Let There Be Blacklight r

le1 lxexe Be ...

Bla CX1iGX1

vamen

BY

toDD liesenov & Dave Paivm

eDmD

BY

lil ')lonSeGGeJI

[I

One Way Stred

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Copyright ro 1998 One Way Street. Inc. PO Box .5077 Englewood. CO 80155

let lxexe Be ... BlaCXliCiXl

vsmen

BY

loDD liesenO'lf &: Dave PRiveu

eDneD

BY

Liz YonSeliGen

ISBN 1-58302-136-1 Copyright tn I �198

Om• Way Strcf't. Inc. PO Rox 5077 Englewood. CO 80155 (30:!) 790-1188. 1-800-569-4537 I 11 lp:/ /V\ "w.onewaystn•et.rom

Pt>rmis�ion is granted to the purchaser or rhi!. book to mak(' ropiP� ncressary for your pt>rsonal use in your own churrh or rni11isrry. J\.11 other t0pying i!o, prohibited. Permi!>sion is NOT grantC'd for ml' as handouts in sC'minars or workshops.

iaB1e

₀₁

Comems

Introduction ... 4 Blacklight Puppetry ... 5 Blacklights ... 5 Performance Area ... 6 Getting Started ... 7

Making a Prop Rack ... 8

Preparing the Performers ... 9

Fluorescent Materials ... 10

Finding Fluorescent Materials ... 11

Lettering ... 12

Protecting Your Props ... 12

Fluorescent Paints ... 13

Working with Fluorescent Paint ... 13

Puppets, Props and Scenery ... 16

Special Fluorescent Materials ... 18

Coating on Flexible Solid Surfaces ... 19

Choosing Performance Material ... 20

Resource Helps ... 20

UV Puppetry Resource List ... 22

One Way Street Resources ... 23

Fluorescent Sun Puppet Pattern ... 24

3 Lei ixe1e Be ... Blacklight

Introduction

Many yPars ago at a Fel\ow�hip of Christian PuppPleer's conference. Marilyn Watkins from Norrh Carolina and her ream performed a lively blackligh1 puppet version of �This Little Light of MineH usi11g singing lightbulb puppets. It was so impressive that it captivated thf' audi­ ence! This t>xperience op

e

ned my eyes to how powerful a quality blacklight presentation r.an be. Sincf> then. our puppet team and many or her pup­ pet teamf. around thf'

w

orld have used this song and other songs to WOW audiences and drive home 1he n1cs�age.

Over the years. we have used blacklight regularly w providt> cxrilemcm and variety to our perfor­ mances. Wp'w seen audiences of 1.000 or more dolkfr•·•• .,,,<1 """"'" ""Y .. ,,.,.,._.h!'' '-"M•·tl-.<'•' """•·•·• the blacklighl

p

uppets come ou1. We've seen

lil-erally h

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nd

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eds of puppet

teams UlP

blarkliQhl

rffe<"rively

One Way Strf't>I would likf' to thank Marilyn Watkins for her creativity in pioneering the use of b

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h1 with puppets. Her book A lkwi/ffl C.:uidt 10 Blarklig/Jt Puppetry has h

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ed rhousands 8illn 1nro1111at1on 011 uw eflecllve use or 1Jlack­ ligh1 in puppN ministry. This book is being pub­ lished as an

expanded resource for puppeteers

desiring informution vn tu11c11l lt':>UUrCt) iHIO techniques for using

blacklight effe

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ly

with puppet ministry performances.

l>di�r

Dale VonSeggen

Presiden1. Ont:> Way Street. Inc.

Blacklight Puppetry

Oru• of t hf> biggest lrends in the world of puppet ministry has hf'en 1 lw use of a special type of l ighting known i:b b l a c k l i g h t . It i s easy r o s e e why. Dlacklight is an ef

fecc that is very easy to use. yer it raptures an audif'nce-'s auention like n0lhi11g else. Imagine ynurSPlfsit t ing in church expectinR a traditional service. But something is different. Today a pup· pct stage sits in thar spot usually occupied by the d1oir. Suddenly the lights go off The room is com­ pletely dark. The music starts. and soon the µup­ pet stage is filled with puppf'IS amt pro11s glowing brightly. These> puppets are proclaiming the mes­ sage of Jesus Chrisl. and thf'y have thf' full atten­ tion of every child in that room. Imagine the impact those puppets will have. Now here's lhe bPst part: adults love it as much as the kids do. So what is black light? Let's get tf'chnical for a mo­ ment. Blacklight is the popular name for near­ ultraviolet radiant energy. which fal lsjusr outside the visible spectrum. When this light hits ccnain nuoresceni marerials. it rauses them m nuoresce. or emit visible light. The invisible blacklight wave is absorbed by the nuorescem material and is re­ nected at longer wavelengths visible to the eye. The visible wavelengths of thP electromagnetic spectrum range from 380 to 760 nm (or nanom­ etei-. a unit of measurement for lightwaves. One nanometer is one bill ionth of a meter) . Wavt:>­ lengrhs longer than 760 nm arf' called infrared light. Wavelengths shorter than 380 nm are call Pd ultraviolet (UV) or black light. UV efficiency Is measured by peak lumen emission from nuores­ cen1 materials. yellow and orange being the brightest. blue and purple the weakest. In common language. blacklight makes nuorcs­ C<'nt puppets and props seem ro glow in a power­ fol and exciting way. The bright colors of a black­ l ight pPrformancf' offers audience's a real treat. Rlacklight can add variety to a lt't1gthy program and give punch or i mpact to something you want your audience to remember. However. blacklight is an effect that should be used in moderation. In a way. devoti ng an entire performance to blac:k­ light puppetry takes away from its effPc:rivmcss. I.el ixeae Be- Blacklight

In a performance consisting of seven or eight seg­ ments. pNhaps only two are performed undc-r blacklight. Be selective in choosing how to use this .c;rec:ial effec:t..

There are three basic: ingredients needed for black­ light puppetry: blackl ights. fluorescent materials. and the ability to darken the perfonnancc area.

Blacklights

There are many types of blacklights. but not all work well for puppetry. The most commonly used are 18-inrh. I 5 watt blacklight tu hes and fixtures. These are very affordable and are available from various puppet companies as well as many nov­ elty stores. The 18-inch fixtures are preferred be­ cause rmmy have holes on the back which allow for several e�y mou1lling melhuds (sec Mount· ing the BlackHghts). Their compact size makes them a bir easier to travel with.

There are 48-inch blacklight bulbs and fixtures available from lighting and theater supply com­ panies. These do an excellent job: however. the fixtures are quite a bit heavier. more expensive, and rhe hulhs are much more fragile. If treated harshly. a hlac:kligtu can pop l i ke a balloon. Conlrary to popular belief. there is a good range of high intensity. long-throw UV fixtures avail­ able through theatrical lighting companies. One of rhe nmst c:omprehensive l ines is carried by

WildOre, Inc.

They carry UV floodlights. UV noods or spot �·resnels. and even UV spotlights. These fixtures range i n ability from 75-150 feet throwlengths. at a beam width of 15- 100 feet . Some arc narrow beamed. some wide beamed. bul all arc professional quality lighting instruments: however. they can be quite costly. The least ex­ pensive of Lhesc f'ix1ures starts around $1,(lOO and the rcsl go up from there. You do. however. get what you pay for. The results are spectacular. One of these l ights shining from 40 feet away in con­ junction with a rew 1 a· blacklights underneath gives a phenomenal brilliance without shadows. While working on rhe live attraction of a famous

Iheme park's animated musical. chese black.Hghcs were used and they were actually coo powerful for the performers' black poly/ cotton hoods and clothing. They couldn't move lhe ca1walk. so the entire cast had to wear black vel­ vet to become rruly invisible.

