Day 7
I get to paint! It’s very exciting. At first, I think it took everyone aback when I asked to paint the blocks, but I want the practice and I figure it’s better to try it out on something flat and simple like toys. To make sure it fits the overall aesthetic, I painted lots of thin, almost translucent layers to build up a sense of antiquing. The layers are as follows:
1. White
2. Primary Colour
3. Gray over colour
4. Brown over white
5. Gray over entire block
The result is certainly a hand-made, aged product. I also make sure to keep the paint thin so the wood grain shows through, plus I didn’t sand it completely smooth so as to show the carving a bit. I know you can’t see it in the picture. And you probably won’t notice it on screen either (if you even see them in the shot), but I think they fit the show’s aesthetic nicely.
And best of all? I’M DONE THE BLOCKS!
I really got to thinking about the economics of this process and I realized that I took an entire day to make each block. And that’s just one prop, and not a very complicated one at that. It really puts these shows into perspective. I think about the sheer volume of materials involved in even a simple puppet show and I wonder how to go about making my own work on the budgets I have ($0). Something to consider as I plan for a show of my own…