What types of paints can or should be used for hand painted backgrounds?

Thank you Char.

She (the artist) knows a lot about paint but my concern was that we would be lighting it and shooting against it so I wasn't sure if there was something other than matte that I should be looking for or concerned with to make sure I didn't waste money or the artists time.

I'm going to go to her house, shoot against some of her original artwork and see how that works.

A tagger is someone who spray paints their "tag" all over buildings, garages, bridges and any other place that could piss the owners off!

Robert, still not clear, are these backgrounds solid boards or fabric?

Either way, regular matt paint will be very easily smudged and stained with normal studio use, so if you're forking out a lot to get these done, make sure they're properly sealed with a matte spray after painting.

A gloss finish will be easier to clean & maintain and probably won't need separate sealing/varnishing but obviously it will reflect your lighting - this can be used to great effect and you will get more texture & contrast than with a plain matt or satin finish but it will also be less versatile than a background that can be lit from any angle without worrying about the reflections of light modifiers and reflectors being visible.

Personally, I usually paint with all matt paints (cheap 5L cans of primary colours that I can mix), then use a high gloss varnish on the areas I want to reflect and seal the areas I want to remain flat.

I'm going to have 2 types made. One will be a 5' x 7' or 6' x 8' that I can transport on a solid core cardboard or PVC tube so it can be unrolled and have minimal or no wrinkles. The second will be a 10' x 20' background for full length or large set shooting.

I am concerned about reflections, as I was to be able to hit it with light or any intensity from any angle without worrying about glare or specular highlights.

The link I gave to backgrounds by maheu has a lot of the types of backgrounds I want to create but since those cost $650 a piece it's not likely I'll be buying them.

My arrangement with the artist hasn't been finalized yet but it is going to be a barter with little to no cash involved.

Hi Robert,

If you want painted scenes, then I'm out of ideas (never had any! ), but for some larger mottled backgrounds, I will only buy Lastolite muslin from now on (based on how happy I am with their collapsible muslins). I've bought some "bargain" muslins from other vendors before, and they were just money down the drain - ultimately I was not happy with the long-term! The Lastolite material is high-quality, and they have quite a good selection of colours and tones.

That is not to say that there aren't other manufacturers of high-quality muslin backgrounds. I'm just saying that now that I have found a good source, I am done looking.

Hey Rudi,

I don't want mottled or the tie-dye look from these backgrounds. I can get those from many manufacturers in all different sizes and colors. The reason why I'm using an artist is to not just create what I can buy. That wouldn't make sense. I'm having this artist create original artwork that is unique and does not have the generic appearance of what you normally see. Again, the backgrounds by maheu site has beautiful artistic backgrounds that are distinctly different and if you're familiar with Dave Junion, he has some handpainted backgrounds featured in some segments on the Photovision DVD's that are really nice, very different and don't pull the eye away from the subject or distract you, while being noticeably different.

BTW, Rudi, nice to see you and hawk over in the Frank Doorhof forum. Looks like we have a little Elinchrom 'click' going

TMR Design wrote in post #6160698
BTW, Rudi, nice to see you and hawk over in the Frank Doorhof forum. Looks like we have a little Elinchrom 'click' going

I've visited there several times before, and thought it was about time to pipe up and participate. It's definitely good to have Elinchrom-specific forums to share and disseminate information. It's not like Elinchrom provides a hell of a lot of info about their modifiers and accessories...

You can get specific textile paints like Liquitex at most art stores but it would be very expensive for a 10x20 backdrop. I assume she'll be using a rag and/or sponge technique on the muslin so standard latex interior paint would probably be ok. The advantage with the textile paints is you can get compatible clear coats with flat or matte finishes. If you can find a non reactive clear coat to apply on top of the latex that would be ideal for cutting the reflectivity.

Robert,

Whatever you end up with (finished backgrounds), I would appreciate if you could share some photos of them (as well as ones taken while using them). Thanks!

Most matte finish paints should be fine. Additionally you can get matt clear coat and go over everything to make sure it all has a nice matt finish. Personally I would recommend going a getting a quart of paint you intend to use and do some test shots before you invest in materials for the entire project.