A more cost effenive long-throw instrumem is the UV-702 fixture from

Altman Stage Lighting.

This unit is half as expensive as the ones listed above. yet h's still effective from 20 feet away. These blacklights arc perfect for lhe pro­ fessional troupe using blacklight. or for groups faced wilh

cover-ing a very large stage area with one or 1wo fix­

tures. For those on tiglner budgels. several slrale­ gically placed 18 inch black.lights will do an ex­ cellcntjol..1.

One thing 10 avoid is the round. light bulb sha� blacklighcs. These do not project nearly as well as the blacklight tubes. Avoid the MwhiteM blacklighlS many hardware stores sell also. The blacklighcs you should use appear black when turned off and purple when illuminated.

Fluorescent Material

For hlacklights to work properly, the materials you use must be hlacklight reactive. Be careful when selecting your materials. Don't wait until perfor­ mance time lO find out chat something doesn't fluoresce. An emirp section of this book is devoted to materials that will nuoresce.

Performance Area

Before arriving a1 a performance location. you will want to have a good idea of the lighting situa· tion. Every church or auditorium is different. so you will need to be prepared For many different situations. Some churches have large windows 1t1at can be a real nuisance for blacklight puppetry. ff you know your performance will takC' place af­ ter dark. then h's nol a problem. but during 1he daytime is another sLory. Ask your host about this kind of thing ahead of lime. You may even want ro check ouf the church yoursrlf several weeks before the performance. Ask irtht"re are shades or curtains that can be drawn to cover the windows.

If not. it's always a good idea co carry with you a supply of black plastic material to cover the

win-6

dows. Most hardw_{are SlOrf's ur lu111l>t•r yunb} should sell black ground cover. This mal�rial is One ror covering the window:>. You may waru. ro have a s1epladdcr With you. as some of these win· dows may he hard to reach. Be sure to ask first before covering rhese windows.just to be courte· ous of your host.

Now. what about the actual lighrs i111he church? You will wane co find out wherE' thE' controls are for tht> lights. Are they in the front of the church or thC' back or 1he church? Are they at the sound booth? /\re th<!y all in the same spot. or are there S!'veral diffort"nt switches spread o�•t around the room? Whatever the answer is. chances are un· less they happen 10 be located behind when• your puppet stage will be. you will need somebody out­ side of your pupper team 10 operate the lights. Check wirh your host ahead oF rime and make sure there will be plenty of adults available lO help you out. You should always have several copies

of your order of program "ith 1·ou. Give one to

thf' person who will Opt>race che lighcs for you, and make sure thar it clearh: indicates when Lo turn them off and on. You piobably want to take a Few minutf"S and talk rhrough the order of pro­ gram with tha1 person to make sure he under­ stands what he is suppose-d to do.

Occasionally you v.ill encounter those big old halogen lamps that are often found in church and school gymnasiums. You kno" the ones I mean. rhey takl• 5 minucf"S to come back on. If this ls something you fare often. an eas\ solution would be co pu1 your blarkligh1 numbers at the end of lhP pf'rformanre. However. this doesn't always work whPn tr�·ing to structure a show. The next logical step would be to invest in a lighting sys-1e-m for your puppet :,Lage. This would allow you ro have cornplete control over when the lights are on and when they are off. There is nothing that says you have to go wirh an expensive light system. For many teams. attaching nood lamps 10 stands {PVC pipe or aluminum tripods) does a good job as a light system. Of course.

One Way

Strttt

and various lhearrital supply l'Ompanies �II lighting syMems that are excellent for puppet ministry. Whichever route you choose. there are two kt'v things 10 remember. The first is control. You

wam

to be able to turn thf' liglus on or off when you need it. To achiE'VC lhis you will want to purchase a dimmer box of some sort. The sec­ ond is to remember 1ha1 ligh1ing is no1 so much the casting of ligh1 as tl1e casting of shadows. You want your lights to be high enough so that the I.a dtlt ,._ Blacklight

shadows are cast down. into rllf>: puppet srnge. and noi back onto rhe slage·s backdrop. Remember. a light ing sysrpm is not a necessity. but it 1;;urf• helps. Though blacklighl work.'i best in complete dark­ ness. il is not an all or nothing dral. By utilizing a follow spotlight or a small pin spotlight. you can ilJuminalc Orll"' part of lhe stag<" With whilt' Jighl while blacklighr is used elsewhere. Even under normal or dimmed light. blacklighl can give cer­ tain puppets and props a nice soft glow. Safety

Puppeleers should always be careful when han­ dling or working around blacklighlS. Blacklight bulbs are quite fragile: in fact, the larger the bulb. the more fragile it is. One thing to wuch out for are your puppet's arm rods. Out-of-control arm rods have been known lO shatter blacklights. Blarkligh1s do not gee as hot as some light bulbs do. hut don't be deceived. You still need to hi" care­ ful . ll's never a good idea to touch a l ight bulb 1hat is lit. Also remember that you are working with elertricity. ThNC' have been questions asked concerning the Jong-term effect.sof blackl ighc. We arc no1 aware of any problems or dangNs. how­ ever. if you have any ltealth concerns in this area. it would be best to consult your docwr.

Getting Started

So. you've decided ro add blacklight to your pr�� gram. Usually the first quescion out of every.om•.s mouth Is. "How many blacklighu do I need? Tlus depends on what you arc trying 10 do. U_sing ch.e 18-inch blackligh1s as our examples. thmk of it this way: one blacklighr will cover appr

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ximately 1 hree reec of performance area. Tht> mam perfor­ mance area of mo�t puppe1 stages cends 10 he be· 1ween six and nine feet in il'ngth. Therefore. about two to three blacklights 011 each performtince level usually does the job. I lowl."vcr. you will want to expcrimem and find ouc for yourself what works besc. You may find tha1 three blacklighrs do a fine job. but four blacklights make thing

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stand out a Jinle better. This is not an exact science. Many puppet teams will have \\·all to wall blacklighting. covrring every inch or performance area. Positioning Puppets & Props Blar.klights are a finicky breed. To be effective. rhey n<'f'd to be relatively close to che subject tht>y arc lighting. but not coo close. The proper d.istance hecwcen ligh1 and object should he approximately I.ti mat M-Blacklight

eight to tf"n inch1.·s. If the puppets arf" rnuct1 fur· ther away from the blatkliRhl. they will look dim­ mer and begin to appear kind of ruzzy. maki11g it more din1culc for your audience to focus on thP.m. Pos i t i on i ng t h e puppets roo close to t h e blacklights w i l l rr�ate hot spots. These h o l spots will sf"em to wash our some of the bright colors. In all honesty. blacklights work hes1 when they shine down on their subject from abovf". Unfor­ tunately. with 1he type of puppet stages uspd by most teams. this i.s almost impossible to achieve. Therefore. the blacklights are mounted inside the puppet stage. just below the horizontal c:rossbar of the stagt'. This allows the blacklights to be our of view of the audience. yet close to the puppets and props. A helpful hint when using slg11 props in blacklight is to lilt them toward the blackligln slightly. This helps them shine a bit brighter. Do not place the blacklights on the noor inside the puppel stagf". This is too far away from the sub jeers to bl' effective. Such blacklight fixturl'S will also be in the way of the puppeteers. If you have a theatrical ligh1i11g system mounced on overhrari supports. you may think ahout adding a few blackl ights to it. This will allow you to have some blar.kligh1 shining down from above. Howeve

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. the distance or lighting Trees from the Stage 1$ usually too great for these blar.klights to be effec­ tive all by themselves. Even sn. such lights can do a nice job of filling in where shadows may occur. Mounting the Blacklights There are st>veral good methods for mounting your blacklighrs. The quickest and easiest method is.to use small metal hooks and simply hang the fix­ tures on rhe crossbar of the puppet st.age. The hook'.'i ran insert into the holes on the back of the J 8-inch fixtures. If your fixtures have no holes. the hooks could be ser.urcd with duct tape. These hooks are available from

One Way Strttt.

or you

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-can make your own out of hangers. A drawback to using hooks Is that the weight of the bh1cklights can cause the crossbar to bow. depending on thfl! sturdiness and leng1h or the puppet stage. How­ t>ver. for a quick set.up. lhis is the way lo go. This method should only be used with the 18-inch fix­ tures as largfl!r fixtures are too heavy to hang on most puppet s1age crossbars.

