The Handbook of Techniques for Theatre Designers

 

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.