Basic Brushstrokes Build a World
Scenic Painting Workshop
From enchanted kingdoms and dark forests to bustling cities and dusty towns deep in the west, part of the magic of theater is the scenery that transports the audience to the setting of the play. Learn how a scenic artist builds a world with just a wall, a paintbrush, and a few gallons of paint. No painting experience necessary!
Master the building blocks of scenic painting, including stones, plants, and wood grain, while also learning how to visualize the bigger picture of an entire set.
Week 1:
Creating A Castle
Week 2:
The Wild West
Week 3:
Fairy Tale Forest
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Sketch and shade stones
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Craft a kingdom through a window
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Add magic finishing touches
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Texture wood boards and slats
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Visualize a beautiful desert sunset
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Add fun fauna like cactuses
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Plot out trees and paths through the woods
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Add foliage to bring your forest to life
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Add signposts, flowers, and other finishing touches
Week 4:
Under the Sea
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Craft a deep blue gradient with wild waves on top
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Fill in your ocean ecosystem with bubbles, fish, and more
Week 5:
Showcase
Show off what you’ve learned by creating your own scene for our final presentations! Guests are welcome from 11:45 – 12:30 to see your masterpieces.
Sarah Elizabeth Bender
Scenic Artist and Graphic Designer
Sarah Elizabeth Bender has been painting and designing sets throughout Allegheny and Westmoreland County for over a decade. She has worked with The Theatre Factory, Apple Hill Playhouse, Greensburg Civic Theatre, the Geyer Performing Arts Center, Split Stage Productions, Front Porch Theatricals, Carnegie Mellon's Scotch'n'Soda Theatre, Duquesne University, Penn-Trafford High School, and more. Favorite productions include Little Shop of Horrors, Young Frankenstein, The Addams Family, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Legally Blonde, Heathers, Chicago, Beauty and the Beast, Fun Home, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, The Little Mermaid, Murder Ballad, and Hair. When not painting at a theater, she works in marketing for Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, and has previously worked with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Helping people unleash their inner artist is one of her favorite things in life!