Making a Prop Rack

Making your prop racks is rclarively easy and should only take you 1-2 hours.

Materials you will need:

I. 1/4" Pine Batt Trim Wood (You will need at least as much as the lfl!ngth of the ;:irea you

wish to light plus some e)nra.)

2. I" Finishing Nails :t WoodGtue

4. Six inches or Vinyl Tubing (1/4-ID) 5. 2 U-Bolts with wing nuls and washers Tools you will need: I. Saw. preferably eleClrir

2. F.k'Ctrlc Drill with a 114-Drill Rit 3. Hammer

4. _Tape Measure Step 1

Oett'!nuine how long of a space you wish to cover with your prop rack. A good length for a main performance area Is somewhfl!re between six and nine feet. Once you've figurP.d out that distance. add two inches to It and i;ut the pine

batt to that length ... I""'._...,_ Step Z

Next you will cut spacers out of the leftover wood. Cut six of them 3.5 lo 4.5 inches long. de· pending on the size of the U-bolts you 8

Another popular method or mounting blacklights is the use or a prop rack. Prop nu:k:. are made or a ligln wood trim ma 1erial . Using U-bolts. the rack is attached m the vertical poles of your stage. The rack will run horizontally on the inside of the stage. just hf'neath the crossbar that holds the curtain. This type of prop rack also works great

for mourning your blarklights.

are using. Now glue and nail three or the' spacers 10 ea ch end or the prop rark. Make sure that you se· cure them to th<' same side or the prop rack. Step 3

Using your tape mea­ sure. draw a center line horizontally across your !.pact'r�: lhis will tell vou where to place .1 he holes fo rt he U-bohs. If you are using a PVC pipe puppet stage. use 2- U-bohs at least 4 S long. for aluminum t ripod stages. use I .5 • U­ bolt s. Put the cncts or the U-Boh on the center line about an inch from the edge. Usinfit a hammer. lightly tap the U­

bolt: this will leave a dent iu the wood to help guide your

drill. Now drill your holes using the guides: try to drill as

straight as possible.

Step 4 This final step only applies to 1hoS<' of you using alumi· num tripod stages. It's a good idea to take some vinyl tub ing and place it owr

the curved section or the U-bolts to provide some padding bf.tween the bolt and t he rripod. Applying too mud1 pressure to the aluminum may caust! it to dent: this will help avoid that. You may have to slit the tubing in order to gel it over the bolt.

Attach the Blacklights

Now you're' ready to attac:h the prop rack to your s1age. Simply put the U-bolts around your verti­ cal stagE' µolt>s. place th<' prop rack over the U­ bolr. amt serurf' with the wi11g nuts. Thl' prop rack should now be attacl1ed on tl1e inside of tl1t• stage.

- When you art• ready to secure tht:> black­ lights. you will use the holes on the !Jack or the ISM fix­ llire. Simply mcasurf' the distanrf' between the two holes. tht-n 1wist two screws into your prop rack thar are thC' samf' distance a pan. Then you ran mounl your blackligh1 on the sacws. You will most likely want to 11100111 more than one black ligh1. so be sure to evenly space thf'm. This mounl­ ing method tak� a bit longer to set up. bur docs an exccllcmjob of holding the fixtures in place. It is often a good idf'a to use a Jiule duce cape to help keep the blackliglu fixcures SC'Curc. Of course. a drawback to this method is that you won'r he able co use as much of your prop rack for props. Cords Cords Cords

Getting the blacklighcs mounted is just the firsc part of th<' job. Next you need to figure out what to do with all chose power cords. A good idea is to have a cemrally locatf'd power supply. Consider placing a power strip or a mullichannC'I powC'r source near one of your vertical stage poles. You'll wane to hf' sure you carry wich you a large supply of excension cords of varying lengths. Other im­ portarn ilcms include various adaptors. such as ones tt1at take 1hrf'f' outlf'ts to onf' plug and arlap­ tors for converting a grounded cable (3 prong) co a two prong plug. The key to managing your cords is co keep chem out of the areas where the puppe­ ceers will be. Run your cords along the inside edges of your puppPt sragf'. and he sure to secure chem with duct tape. Taping your cords to the Ooor will reduce the risk of someone tripping on chem and getting hurl. or possibly unplugging che blacklights during the performance. Always hf'ware of overloading electrical circuils. An individual blackliglu is not a huge power drainer. hut several of them. plus whatever other lights and special effocts you arc using. could po· lt1 m1e _It-Blackl;ght

lf!nllally ..,.,.,,.,. ,..,,n.,. 1�r<">t>I<."""'· l)t>••'< •''""' .>'-'�"

blacklights into 1hE.• same source as your main lighting system. Try to spread things out. Note: It's always a good idea to have somebody there who knows where the circuit breakers arc. Stage Curtains

When you begin using blackllght. some spf'c:ial considerations should be made concerning your puppet nage curtains. Rlack tends to be the lJcst color for cuM_ains when doing blackligtu perfor­ mances. Ocher colors or curtains. like hlue or red. may not be nuorescenc. but they may not com­ pletely vanish under blacklight conditions. Often. the material puppet stage curtains arc made from is not quite dense enough to block blackliglucd items behind stage. You may be able co see the puppE.·ts and props through the curtains when th<' black lights are on. This doesn't mean you have co makt> thicker curtains. Get some dark­ colored material and pin it to the back side of your curtains. This creates a lining and should make the curt<iins thick enough to stop light from show­ ing through.

Preparing the Performers

As you prepare for your blacklighr puppet perfor­ mance. there are several things you want co con­ sider. The firs1 is what the puppeteers are wear­ ing. It is always a good idea for the puppeteers co be dres.'ied In black for a blacklight performance. This should consist of black pants and a black long-sleeved shin. Hoth should be made out of fairly light material so the puppeteers don't gel coo hot. In some cases. a short-sleeved black shirt can be used. provided chat the puppeteers also wear black coverings on their arms. Take some hlack socks and cut the toes out of them so they can slide over the puppeteers' arms. Sometimes this is not as hot as wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Wearing the black sleeves is something that should be done even when doing puppetry in regular light. It ensures that the flesh of the puppeteer's arm never shows.

Puppeteers also need co be careful about what they wear u11der 1twir black clOlhing. Belit'VC it or not. some uridergurments have been known lo nuo· resce and show right through the puppeleer's clothing during blacklight performance$. Avoid this potentially embarrassing situation by having a dress rehearsal in which the puppeteers wear exaclly what they will wear to the performance.

