In 1916, Frank Atkinson wrote the book, “Scene Painting and Bulletin Art.” As part of a discussion on the painting of drapery, he wrote, “The imitation of different fabrics depends chiefly upon the character of the folds.” In other words, the drawing of each fold is crucial when suggesting a specific fabric for the painted composition. Additionally, the brush strokes would define whether the fabric is rough, smooth, dull, or brilliant. The painting technique would denote the material’s texture as “coarse or fine.”
The first consideration in drawing the curtain depicts the thickness and weight of the fabric as suggested by the drawing of curtains. So to make a thick and heavy curtain, the folds are sift and heavy. At the Fargo Scottish Rite, the treasure chamber setting included rugs and other velour curtains.
Similarly at the Salina Scottish Rite, the scenic artists again added the soft and heavy folds characteristic of red velvet or velour.
The salmon curtains at the Yankton Scottish Rite differs in folds and technique, the curtains are thin and lightweight, possibly representative of silk; crisp folds with sharp peaks. The matte highlights are wide and solid, differing from the fine squiggly lines of sateen and other shiny materials that present an almost reflective quality.
In addition to the drawing of folds and paint application is the color palette and which colors are applied as the initial base coat. For dark fabrics of rich jewel tones, there is deep base applied to the entire area. Van Dyke Brown, deep red, Prussian blue or malachite green. After applying a deep base, the mid-tone color designates the folds. Finally the highlight accentuates each rise, contrasting with the deep shadow. The division of the value attributes to the final depth of the folds. For a fabric that is somewhat lighter in color, the mid-tone is used as a base color and the application of the darkest color defines the folds. Finally, wide highlights accentuate the height of each fold.
There is a certain value where using a dark base transitions to a light base. Also, the amount of mid-tone placed on a dark base or a dark placed on a mid-tone base that defines the color of the drapery. By the time a curtain is intended as a cream color or lighter, the base is the lightest color. The mid-tone is applied second and the darkest third. Typically, these two shadows are placed after the light base and include both a warm and a cool wash, reinforcing the depth in the recess of each fold.
To be continued…
