Cloth Painting Tools
Longer cloth tape measures are essential for backcloth work, whereas the metal tape measures get used more on three dimensional scenery.
A 1:25 scale rule is used to take measurements from the model. Some English and American designers use imperial measurement, in which case you need a 1:24 or half inch to the foot ruler.
Cloths are pinned out on a frame or on the floor with a staple gun or hammer and nails. Staples go in quicker but come out slower than nails. If you are working on the floor nails are a nuisance as airlines catch on them and they are painful for feet and knees. Great care is needed in removing staples as they sometimes break leaving sharp little spikes sticking out of the floor. If these catch on the next cloth which might be a silk or a guaze they can cause havoc.
There are various ways of drawing circles. For cloths on a frame you can use a nylon line attached to a safety pin. The safety pin secures the line to the cloth. The nylon line doesn't stretch as string might. On the floor a beam compass can be used. This is made by attaching a pair of trammels to a length of wood. This homemade scenic compass can be used for smaller circles on either a frame or the floor.
A straight edge is really a scenic ruler, (for drawing or painting straight lines rather than measuring.) You can use a yard stick which is light and straight or make a straight edge like one of these. Straight edges for floor painting are on long handles so that lines can be painted while stood up rather than on hands and knees.
A flogger is like a sort of canvas cat o nine tails. It's used to strike a cloth to knock charcoal dust out of the weave. This allows the artist to correct a drawing mistake, as long as the drawing was faint enough in the first place. This is how you make one
First used by ancient Egyptians the chalkine has been in use ever since for marking straight lines. Hold the ends of the line taught against the cloth or piece of scenery. Then ping the line against the scenery holding the line in the middle if possible. You can use charcoal rather than chalk by running a charcoal stick along a line before offering it up to the work. Charcoal might be easier to flog out again than chalk. Ping lightly to start with!
Piece of string with a weight on the end. Used to get a true vertical when working on a frame. A fishing weight or similar makes a good weight as it's nicely centred. A large nut would do.
Floor painters become good at using a stick to draw and paint with. There are always times when you need get on hands and knees but a stick keeps you upright for more of the day. Charcoal or fitches can be held in a bamboo cane like this.
A material rather than a tool but work mentioning here. Lots of cloths and hard scenery involve masking. Tape comes in many widths but 1" and 2" are most common and therefore cheapest. 1/2 inch tapes makes a good morter width in brickwork. For curves you can get a creped masking tape.