Blacklight puppetry allows the puppeteers to come out from behind the curtain and not be seen, that is. only if they are completely covered in black. To cover the puppeteers' heads, they must wear a hood or some sort. The hood should be made or light material and should allow for the puppeteer to see out.

One Way Street

sells a black hood with a mesh front that is very lightweight and easy to see out of. Puppeteers should wear the hood while practicing as it often cuts down on their field of vision in addition to making things a bit hotter.

Fluorescent Materials

Now that the stage Is glowing with hlacklight. you need performance materials that will react with

the light. De very 1.:�1 eful when selecting your ma­ terials; looks can be deceiving. The tcnn ftfluores­ centft is one that many people use rather loosely. The average person may apply it to any bright looking color, so simply because something is called Mfluorescent" doesn·t mean it will fluoresce under blacklight. When ordering items through the mail. be sure to ask ff they are blacklight reac­ tive. When shopping at your local stores. Lake a black.light with you. Don·t hesitate to ask the clerk if there is a dark room (maybe a bathroom) where you can go Lo test the ma

i

erials.

Colors

The colors that are most commonly used under blacklight are yellow, pink, and orange. There are also shades of fluorescent green. red. white. and blue. It is very important to look at these colors under blacklight condilions. Many times they look quitf! a bit different under blacklight than they do under white light. for Instance. r.hat lovely orange pumpkin prop that you made might end up looking red under blacklight If you're not care­ ful.

Two colors to be especially careful with are blue and white. Rlue is the darkest fluorescent color available. Therefore. when too much blue is usf'd. the puppet or prop begins to seem to blend In wil h the black background. It becomes very dlffi· cult fur the audience to focus on It. Blue should be used carefully. In the case of white. people as­ sume it Is fluoresrent. but this is not always the case. In order to achieve fluorP.scent while. you might need to use special white paint that will react with the blacklight. Be sure to test all white materials before using them.

10

Creative Use of the Color Black

Keep in mind also creative use of the color black. Since black will not show under blackUght. it can be used to hide things or even highlight things. When you think about the colurs that are impor­ tant to a blacklight performance. you might never cunsider tht' color black. However. black can re· ally makP

rhejobofmaking

props a lot easier. For example. imagine making a prop featuring big fluorescent letters that spell ouc the word "LORD.M

You·ve decided to cut your letters out of fluores­ cent pink posterboard 8nd mount them on a sheet of foamhnard that has been painted black. All tl1e audience will see are the letters. After tracing the letters with thf! help of the overhead projector, cul them out. but only cul ou1 arnund the out­

side edges of the lellt-rs. It"s difficult to cut out those inside holes on letters like 0. R. and D ... so why bother! Just take a black marker and color in the inside holes. Under blacklight. the audience will ncvPr be able Lo tell the difference. The reverse will create an entirely different visual effect. Placing black leners on a OuorescE'nt foam­ board will make the audience see a sign rather than floating leuPrs. Choose which effect you want and make your prop acrordingly. Berause black doPs not show under blacklight rom.Jitions. it can be used to make puppets or props seem to suddenly appP.ar or disappear. Let's say you havP a large cross prop you want to have disappear quickly. To do this. simply paint the back side of your cross black. At the moment you want it to disappear, quickly turn the prop around. If your props are attached to a handle of some sorL. your handle should be painted black. This makes the props appear to be floating under black­ light conditions. but this rule applies to regular puppet performances as well. Trim wood usually works well as a prop handle. There are a couple different ways to attach the handle to the prop. Using some scrap roam, simply attach it to the back of the prop with glue or duct tape to form a pocket that the handle can slide into. This allows t"or betrer storage of thf! props. since the handles can he removed. Another method is to use a piece or sricky black velcro on bnth the prop and the handle. It's a good idea to decide early on which part of the velcro (hook or loop) will go on the props and which part will go on the handles. and use this through all your prop making adventures. This way. any handle can be used on any prop.

Finding Fluorescent

Materials

Finding fabric that fluoresces is easy: finding a

variPIY of colors and fabrics is not. Any good poly/ couon white T-shirt will glow brightly. By far. white is thP easiPst fluorescent fabric to find. Go to any fabric store and Lake home ten swatches of white rabrir cotton, lycra, knit, even take fur. More often than not. seven out of ten will glow a ghostly bluP-whitc undPr UV light. If all you're doing is crealing durable flat props with fabric. by all means buy white poly/cot.ton and spray paint it

whatever color you like. But if you're looking to sew fluorescent puppets and costumes in a vari­ ety of rolors. you're going Lo have to do a liule more legwork.

The most common colon that Ouoresce are

pinks, oranges, greens. and yellows.

These color..,, especially orange and green. arf' often thl' most common. regardless of Lhe type of material. As explained earlier. thf' nature of UV renection means violet and deep blue colors fluoresce thf' weakest. so ir's rare to find them. Also. many fab­ rics that appear one color under normal light. appear a different color under UV light Pink looks red. orange appears red. and yellow looks yellow­ green. These are a few reasons why you

always

test swatches!

Never assume a garishly bright color will fluoresce just because it's garishly brlgtn. Most long time puppeteers have a yard or two of fabric th('y were positive would fluoresce. and it didn't. Test everyLhing. no mailer how !empting it looks. You can rnrry a blacklight with you. Or even better. carry a UV flashlight. What? A bat­ tery poY.ered black light?

Wildfire, Inc.

has onP available. Also. vou can find them from scientific companies. wh

e

re thf'y're used for bug collecting, rock huming. and bactf"rial detection. One of these in a fabric store i� convenient and takes out thC' guesswork.

The greatest var!Pty of colored fluorescent fabric: that can br found in the average fabric store is Jycra or spandex materials. Since bathing suits are made of bright. often loud colors, fluorescent fah­ rics aff" r:ommon here: and since lycra is a stretchy kni1. ic's a great material for making costumes or

fluorPscent puppets.

Thf" next most common fluorescent material is. oddly enough. ripstop nylon. This shiny. almost vir1yl-like sheeting material is usrd for windbrE"ak­ f'fS. waterproof garmc>nis. rent bags. etr. Ar first glance. the malcrial sef'ms too dull to actively

fluo-I.II IHtll 11-Blacklight

rf'SCC'. hul Pxposurr to UV will causl· ii 1n glow

vividly. It's available in green. pink. orange, and yellow solids. but rarely in prints. You can make your own prints by block-printing with a sponge and liquid fluorescent acrylic. especially on a non­ porous fabric such as I his. Rips top nylon is an excellent material for blacklight costuming. Finding good fluoresceni prints is becoming in­ creasingly difficult Blame this on the vagaries of fashion or c.:ullure. but getting good cotton or cotton polyester prints on a regular basis isn't easy to do. One place to look is the craft and novelty fabrics section of your local fabric store. ThP. best time for this is around Halloween when people arc looking for costume materials. Be sure to stock up on good prints when you find them, since you may not have the chance later.

Theater House

in Covington. KY has a good selection of nuores­ cent lycra. satin prints, and chiffons available by the yard. as well as fluorescent ribbons. sequins. fringe. and many otlu�r items.

Ry far. the greatest selection of fluorescent mate­ rials isn't found down the street. but across Lhe country in numerous fabric outlet�. costuming supply houses. and theatrical companif"S. Unfor­ tunately. you'll have t.o search these out. Hope­ fully. this book and its resource guidC' will help point you in the right direction.

