The Handbook of Techniques for Theatre Designers

Detailed advice on acquiring and refining the myriad of skills needed to be a theater designer, from drawing to costume design to effectively presenting design work

 

Theater designers need to be proficient in an extraordinarily diverse range of skills to carry out their work--they are expected to be able to draw both creatively and technically; to be able to use color imaginatively; to make accurate scale models of their set designs; to design costumes, whether of a specific period, modern, or entirely fantastical; to understand the relationship of their work to stage lighting; and to be able to use computer-technology in imaginative ways. Here a professional theater designer and teacher describes these techniques in detail with explanatory illustrations, and suggests practical ways to acquire them. Topics covered include drawing and sketching instruction; the use of color and hand-drafting techniques; advice on model-making, textures, and perspective; a guide to costume designs and costume-rendering techniques; creative use of digital techniques; and practical methods for the effective presentation of a range of design-work. Each chapter concludes with a useful series of practical exercises.