Technical Information

Any suggestions given as to the preparation and usage of materials in this section are given in good faith and taken from advice given, or from reference works. We should state that every artist consulted had slightly different techniques and ideas for the usage and application of the materials. Our intention is to provide a reference point only for general guidance

Dry scenic colours provide the scenic artist with the opportunity to produce some really vivid matt colours at an economical cost. Hand made traditional paints will often enable the artist to produce colours unobtainable from the ready mixed ranges with the extra satisfaction of gaining perfect control over the final paint quality. A hand painted colour chart is obtainable from this site.

Safety When handling dry colours always wear gloves and a mask such as the 3M 8825. The powders listed are of low toxicity. Flints do not stock the toxic lead based pigments. Health and safety sheets can be downloaded from flints.co.uk/safety

Methods There are three ways of converting your dry pigment into liquid paint. In all cases put 1kg of powder into a galvanised bucket then add sufficient cold water to make a thick paste. If the powder proves difficult to mix then add a drop of washing up liquid or some meths to break the surface tension. Then proceed with one of the following methods:

The Traditional Method is to use granular size (see elsewhere on this site). In a galvanised bucket mix 500g of size with 1L of cold water, agitate well and leave for at least an hour to swell into a thick gel. Place the bucket into another bucket half full of water and warm on a hot plate. Take care that the size does not exceed 55 degrees C. Once the size has completely dissolved, gradually dilute it further with warm water. The mix should feel sticky between the fingers and should run smoothly from a stick without dripping. Finally mix the liquid size with the pigment paste. Check the mix by dipping a piece of paper and drying it with a hair dryer. The paint should not rub off, if it does, add more size. If the surface sparkles all over then the mix is probably too strong. The paint should be applied to the primed canvas (see elswhere on this site) whilst still warm. Canvas flats painted with this method can be tightened by applying warm water to the back of the flat. The paint can be removed by scrubbing with warm water but this will have a detrimental effect on any flameproofing chemicals in the canvas.

The Modern Method is to fix the pigment with a binder medium such as Bromabond PVA or any emulsion glaze. Just add around 1.5L of the medium to the pigment paste until a smooth thin cream is obtained. This paint is applied cold.

The Temporary Method is to use the pigment with little or no binder. This will make an un-fixed paint useful as temporary graffiti for film location work. It will wash off with water.
The paint will cover between 8-10 square metres per litre.


Full information regarding these colours is also avaible by clicking the information text link on the individual colours.