Fluorescent Paper Products

The most <:ommon use of UV reactive materials in Christian puppetry today is in the creation of props and scenery. usually for a song presenta­ tion. Ry no means is this the "end-air of black­ light p

U

ppetry. but since it's the most common. that's where we'll bPgin.

The most commonly useod material for props and scenery is white

foamboard.

This board is com· posed of two sheets of heavyweight poster paper laminated to a corp of extruded polysryrene (EPS. commonly known as styrofoam). The board comes in two thicknesses, :i/16" (5mm) and 112"

(l3mm). Ir is widely available from office supply stores. art stores. even hobby shops. Standard sizes indudf" 20" x 30" (Siem x 76cm). 30" x 40" (76cm x 102cm}. and can also be purchased in 4' x 8' ( 1.4111 x 2.8m) sheets. usually from art stores. Foambnard can be easily cut with a razor knife. drawn on with marker pens. spray painted, traced onto, pinned, glued, etc. All the properties of pa­ per apply to foamboard, including the disadvan­ Lages. It will bubble and curl when exposed Lo

water dro)15 or high humidhy. It will easily creasf'. and the edges will oft.en dent a

�

d

:

�ay. It's n

�

t as durable as plast.ic or wuud, hut 1t 1s E>asy to find. easy to work with. and fairly inexpens

�

v�. Note: regular foamboard does not Ou

�

r

�

sce 1t.st'lf: un· like paper stock. Howpvcr. since 1t is white. ir .ac­ cepts fluorescent p<iint well. The cross and the sign (above) are both cut from foa

�

board'. and show how easy il is 10 work with this material. F.ven more readily available than foamboard is the UV.reactive

poster paper

and

copier paper.

Don't overlook the myriad of possibilities of these inexpensive materials for signs. homemade con· fotti. or props and sc:enery. These products are available in the standard pink. green. orange. and yf'llow. and offer thr added .advantage

�f

being able to be copied and laser printed. We witnessed one puppet team use numerous pieces of Ouores· cent poster board to create a large flip card effect to spell out words. similar to what you might see <lone hy a group of fans at a stadium sporring event. Easily cut with scissors. glued, or stapled. nuorescem paper is a very versatile material.

Lettering

Many blacklight props involve depicting words or numbers. These c<1n be cut out of posterhoard or foarnboard. or painted or drawn onto a sur­ face. An importaru thing to keep in mind is that your letcers must be fairly large. large enough so lhe audience can SCC' them clearly. The lettering on your props should cilso b(' nea1ly done. The easiest way to achiev(' clean. dear lettering is to use a computer. Type out your word!i on your computer. make them fairly large and experiment with some different fonts. When you h<1ve the 12

look you W<1nt, print out the page and 1he11 trans­ fer ii lO<t Shec>I ofd*!<1r 1n1n51.,u·e1>ey "•uhorlnl. N�"" using <tfl overhead µrojt>crnr. prqject 1h .. words onto a piece 1.•rroettnl:>oarr1 nr pns1 .. rl)onrd nrul .. 1r ... ply trace the word!i with a pencil.

This same technique can be applied 10 painting. You can trace your ll'lters on 10 a piect• or bro:wn butcher paper. then cu1 out the lencrs. (Tll': Jum che sce11ci/ over ;1nd :;pray with a Uglu coar of spray adhesive co 110/d the stencil in plarf' while you arc working.) Now place stencil over your.surfac

�

. and paint tile letters evenly with spray pa1111. This can also work in reverse. place the cur out leuers on the surface and paint. the background.

Jesus

Protecting Your Props

Fluorescent paint is transparent: it shows dirt eas· ily. It's also a very soft paint and easily scratches or nakes. Fortunately. minor sr.ra1.ches and dents are undetectable under UV light. but cvcncually most UV props need to be remade or repainted. How c:an you protect your props. especially foam· board or J><tper props? Good quality laminating sheets or plastic sleeves are clear bu1 non-fluores· cent making them the best way 10 wat

e

rproof and prolect fluorescent posterboard or paper. To _{protect foamboard or other paimed dimen­} sional props. you can use adhesive backed Mylar sheets (available from art stores). For rhree·dimen·

�

_{ional props. a brushed on coaling of clear acrylic:}

1s an excellent way to protect the paint. Minwax makes a pruduc1 called _{Polycrylic whkh b} Jn�x.

pensive and a wonderful protective coating for fluorescent and non.fluorescent props. It's wacer­ based and safe to use on EPS (styrofoam). foam­ board. wood, plastics. etc.

Pluore•cent Palnts 'l h(' il l OS t C' Oll l -

'!

�

�

�

���;;;�

,.

m o n

mP

an:c;. of

�

���!' i.'"!�. �-':'··:��'.�:.

no�'.nJore;�;�t'

materials is

by waling the ma­ terial with fluo­ resc ent paint. Quali1y fluores­ cent paints are t>asy ro find. es­ µedally in �µray C<ins. Every hard­

ware . hobby. or

tt;:;;c.

;:::::::=

�

�

=

=-­

painl store has at

least one can uf fluorescen

t

green or orange sit­ ting around. Unfortunately. that's often limes thf' extent of rheir variPty. Fluorescent tempera anti luminous poster paints can even be fount.I at your local grocery store. and work well under UV light Costume stores will ohen carry "glow-in-the-dark'' makeup. allowing the puppeceers to get into the act 1hrmselves. Bue where do you find the real hard colors: fluorescent white. blut!S. purples. t>-Ven Ouort!sc1m1 flesh tone!;? Fortunately for us therf' arP. a number of optiom.

Paint manufacturers

rarely sell direct lo the public. but they arc happy to give you the name of a dis1 ributor

s

tore nearest you . Makers of Ouo­ rescent paints such as Krylon distribute nation­ ally and internationally. so rrack dowf_l the rrod­ ucr from the soum:•. if you

h

ave to. Huorescent spray paints only come in about six c:olor.;: pink. orange. red, blue. green. and yellow.

Theatrical supply companies

are the best lo­ cal and reRion;:il source for a variecy of qualily t1uo· rescent paints. Any city over 200.000 in popula­ tion should have at leas! one theater supply com· pany. Sometimes t hey are nothing more than a glorified costume shop. but a good theater store can order nuorescent paints for you. even if rhey don·r carry them normally. All che major metro­ politan areas in the U.S. havf' numerous theatri­ cal supply companies. and most will ship any· where in the rnuntry. For those in rural areas who can't travel . find the one dosest to you. get a 1.:ata­ log and order away.

ln ixne _M-Blacklight

One of thf' names

to

remember when purchasing nu()•·r.<;cC'm _{painu h}

Rosco.

_{Rasco is one of th�} larg('st and be!;(

k

nown rnanufacrurers of

t

heat

ri

· cal equipment and materials in the world.

Any

1-1.uorl "�'r>r>ly hou�t.· _{will Slock th('fr p}

_r

_{od l} l / 1ough

tl1<.y d?n't sn

ake spray paints,

ffosco b�a�1�

�uo�escent

pa1ms are water based and availahlc HJ _{p1ms. qwms. and gallons. They carry}

a wide range of colors. i nclud

i

n

g

_{fl uorescent white} Tlearcolour uv· paints (which are rransparen

i°

in normal light) , and many other colors. A note to the artists oul there: since we're dealing whh pai nt. nuorescent pigments can be mixed and

m

atched to achieve different colors. Tl1e onl

y

dif· ference is you'll wam to do lhe mixing under UV l ight

.

