Aims[edit]
Through the construction and painting of this scenography, the pupils will learn:
- The basic construction of stage flats
- The scale transposition of a hand drawing to a larger surface
- The painting of flats
- How Baroque scenery created a perspective effect, as described by Serlio
- About the dialogues of de’ Sommi
- Organisation and group work
Key Information[edit]
| Number of learners | 4-14 |
| Number of staff | One teacher and/or technician with knowledge of perspective, scenic painting and set construction. |
| ECTS Credits (if applicable) | Not applicable |
Learning process[edit]
| Lecture/seminar | Lecture, presentation, discussion (face-to-face or online) | |
| X | Making project | Making a model, mock-up, plan or design (physical or digital) |
| Performance project | Making a performance or demonstration (live or mediated) | |
| Records and Archives | Interviews, photographs and videos of artefacts, annotating archives, creating learning materials (physical or digital) | |
| Independent study | Reading, researching, analysing and evaluating learning materials (physical or digital) in groups or alone |
Type of learner[edit]
| X | Student of technical theatre |
| X | Student of theatre design, architecture |
| X | Student of theatre arts |
| Professional | |
| Researcher | |
| General public |
What You Will Need[edit]
Duration and schedule[edit]
Preparation by the teacher:
3 hours to prepare a presentation to introduce the topic material, organise the working material, the working groups and the work plan. You may need longer if you are not familiar with the work and ideas of Serlio and de’ Sommi.
The workshop:
The duration will depend on the skills and experience of the students, and how complex a design they undertake. Typically allow 5 days, preferably in a continuous period.
When planning the schedule, remember to allow drying time for the painting process.
Room or type of space[edit]
Workshop with tools for working with wood, for making scenery.
Workshop for painting, large enough to see the scenery from a distance (it can be the same space, or a different one).
Equipment[edit]
- Table saw
- Drill
- Wood mitre saw
- Square and bevel, ruler
- Hammer, screwdriver and other woodworking tools.
- Paint buckets, paint brushes of various sizes, sponge, ladder.
Materials (consumables)[edit]
- Timber for the frames of the flats
- Plywood or canvas, to clad the flats
- Mouldings and expanded polystyrene blocks, to add 3D elements to the flats
- Screws, wood glue, sandpaper
- Charcoal, various coloured paints, various paintbrushes.
Learning resources (books, websites)[edit]
Canon stories:
G.03 Scenography Codified: Serlio's scenes for comedy, tragedy and satire
G.04 How to Build a Theatre: The books of Sabbatini and Furttenbach
Canonbase articles:
- The Renaissance stage: documents of Serlio, Sabbattini and Furttenbach
- Sebastiano Serlio
- Leone de' Sommi
Other resources:
MELLO, Bruno. Tratatto di scenotecnica. G. Agostini Novara 1972
SLOAN Annie y GWYN, Kate. Pinturas y acabados para la decoración. Ed la cúpula
Process[edit]
Preparation[edit]
Preparation by the teacher:
Prepare a presentation introducing the scene designs of Sebastiano Serlio, and the dialogues of Leone de’ Sommi.
Prepare plans (technical drawings or sketch diagrams) of the frames of the flats. Alternatively, depending on the skills and objectives of the students, you may want to have them prepare the drawings.
Prepare sketches of the design for each flat, based on Serlio’s drawings.
Prepare colour samples.
Preparation by the students:
Students do not have to do any preparation, but they should be familiar with the tools of the workshop, and have some knowledge of perspective, colour theory and drawing.
The learning activity[edit]
Give a presentation introducing students to the dialogues of Leone de’ Sommi and the scenes of Sebastiano Serlio.
Students then construct the frames of the flats. The flats can then be canvased and sized in the traditional way, or they can be clad in plywood.
Paint the flats white as a base. Using charcoal, transfer the designs from the sketches to the flats, either by marking out a grid on each, or by projecting the sketches onto the flat from a laptop. Note that for the projection method to work, the projector needs to be exactly square-on to the flat, otherwise the image will be distorted and the perspective won’t work.
Choose a colour palette for the different parts of the scene. Paint the first layer in block colour, and then add shadows and textures.
Once complete, assemble the flats in their correct positions, and check the perspective. You are now ready to act out the de’ Sommi dialogues!
Assessment and feedback[edit]
This activity isn’t designed to be assessed formally, but discussion throughout the process will ensure that students’ learning is embedded, and students understand what it is they have learned.
You can also have students write a journal of the process, or give a presentation about what they have discovered.
Our Experience[edit]
Tips[edit]
Depending on the time available, and the level of experience of the students, they can be responsible for tasks such as making the construction plans for the flats, and calculating the quantities of materials required and ordering them.
During the process of transferring the base sketch to the flats, it is important to move away from it to check the general proportions, and to see if any adjustments need to be made to the drawing.
Make sure students are clear about the process to be followed before starting, and that the work is well distributed amongst the groups. Plan your groups to keep everyone busy as far as possible.
Additional information and resources[edit]
See also the teaching methodology for staging the de' Sommi dialogues.
Scenography made by students of 2nd year of scenography (RESAD, Madrid, February 2022):
Planning the design:
Drawing, based on Serlio
Colour references
The colour palette
Selecting paints
Coloured reference drawing
Constructing the scenery:
Cutting plywood
Assembling the flats
Adding 3D detail
Adding 3D detail
Painting the scenery:
Tracing the design
Painting the backdrop
Painting the flats
Final assembly:
Assembling the scenery
The finished scene
Credits[edit]
| This learning method was made by: | Carmen Arias, Felisa de Blas, Almudena López Villalba |
| Institution: | Real escuela superior de arte dramático de Madrid (RESAD) |