Thread: See thru painting/wall

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Hey ladies and germs. I'm looking for some advice on how to make a see-thru painting. For example, like the ceiling in the stretching room of the haunted mansion at disneyland. where you change the lighting and you see a scene behind it. Trying to get an idea of what materials to use.. Thanx!

Do a search for scrim painting. A scrim is a loosely woven fabric that is somewhat transparent. Lighting is key - if it's lit from the front, you see what's painted on it, but when the scene behind it is lit the scrim becomes barely visible. They have to be painted carefully with a very dry brush, or the paint will fill in the gaps between the fibers and block the scene behind.

That's probably a theatrical trick - a scrim. Basically, it's a lightweight fabric, usually black, that is stretched tightly over a flat (or hung like a curtain). The weave is sort of rectangular like a window screen, so when lit from one angle, it looks opaque, but lit from the other, it disappears.

Applications to stage lighting

Scrims both reflect and transmit light. This means that if a light from a front-of-house position is shone at a scrim, then both the scrim and everything behind it will be lit. This can lead to a variety of interesting effects:

A scrim will appear entirely opaque if everything behind it is unlit and the scrim itself is grazed by light from the sides or from above.
A scrim will appear transparent if a scene behind it is lit, but there is no light on the scrim.
A dreamy or foggy look can be achieved by lighting a scene entirely behind a scrim.
If a gobo is aimed at a scrim, the image will appear on the scrim, but also any objects behind the scrim will be lit by the pattern as well.

In general, anything that is lit will be seen on both sides of a scrim: scrims do not absorb light. Scrim can also be used in theatre in combination with a cyclorama or backdrop. The idea is similar to the other uses. When the drop is lit (or images or video are rear-projected onto the back of the drop), the images or colours projected are visible. However when the drop is not lit, the images or colours will disappear. A scrim can also help dull the image, creating a greater sense of depth.

Another effect is caused by layering two scrims, or even by placing a mirror behind a scrim and lighting it: the familiar moire effect. This can often cause audience disorientation.

Painting a scrim (google for more techniques) usually involves a light colored cloth, and using diluted paint or dyes so you're not blocking the holes in the fabric, just coloring the weave itself.

Scrim? See! I knew it was some kind of fabric but would have never come up with "scrim" in a million years. Thanx all! You're the best. Any recomendations on where to get the fabric?

Try using an airbrush instead of a paint brush, that way the holes shouldn't get clogged by the paint.

Never tried it but the paint is going to be thinner so it should work.