Some amating r.olors can be ar.hieved. in· eluding flesh cones. browns. and grays. Your imaginalion and skill are the only limitations.

Working with Fluorescent Paint

The most accurate means of applying Ouo­

rescent paint Is with a brush.

Fluorescent paint (in UV l ighl) is especially forgiving when it comes to brush strokes. so this is a great oplion. and we use it a lot

.

When painting foamboard. brushes ran cover the EPS core thac spray paint solvents attack. Brushwork is cime consuming. but il remains the method that gives you the most control.

The quickest way to apply paint to

a surface is with a spray can.

As long as you don't need a special color. this will probably be­ come your preferred method of painting. There's no cleanup. Just remember to spray in an area with good ventilation and to mask noors and walls if you don't want overspray. Here's a step by step guide to spray painting nuorescenr. colors.

Create a Spraying Area

Unless you have a workshop space. or your church staff <lol'sn'r mind paint on lhe noors. you'rf' go­ ing lo need to mask off a spraying cirea. This is crucial. because there's no physical difference be­ tween gra ffi ti vanda l i s m and prop-building oversµray. (Th<' graffiti may aC':tually look bettN!) Don't paint on unmasked surfoces. Don't create <'nemies out of your church staff. maimenancl� crew. or properly ne>ighbors. This is supposf'd to he ministry. not a lire-or-death prop crusade. Thin plastil' drop cloths arc cheap. easy ro Ond and dis­ posable. Use them. reuse them if you can. and throw them away. Newspaper is fine also. but make sure it masks the tabletop or noor com­ plcrely. Taµc ir together. because spray paint of­ ten finds the crar.ks you 111issec1. If ptiinting out­ doors. he> aware thar UV pairn aurarts insecls.

Most nowPrS USf' UV markings to attract hugs for pollination. Your large nuorescent yellow sign looks like the biggest daisy t hat bumblebee's c>ver sel'n. so clun'c be surprised ff it wanes to land on your freshly paince<l surface. Paint UV props iu­ doors if you can.

Paint in the "Dark"

Since these arc> nuoresccnt props, it's best to paint chem under UV light Fluorescent paints are so bright u11der normal light that one coat looks n11e. until you gN ii under blacklight. Either paint it under a UV fixture, or have a blacklight nearby in a dark room to check your progress. light Coats, Straight Strokes Fluorescent paint seems notoriously thin. partially due to irs Lransµarem narurf'. You can nPver achieve a good even coat of paint in ont> coat. so don't 1.ry. Always use an ini1ial lighL rnat fol lowed up by ont> or two additional coats. Small props can bl' supported on a stand or hand held. which allows a more pven spraying stroke than laying the prop nat. Always use a straigh1. back and forth stroke when spray painting medium to large slzr:d props. Don'1 go back and try 1.0 cover the same area until ii looks good. This is a sure \•oay to an uneven <:ntit of paint. or even paint runs. Cover lhe entirP prop with a consis1enc. 1hin, light coat. Use later coats to nil in the gaps.

Use Fluorescent Paint's Transpar­ ency to Your Advantage

As stated before. UV paints are transpareru. This means that whate>ver's on the surface of thP piece you're painting will show through the coat or painl . You rtin use this effoc:r to your advantage. Figure I 4a shows a foamboard sign chat's been lettered prior lu painting. Overspraying tht> lct­ terin� will crcace a UV reactive sign where the let tcring is still clearly visible. The main reason for lhis "cart before the horse" approach is thal il"s much easier to get good leccering with a 111arker on unpainted paper. LettPring after pairuing works. hue it"s much tougher on the marker. gum­ ming up the felt tip with paint You can tilso brush

;

u

Figure 14b

on or marker on black onto lhe oversprayed let. ters (Figure 1 4 b) .

This is lhc way to good looking props and seen· cry using the standard fluorescen1 painl colors. Bui whal aboul special colors? What <10 you do when you wanl lo spray a color that doesn'l exist con1111l'n:ially. or is available in liquid only?

Make your own spray

paint.

Liquid pigments are lhc most versa1ile way to ere· ate special colors. All you need is a way to spray the paint. right? Any e l e c t r i c paint sprayer can spray t h i nned fluorescent paints. Unfortu­ nately. painc sprayers of this type are loud. best suited for larger scale areas. and they re­ quire a lot of cleanup. Any airliru:sli (a panit·ularly acc.:u rate tool) can spray fluores­ rf'nl pigments. but airbrushes require compressors. and both

tools are expensive. Fort u· nately for those who have nei­ ther of the above items. therf''s a nifty gadget cal led a

Preval

Sprayer.

Manufaclured by

Pred1lon Valve Corp.

of Yonkers. NY. this devir:E' is con1prised or a 6 oz. ( 1 80 ml) glass boule with a screw-on aerosol spray unit. By pouring in a suft1ciently thinned mix·

cure of paint and screwing the top on. you've in­ stantly created your own spray can. These df'vict.-:. <ire quick. e

�

sy 10 use. and easy to dr.an up. They're also a bit pr1Cl'Y· and there's not a 101 of air in that aerosol uniL. One unit will spr;iy a good si7.ed piece of foamboard. and that's it. Bui for special colors <ind easp of use. you can't beat this tool. Preval Sprayers are available al bener ar1 ;ind paint stores. Mixing and Spraying UV Paint Sprayir

�

g thi �ned or mixed paints using spray guns. air gu11s. alr

�

r

�

shes or aerosol sprayers (i.e ..

�

_�

reva.I SprayE'r) isn l a complicated process. bu1 it is a ti.me consuming une. The time involved is most.ly Ill preparation and clf'anup: the former will ensur� a. good result. and the latter will preserve

�

our s

�

ra

�

er. Most of the prf"paration involvecf is m achieving good color and a spray able mixlLire. lea &Xtlt It-Blacklight

If you'rp c:rea1ing a special color. always do this in small amounts. and test the paint on a scrap of your materi<il. Color mixing is a science: if you have the right palette. and the right percentages. you r:an 11r:hlevr• 11ny rolor. Some of it is elemen· tary: equal parts yellow and blue produce green. Jr you vary 1.hc amount of the pigments i n rela­ rion to each other. different hues of green are possible. Add white and you brighten the hue. J\dcf t hree colors togE'!ther. and you get secondary and complementary colors (A color wheel can ex­ plain this in beuer detai l) . UV paints are no dif­ ferent. except in their appearance in the visible spectrum. Generally. fluorescent paint'i appP.ar darker under normal lighting than they do under blacklight. For example.

WlldDre

UV paints can bE' combined to create a "while· flesh tone under ultrnviolet liKht. The formul<i Is 2 µarts Deep Vio­ lf't. 2 p<irt'i Brilliant Yellow. and I part Invisible Blue. I n normal light. this mixture is the color of dirt. In hlar:klight, it looks nlmost pnstcl. Adding more Violet in relation to the Yellow will darken the skin tone. Adding Bright Red would change the basic: hue. This Vf'rStltility is why you must takf' thP time to get the color righl. Guesswork won't get It done.

Once you've got the right mixture, mix up

enough to get the entire job done.

