Scenic Paint
Did You Know?
The #1 reason most schools don’t use real scenic paint is the anticipated expense.
The #1 misconception about scenic paint is that it should be used straight from the can.
The #1 complaint from young professional scenic artists is that they had to completely relearn how to paint in college!
Why should I use Rosco scenic paint rather than house paint?
All of Rosco’s paints are manufactured with a high volume of finely ground artists pigments.
Rosco Off Broadway paint can be mixed one-to-one with water, and achieve the SAME color.
Off Broadway can be let down with water up to 7:1, and still have enough binder to stick.
One quart makes at least a half gallon, and in actuality, a gallon or more.
They are designed to give an artist clean, bright colors that can be mixed without greying.
Rosco’s paint lines where designed with scenic art in mind, they stay supple and have good adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces.
Rosco paints have a matte finish which will not reflect stage light, even house paint that are labeled “flat” will have a sheen which can be distracting on stage.
A gallon can of hardware store paint runs about $33 to $50, while a quart of Rosco Off Broadway runs from $20 to $37, so the let-down scenic paint is of similar cost, while yielding superior results.
Do yourself, your students, your show, and your budget a favor, start using high quality scenic paint for all your drops, flats and props.
Is Scenic paint REALLY more EXPENSIVE???
No, not if you use it correctly!
Scenic paint should almost NEVER be used straight out of the can! Always dilute at least 1:1 with water. 1 quart is really 2 quarts and often more like 3 quarts or a gallon. The other special features that Rosco scenic paint offers pure pigments and a flexible binders which means you use less paint to get even, full coverage of densely pigmented colors on scenery/costumes/props that will react properly to your stage lighting, and last for a long time in your inventory w/o chipping, cracking, or fading.
OFF BROADWAY
- Most similar to ‘hardware store’ paint
- Available in gallons, quarts
- Metallics available in pints
- Can mix 1:1 w/ water and it’s the same color!
- Can go as far as 1:5 or 1:7 w/o losing binder strength
- 200-300 sq ft per gallon
- Easiest to use
- Best for schools and newbies
- Absolutely FLAT under stage lighting!