---
title: Painting The Nutcracker By The Book
description: Acclaimed Scenic Painter, Ziska Childs, shares how she used Rosco Supersaturated scenic paint to update a central scenic element in the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet's production of The Nutcracker.
image: https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/feature-28.jpg
---
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# Painting The Nutcracker By The Book
The Nutcracker and Christmas... sugar plums, mice, and a chance for hundreds of little kids to wear leotards and slip into dance slippers. It's easy to be an audience member when it's your kid in the cute little bee suit spinning with the lady in the tutu. It's easy to fall in love with the audience from behind the footlights when that audience is holding you in a warm safe place... when that audience is your family. This is the place where love of dance starts for so many of us…it's enduring and not just because of the music.
[](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Nutcracker1-2.jpg?hsLang=en)
The[Aspen Santa Fe Ballet](http://www.aspensantafeballet.com/performances/season-performance-pages/ASFB-Aspen.html?gclid=CLHLvtiD7skCFYOEaQodz6EO1Q)asked me to repaint their Nutcracker 'book" for the 10-year-old production of Nutcracker. No one could tell me the name of the original designer but this Nutcracker is a pastiche of Victorian wedding cake lace architecture and a carousel complete with some glossy painted ponies. It's a bright colorful production with all the whimsy intact.
The Book does tricks. Each page is a little over 8'x6' and the entire book flies in. Six pages are painted muslin but the seventh is a gag page. It's spandex with a split for the Nutcracker to "break" through during the pyro.
[](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Nutcracker2-1.jpg?hsLang=en)
Seah Johnson, Lighting Supervisor for the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, redesigned the pages and Danny Bachelor, Production Manager, had them printed to scale on bond. This helped a lot with all the lettering. The pages were printed out full scale and a pounce wheel was used to prick holes into the printout and then the text was laid into the spandex.
[](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Nutcracker3-1.jpg?hsLang=en)
The design was inked in then a charcoal transfer was done, which could be flogged off prior to painting.
[](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Nutcracker4-1.jpg?hsLang=en)
The decorative borders on the cover and text pages were stenciled in then painted with [Supersaturated Roscopaint](https://www.rosco.com/product/supersaturated-roscopaint).
[](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Nutcracker5.jpg?hsLang=en)
To create a velvety richness in the cover a dot roller was used alternating between Green Shade Blue and Ultramarine Blue.
[](https://spectrum.rosco.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Nutcracker6.jpg?hsLang=en)
*This content was originally published on [Ziska’s blog](http://ziskac.blogspot.ca/2015/12/nutcracker.html). To learn more about this and other projects she has worked on, [visit her website](http://www.ziskachilds.com/). You can also [visit the Supersaturated Product Page ](https://www.rosco.com/product/supersaturated-roscopaint)to learn more about the paints Ziska used in this production.*
Ziska Childs February 18, 2016 [Questions?](mailto:spectrum@rosco.com)
[Scenic and Staging](https://spectrum.rosco.com/tag/scenic-and-staging)
## About Ziska Childs
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