it worked and I was able to attach the skull to the middle of the candelabra.

Sawing asunder the foam skull

What that looks like

Fitting the foam skull around the post.  Measurements were made and scribed with a sharpie pen and the channels were cut with an exacto knife

Once I was satisfied with the fit, I applied hot glue to the post and fitted one half of the skull to it.

Next the other half of the skull was attached with hot glue.  Low temp hot glue
would have worked better

Next came the mini skulls on the arms of the candelabra.  I used hard plastic, hollow mini skulls from a Bag O' Skulls I acquired at a Halloween shop.  The first step was to drill a hole the same diameter as the pencil rod through the top and bottom of the skulls.

Next, along the back of the skull I joined the top and bottom holes with a cut line made with an exacto knife.  The cut line allowed for the back of the skull to be spread and placed around the pencil rod.  The original drilled hole then snapped in place around the metal.

After that, each of the skulls are situated on the pencil rod and the interior of each skull was filled with hot glue.  I then placed the candelabra upside down so the mini skulls wouldn't shift while the hot glue set.

Drilling the mini skull

Connecting the dots with an exacto knife

Placing the mini skulls

Filling the mini skulls with hot glue

Allowing it to set upside down

Pre-painting

I just happened to have a couple of wall mounted candelabras and gave them the same treatment.  Why not?

The Paint Job
I have a technique for painting cast iron that I thought I'd like to use on this project.

Step one:  Base coat.
I used Krylon flat black spray paint for my base coat.  Normally I would use mastic on the prop prior to painting it.  I didn't have any so I overlooked this step.  I figured the paint on the foam skull would be robust enough to withstand the solvents in the spray paint.  The mastic would have been a more sure barrier.  Next time I won't forego this step.  The foam skull reacted to the solvents a bit.  Not so much that it ruined the effect, but it wasn't as nice as I would have liked it to be.  It gained a pebbly surface.  Next time...

Step two:  Workup
For the workup on this process I stood back about 24 inches from the candelabras and misted them with silver spray paint.  It's important not to go too heavy with this step.  It really needs to be a fine spatter of silver.

Step three:  The finish
The finish coat was a medium coating of Design Master Glossy Wood Tone.  If I could only have one spray color and expect to be a properties artisan, it would be Design Master Glossy Wood Tone.  It is by far the most useful spray color I have ever used.  It is a color tool used in the floral industry, and is more like a spray dye than a paint.  It is self leveling unlike most spray paints, and it goes on transparent like watercolor.

Once the glossy wood tone is dry, the candelabra is done.  If you wish to age it or dirty it up, that can be done with a little raw umber, a brush and a rag.  See the blog post on magical tomes for that technique.

The finished piece, ready for Halloween

And it's brothers