Running oul of a custom color usually means redoing the whole thing. You're now ready to thin the paint to a desired mixture. l:ilectric paint sprayers (suc:h as Wagner paint sprayers) can often handle unthinned paint. but most other air guns and sprayers require thinned painc. Fortunately. most theatrical nuorescent paints are water-based. J\ mixture of 3 parts paint to 2 parts watP.r (3/2) will give you a nice sprayable c:onsistency. Two parts to one could work as well. depending on your

figure

15 15

panern works well as long as you remember lo USC' UV-reactive materials for the eyes. The note puppet pattern can easily be made i nto a lluores· cc1u pup)JE"t .just by using nuorescent spray pai nt. The human arm shirt pattern can be used to cre­ ate nuorescent costumes for human arm puppets. and if modified. costumes for other characters. One of the neatest things to do ls lo adapt exist· ing puppets and puppet clements into new and different characters. We've used the nuoresccnt performance gloves as a basis for simple hand puppets. Glue two l'i11g-Pong balls to the top. add pupib. and you hav<' a simple hand puppet. Hcre·s anothC'r use for che nuoresccnt gloves.

�

� . .

Hands for Puppets Without Arms You can add a new dimension lo blackllghr pup­

pets like the l ight bulbs. candles am.I other non­ human charac1ers. Since many of the available Ouoresct>nt puppets out lherf> are made from yel­ low fabric (often the exact same fabric) . you can use thf' UV performance gloves as "hands" for these characters. Above is a

One Way Street

ligh1bulb puppet with one nf tht?Se '"hands: The

next photo demonstrates just one of the gf>Stures

avai lablt• LO this Funzle character with an added hand. By adding a second puppeteer ro do both hands. a puppel could use sign language during lhe prl"St'nl ation.

Another advantage of using thf'Sf' hands under blackligh1 is 1 ha1 the hands can go anywhere as long as the puppeteer is dressed in black. HP sure to wear black sleeves on your arms whenPver per­ forminr;t. especially under blacklight.

I.fl 'Xtlt It-Blocklight

Fluorescent Trims and Notions Costume companies and fohric outlets are thP hest places to find UV reactive lrims and notions.

The­

ater House

has a good selection of nuorescent rH1l>o11. chiffon. fringe. Sf!quins anci stretch sequin braids. Thl'y also carry UV costuming, including top hats. derbies. vests in numerous colors. and

bow tif>s.

Theater

H

ou

se's selection of colored UV-reactive knit gloves is unique. buc be sure to use the "Glo" colors only. The ot her colors do not 011oresce.

There arc nuorescem fake furs out chere. hue these arc difficult to find in any quantity on a consis­ tem lmsi:o;. Most of the mill� that producr these furs will only run them on the condition that you buy the entire run which can be 300 to 1000 yards. Priced per yard . this gets very expensive. There

are a number of brightly colored furs that do fluo­ resce. howt�ver. Unfortuna1ely, it's a hit-or-m iss

proposilion . Often. bright pink. orange. and yel· low fur will fluoresce. White fake furs almost al­ ways glow that ghostly blue. Cet swatchesor carry your blacklight to the scort• with you. and you may be surprised what you find.

A very popular and useful material for blacklight are feathers and feather boas. These natural fiber producls are made from various bird feathers and down. Once cleaned, dyed. and braided into lengths. boas make excellent puppet hair. Many of the colors fluoresce as well. There are a variety of names and sryl�s of feather boas. There arc coquilles. chandelles. hand-printed ostrich. rur· key and swan boas. The most widely availablt> is the maribou boa. which is the common three inch diameter type you'll sc1.· i11 craft stores. A larger version of maribou is the ostrich boa, which usu· ally has a diameter of eight inches. Turkey boa is

�omposed or individual fealhers

_{over down (that}

�;:;:io��· large. yellow _{�bJrd� on television is r.ov.}

d uh turkey feathers) . There are many types. an _i_nost or the forger. nicer ones can be very ex­ pensive. The Whole Costumer's Caralogur. lists a number or feather c:ompanie!>, one of which is

Cindenlla Flowers and Feathers.

The boa co.lors thac fluoresce the best are whitt'. pink, bright yellow. and bright green.

Special Fluorescent Materials

With the increasing populariry of ultraviolet ef­

fer.to; in the entertainment and performance in· dustries. new products are ronstantly being de veloped that may be of great use w you. Somt• of these materials have been around for years. but arc only now becoming accessible to the con­ sumer.

The visual arts community has typically been on the leading edge for UV-reactive materials. Film

and television productior1 has spurred an increase In the number and quality or UV-produdng in­ strumems and UV-reactive products. Not. surpris­ ingly. most of these companies have a presence in or around Hollywood. If you're in that area or traveling there in the future. I'd highly recom­ me11d a visit to so111e of the mmpanics and prod­ ucts we mention here. Many of them have a show­ room or t:an rlir<?c:t. you to � d+>;iler nearby who carries their product. There's nothing like actu­

ally seeing material to get ideas and ask questions. UV Reactive Makeup

One of the more widely available special materi­ als is fluorescent makeup. UV-reactive makeup al­ lows the puppeteer or performer to achieve unique effects on hands. arms and faces. Fluorescent makeup is especially useful for any situation where

you want a much rnore real istic portrayal of a human fan• or hand. We've seen UV makeup transform puppeteers wilhout hood and gloves

into "demons" that assail the protago11ist or a pup·

pet presentation. We've also seen it used to high­ light hands that need to really pick up and handle props with more dexterity than a gloved hanrl could.

The obvious drawback when using fluorescent

makeup Is in the preparation and cleanup re· quired. In hot and humid areas. it can also be un­ comfortable to wear. Use lots of powder in these

circumstances to help prevent makeup f"rom stain­ ing costumes and clothing. Also. there"s often a ••

certain rnluclanc� among

young puppeteers '"

wear it. the guys don't want to wear it because ir"s makeup. and _{the glrls don't because It's not their}

makPup. Make sure lh<' effect desired ls im1�r-���:.,��du���%���crtl::�::cfr��:i\

�·��;.�����\:."

As with any material applied to human skin. b�

awart' of allergic reactions that your performers

may have to skin products. and ask questions when you purchase the products if this is a con­ cern. You may also want to limit your use of black­ llght makeup deper1di11g or1 y(1ur aul1i�t1ce. Need­ less to say. Jive atlOrs lurking around in the dark wearing eerie glowing makeup may be a bil too scary for some or the kids in children"s church. Fluoresccru makeup is available in about six col­ ors. and can be purchased at many large costume stores.

Theater House

and

WildOre

both carry a selection. as will any good theatrical supply house. h's fairly inexpensive. compared co other UV resources. but it is perishable. Pay attention to storage and shelf life suggestions. Fluorescent Dyes

We've orten received questions about r.realing your own fluorescent fobrics through dyeing. This is possible. but finding available dyes on a retail basis is very difficult. The besc dyes (especially synthetics) contain chemicals that require special handling, and most manuFacturers aren"t going to open themselves up to the liabili ties of con­ sumer usage. The

Rlt Dye brand used t.o

carry two fluorescent colors. Neon Green and Neon Pink. but we haven't seen them available in stores

for two or three years now.

Tintex

brand dyes also had fluorescent colors. but the brand itself isn't as widely distributed as Rlt. Also. the dyeing process is cumbersome. messy and lime consum­ ing. Most fobrics nPed to be heated h-'vrn boiled) IO insure a better c..lyc bond to the fabric. The Whole Costumtl''s Catalogue lisL\ a number or dye companies but phunt' calls to these railP.d co yield specifll· Ounr�s.ce-nt dyf's. One company.

Rupert Gibbon

Ii.

Spider

carries fluorescent textile paints that can be thinned and sprayed. This may br the best option for coloring individual puppPts out of fabric.

