Steph Charaska is an experienced scenic artist specializing in painting and sculpting for the live entertainment industry. She recalls coming up through the high realism era of Chicago theater when the industry was starting its recovery from the 2008 recession. Because resources were tight, she often relied on discounted “Oops” house paints, despite knowing from her university training that Rosco scenic paints offered richer pigmentation and greater flexibility. Eager to incorporate more Rosco colors into her workflow, she eventually began transitioning from house paint to Rosco Off Broadway paint. Below, she shares the key differences between the two, the advantages of upgrading to a theatrical paint line, and the practical considerations involved.
Off Broadway is one of Rosco’s most popular scenic paints. The colors are vibrant and rich, the paint dries ultra-flat, and utilizes a flexible binder so it can stand up to the rigors of a production. This product can be used straight out of the can or diluted with water and comes in 27 artists’ colors and 5 metallic colors.
House paint is designed to be resilient and stationary, the walls of your house aren’t supposed to move on and off stage. You can get house paint in a variety of sheens, from flat to high gloss, and have it mixed to a specific color, which can be a huge time-saver. The biggest drawback of house paint is the lack of intense and vibrant colors. If you want full coverage of a bright color you will end up using more coats of paint than you would with the majority of the Off Broadway line.
Due to the high realism required in Chicago, one of my first Rosco colors in rotation was Van Dyke Brown. There are so many spatter/splatter/washy dirt options that open up for you when you start using artist colors. Off Broadway colors can be thinned more than your average house paint, and the pigment blend has a flat finish that doesn’t read as chalky after it’s dry. House paint in the same color on stage will not have as much character. The Rosco Off Broadway Van Dyke Brown did better work, faster. That time was incredibly valuable to me.
When I became the Charge Artist at a regional theater after the pandemic, one of my first goals was to beef up the Rosco stock. The shelves held a small mix of warm, wood-friendly colors (the siennas, the umbers, Yellow Ochre, and Van Dyke Brown) and a few cool colors (the Pthalos, Paynes, Imperial, and Chrome Oxide Green), in various vintages and untouched for at least two years. To fix this, I first identified the paints needed for the upcoming shows—fortunately not very color‑heavy—which left enough budget to gradually add missing colors. Once we had one of each Rosco Off Broadway color, maintaining and replenishing stock became much easier and ultimately more cost‑effective.
If you are scraping together your budget and you want to move your shop in a more flexible direction, here are some questions you should answer first. These will help you figure out what colors to stock first.
Do I have a resident designer? Do they work within a certain color palette or range consistently?
There are Scenic Designers I’ve worked with who love to operate in certain color palettes on the regular. They loooove the half mahogany / half dark walnut wood tone, and it shows up EVERYWHERE. Your designer may prefer a cool shadow over a warm shadow. There are some designers who will always try to sneak concrete into every show. Every Scenic Designer has their quirks and preferences. If you have a resident designer or work with a designer consistently, you can stock the paint shop with their tried-and-true color palettes first.
Do I have skilled labor available?
As expectations of quality get higher, you are more likely to want the flexibility to mix your own color. However, mixing color takes time, practice, and skilled labor— skills many entry‑level painters lack due to limited training and tight budgets. When teaching newcomers, it’s important to show them how to test colors on a small scale before scaling up, and how pigment choices impact cost. It is equally essential to instill good habits—like never painting directly from Rosco gallons and always decanting base colors to preserve their integrity. Mixing color teaches folks how to problem-solve on a smaller scale, and they can translate those struggles into resilience in tackling larger creative problem-solving situations beyond mixing color.
How much paint do I need?
When your entire set is a saturated teal with a satin finish, mixing your own paint may not be the best option for your time and materials. Achieving that level of deep saturation with Rosco Off Broadway can require substantial quantities, and reproducing the same mix consistently becomes challenging if you are transitioning your shop. You can always tone, glaze, and wash over house paint bases with your Rosco colors to bring them to life.
If this feels familiar, consider stocking the following colors: Van Dyke Brown, Paynes Gray, Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Golden Yellow, and Chrome Oxide Green. These colors help shift your basic color looks into something with more detail and nuance.
Does my theater do more musicals or straight plays?
If your theater is heavy into musicals or children’s theater, chances are you will need the full range of colors. Musicals and children’s shows tend to be brighter and more vibrant in their use of color. If you want the flexibility to mix your own colors, get one of each as your budget allows. Be sure one of those colors you’re stocking first is Lemon Yellow. It will help brighten your colors versus adding white, which will lighten or pastel your color. I would also suggest adding Magenta, Brilliant Red, Orange, Purple, Pthalo Blue, and Emerald Green.
If straight plays are the norm, there’s a good chance you will be in the wood grain, concrete, stone texture worlds in muted, natural tones. You’ll want a full complement of the Burnt and Raw Umber, Burnt and Raw Sienna, Van Dyke Brown, Golden Yellow, Chrome Oxide Green, Navy Blue, and Paynes Gray. Of course, these are generalizations, and your scenic designer may stray from these stereotypes significantly.
Does my designer provide hand-painted or digital elevations?
Many elevations are digital these days. Since we print them out, these documents rely on the CMYK blend of inks to create a range of colors. As painters, we can have more fidelity to these colors when we incorporate Lemon Yellow, Magenta, and Sky Blue or Pthalo Blue into the mix. It will give the colors the pop and punch they need to read the same as your digital elevation.
When your designer is hand painting, they are pulling from a more classic set of artist colors. Sometimes they have a slew of mini kits from Rosco so all y’all are using the same exact colors.
Do I work with specific intellectual properties?
Working with branding teams can get complicated. There are specific colors that are associated with intellectual property assets. Barbie Pink, Tiffany Blue, and Elmo Red are all very VERY specific Pantone colors. Your local paint store is likely not able to dial in the color as specifically as you could with a range of Rosco colors at your disposal. With time and practice, you will be able to nail these mixes better than the paint store.
Mixing color can give you flexibility, freedom, and access to more of the creative process. It’s a chance to put your color theory into practice and refine your eye for color. If you have the material and labor budget to handle adding more Rosco colors to your stock, do it. Your final product will have more depth and character because scenic paints are designed to layer and build like artists’ paints.
Leveling up your scenic looks might be as easy as leveling up the product lines that you utilize. If you are at the beginning of your scenic paint journey and would like to try these colors on a smaller scale before you make a bigger investment, check out the Rosco Scenic Sets. They give you four colors in each themed kit and can help inform your priority of colors. You can purchase these and all other Rosco products online or through local theatrical and live event vendors near you.
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Steph Charaska is a scenic charge artist with extensive experience in the entertainment industry. She has her roots in the Chicago storefront theater scene and now has developed her artistic voice as a mixed media artist. Steph is an active member of the Guild of Scenic Artists. |
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Additional Reading: 3 Reasons Why Scenic Paint Outperforms Hardware Store Paint On Stage |