“Shadows are those painted lines imitating the shadow that would be cast if the painted projection were real. In a stage setting, as in an actual room, light comes from various sources, but for the purposes of painting we must decide how and where our light comes to strike the walls of the setting. A good general rule is that light comes always from the left. Comes from the left, let us say, and changes at the six foot or eye level. That is, from six feet high light will be painted as traveling up. Below six feet, light comes down. And light is always painted coming down from the top of any exterior setting – for sunlight does the same.”
Excerpt from “Painting Scenery, a ‘handy book’ for amateur producers” (Leslie Allan Jones, 1935, page 81)
Everyone always has their own special mixture for a shadow wash and often scenery can be dated by the coloration of shadows. I have noticed over the years that a few combinations worked best for me during contemporary paint applications and historical replicas. For premixed scene paints used on contemporary backdrops, the master combination was Van Dyke Brown, Burnt Sienna, and Ultramarine Blue (with the small dab of Purple added for depth). It provided the necessary coolness with a touch of warmth for additional depth. Additionally, it would read under various lighting conditions.
Dry Pigment painting for the pre-1914 stage painting era often necessitated the mixing French Mineral Orange, Ultramarine Blue, and Van Dyke Brown (with a small dab of Burnt Sienna added to the mix – dependent upon atmosphere). This gave a rich shadow wash that worked with all painted compositions and backgrounds. After 1915 and well into the 1920s, there seems to be a predominance of blue coloration for the shadows washes. These blue shadows later become straight Ultramarine blue and pick up a more graphic quality. By the mid-twentieth-century, there is more of a dead shadow wash. Color washes without any sense of depth hat I primarily attribute to wither specific design direction or an unfamiliarity with the technical skills of the scenic art world; specifically designers that do not come from a painting tradition.
Thinned out Van Dyke or (GOD FORBID) black – made the shadow areas flat and lifeless. These two solo colors sucked all of the life from the composition and contributed nothing to the atmosphere. Same with straight purple, dark green, or navy blue. I am NOT kidding about seeing people use green washes for shadow in ordinary compositions! It seldom works well.
Below are three painting details created in the Toomey & Volland Studio (St. Louis, MO) created for the 1914 Scottish Rite theatre in Quincy, Illinois.
5th degree Hiram Tomb
4th Degree Interior
15th degree Treasure Chamber
