Scrim is driving me crazy

[CrewCommander]

I made a design for a school production and was forced into using painters scrim by my dragon lady director.
The design has three turning rectangular boxes covered with scrim and a lightbulb inside. We have the boxes all made; the expensive scrim covering it and the lighting inside all completed. We ran into a problem with painting it though, we have no idea how to.
I've been surfing the internet trying to figure it out, but I just don't understand how to use this scrim. Do we need special paint? Or maybe bogus paper? Our production is supposed to go on in a couple weeks and this is the last thing we need to finish so if anyone could help out, that would be great!
Thanks!

 

[MPowers]

Painters scrim is a wonderful surface to paint on. Explain your issue a bit more clearly. You say you "....ran into a problem with painting it...." Just what is the problem?

Also let us know a bit more about the set up, the desired finish look and who's doing the painting?

How large are the boxes?
are all four sides covered with the scrim?
Is the intent for the light bulb to back light the scrim so they look like stained glass or a lighted sign or.....?????
Is the scrim already mounted on the boxes or is it just folded or rolled up still?
Do you have the space to paint them down or will they have to be painted up?

 

[derekleffew]

In case anyone is wondering, like I was, having never heard the term before...

From Natural NFR Painter's Scrim from Rose Brand :

Identical to Sharkstooth Scrim, 8 point, 2 thread, 100% Cotton Painter's Scrim is not bleached, dyed, or Flame Retardant, making it a favorite of scenic artists.

CrewCommander, the biggest problem when painting any scrim is making sure your paint is not so thick as to clog the "pores" and ruining the translucency (which is why many scenic artists prefer to use dyes rather than paint). Hopefully you have scraps/remnants to test on. And yes, it's much easier to paint a scrim "down" (horizontal) on bogus paper rather than installed (vertical).

 

[MPowers]

BTW, look into Designing and Painting for the Theatre by Lynn Pecktal
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0030119014/?tag=controlbooth-20
Don't pay any attention to the review that the book is old, the proper technique for painting scrim is 300 years old and Lynn's book is the best on the subject.

 

[kiwitechgirl]

A scenic artist I used to work with would paint scrims on the paint frame (and therefore hung vertically) as he did for regular cloths. Spraying was his preferred method, and once he'd sprayed the paint onto the scrim, he'd spray over it but just with air, which blew the paint out of the holes in the scrim - as Derek said, you do need to have relatively thin paint so you don't clog it. His results were always amazing, some of the best painted scrims I have ever seen, and they lit beautifully (although annoyingly, he would tell us which gel colours would work best for the cloth and he was almost always right!).