how can I design backdrops?

Question

We are staging a musical that is written by us. Never performed before and we need to know how to go about designing some simple backdrops. 1 - is basically the sky w/ some clouds. the other is a street scene w/ old broken down buildings. We are on a real budget here.

Answer 1

First, you sketch your design including perspective. How big do you want the items in the scene to look relative to where the actors will be standing? Take that into consideration when you pencil your first draft onto the material.

Now for the messy part! You get giant rolls or sheets of muslin and paint your scenes onto them. It's actually not too hard. Lay them out on the stage and have at it! :-) Once they're dry, you can hang them like you would curtains or drops on stage. I would put tarps down underneath because the paint will bleed through.

Another option is to build flats using the same material but you stretch it over your wood frame until it looks like an artist's canvas and glue and staple it onto a simple wood framework you build yourself. It ends up looking like a giant wall of canvas, you would have to build a frame 8 feet tall by 4 feet wide with 1x3 inch wood and brace it in the middle at the mid-4 foot mark and you would also have to build the base out about 4 feet so it can stand on its own. It's more work, but if hanging drops is not an option, these can be brought on stage and taken off by your crew.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Get some huge musical notes made of cardboard, preferably eigth-notes :)

Answer 3

Paint them...