ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses techniques of scenic painting used to create specific and/or generally realistic appearances. The combination of a pigment or dye and a transparent medium creates a useful painting tool for faux finishes. Colorants added oil-based finishes may serve to "pull together" a paint treatment, faux wood, or faux marble, like the application of stain on fine wood. A faux wood grain is done by initially painting a base coat that is the hue of the lightest grain of the wood either in a single color or a wet blend. Stains are very useful for aging and distressing many surfaces, both because of the range of colors and because the surface penetration of these mediums adds the verisimilitude of the effect. Aging refers to any technique or combination of techniques used to render the appearance of age and weathering.