Fluorescent "Water"

l lav<' you ever wanted a liquid c h a t glowed brightly under ultraviolet light"! Wiidfire,

Inc.

carries a line of wacP.r dyes that turn ordinary Hp into 1 {2-glo! The yellow is especially brilliant. hut 111 'xeae 1t- Blacklight

chcy carry blue and green. a

m

ong 01

h

er colors. This rnuld be a great idea for object lessons. UV-Reactive Plastics & Tapes Mosr good thE>atrlcal supply 1.:umpanies will ca

�

y

UV-reactive

colored tape. as well as

glo

tape which

not on1v fluoresces but is photoluminescent. meanin

C,

it <'mi

l

s its own lighr after exposure to llghl. Once again. Wlldftrc, Inc. Sf':ems

t�

h<- llu• cmup;iny '"·

i

th 1 h e widt>sl selcc1lon.

Y

ou II

h

ave to rind the dealer ne.1rr<;.1 you (check Tht!ir web s l r P >1 1 w w w . w i ldfirela .<:01111 . bur

t

his con\panv .��·::!: :-:-.�: • :: !::!·: :.. �· .. � -�·-� ... ��! n� •. ·���-""':-::��"!-.·:.�·::.��l::.·, ".�­

LJ1�eugtu

· a

�

_{rand name no longer applicable.}

!hlS

produn

IS

_{a Oexible Ouorescem plastic tub·}

m_g

_{that comes in a wide variety of colors and}

widths. We

s1itched

this tubing around the mouths and eyes of non-Ouor�cent puppets to create an outline effecr under blacklighr. It's also very useful for prop making.

In addition.

Wildfire

has a line of 1ransparem acrylic rods that nuoresce. These are made of tl1e same material as those lransparenr fluores�ent drinki n

g

cups (often found in grocery stores). which also Ouoresce nicely. We cut up a whole package of the green cups and used the transpar­ ent plastic as leaves on flowers.

WHdflre

also car­ ries individual plastic granules that fluoresce. and a line or fluorescent wallpaper. including a very nifty "star pauern" which would make a great background for a space-oriented performance.

Coating on Dexible Solid Surfaces

When using flexible plastics (such as vinyl tub­ ing. ethafoam. or pipe insulation tuhing). how do you paint these

macerials with f l u o r e s c e n t pain1? Most UV paints are flaky

and

thin,

mean·

ing t h ey neck right off o r a nexible surface that moves arcer the p a i nt has dried. The key to get. ting a nuores­ cenc coating that won·1 fal l l H ixeae _It-Blacklight

figure 19a

off is 10 rreate a flexible surface the paint can ad­ here to. Most of thesc plastics are nonporous and inert to paint solvents. Using a nexible coati.ng such as spray adhesive works well and Is a quick

fix for this prohlrm. Figure I 9a shows a can or "Super 77" spray adhesive and a can or fluo_rcs­ cent spray paint. The first step is to app_ly a light coal or spray adhe5ive 10 the material (Figure 1 9b shows a length of ethafoam rod) . Nolice that the rod is taped to a stand. and I'm wearing la.tex gloves. since spray adhesive is m�s5y to work with.

Figure 19b

Make sure that you're coating the piece with light coats of spray adhesive. You'll only nf'f'rl one or two coars. but make sure the (."Oats are completely dry. This means that the surface of the work piece is tacky. hut the glue stays on the piece. The next step is to spray one or two light coats of paint onw the piece. Once dry. the ethafoam rod can be bent severely and the paint won't flakr away {Figure 19c) .

This technique works for brusl1-on paints as well, a n d i t ' s also an excP.llent proce5s for coating polyfoam props and puppet!). There arc flexible roatinp,s that do

the same thing ava i lable from theatrical sup· ply companies. usually i n a liq· uid form. If you don't have a spray area. these might. he best for you. B u t I prefer the speed and ease o f spray adhesive.

composed of individual feathers over down {that famous. large. yellow Hbird- on lelevision is cov· ered with turkey feathers) . There are many types. and most of the larger. nicer ones can be very ex­ pensive. TM Whole Costumer's Catalogue lisrs a n umber of feather companies. one of which is

Cinderella Flowers and Feathers.

The bu.1 colors that Ouoresce the best are white. pink. bright yellow. cind bright green.

Special Fluorescent Materials

With the increasing popularity of ultraviolet ef· fects in r.he entertainment and performance in· clustries. new products are constantly being de­ veloped that may be of great use 1 0 you. Som<' of these marerials have been around for years. but arc only now becoming accessible to the con­ sumer.

The visual arts community has typically been on the leading edge for UV-reactive materials. Film and relevision produclion has spurred an increase in the number and qual ity of UV-producing in· strumentc; itnrl I IV-reactive products. Not surpris­ ingly. most of these companies have a presence i n or around Hollywood. If you're in that area or traveling there in the future. I'd highly recorn· mend a visit to some of the companies and prod· uct11 we mention here. Many of them have a show­ room or can diret:t you to a dealer nearby who carries their product. There's nothing like ac1u­ ally seeing material to get ideas and ask questions. UV Reactive Makeup

One of the more widely available special materi ­ als is nuorescent makeup. UV-reactive makeup al­ lows tl1c µuµµcteeror performer to achieve unique effects on hands. arms and faces. Fluorescent makeup is especially useful for any situation where you want a much more realistic portrayal of a human face or hand. We've seen UV makeup transform puppeteers without hood and gloves inco "demons" that assail thr. protagonist of a pup­ �et pre�nra1 ion. We'vP. also seen i t used to high­ light hands that need to really pick up and handle

���r�.

with more ricxr Priry than a gloved hand The obvious drawback whPn using nuorescent m

�

keup i!. i11 the preparation and cleanup re­ quired. In hot and humid areas. it can also be un· c

?

mfortable to wear. Use lots of powder in these

�

1rcumstanccs to help prevent makeuµ from stain­ ing costumes and dothing. Also. there's ofren a

18

certain reluctance among young puppeteers to wear it: the guys don't want to wear it because H's makeup. and the girls don't because it's not their makeup. Make surf' the cffoct desired is impor­ lanr anrl effective. so that you can help your per­ formers understand rhe need for all the extra work. As with any material appliC'd to human skin. be aware of al lergic rC'anions that your µNformcrs

may havp ro skin produC'rs. and ask quesrions when you purchase the produr1s if this is a con­ t·1•rn. You may also wa111 co l i n 1 i t your use of hlack­ light makeup depending on your audience. Need­ less to say. live actors lurking around in the dark wearing eerie glowing makC'up may be a bit too scary for some of the kids in chi ldren's church. Fluorescent makeup is available in abou1 six col· ors. and can be purchased at many large costume stores.

Theater House

and

Wildfire

both carry a selection. as will any good theatrical supply house. It's fairly inexpensivt>. compared to other UV resources. bu[ It Is peri�hable. Pay attention to storage and shelf life suggestions. Fluorescent Dyn

We've often received questions abou1 creating your own nuorescent fabrics through dyeing. This ls possible. but fi nding available dye!. 011 a retai l basis is very difficult. The best dye:'i (especially synthetics) contain chemicals that require special handling. and most manufar:turers aren'1 going ro open themselves up ro the liabilities of con­ sumer usage. The

Rlt Dye

brand used to t:arry two nuorescent colors, Neon Green and Neon Pink. but we haven't seen them available in stores for two or three years now.

Tlntex

brand dyes also had nuorescent colors. but the hranri itself isn't as widely distributed as Rit. Also. the dyeing process is cumbersome. mPssy and time consum­ ing. Most fabrics need to be heated (even boiled) to in:'iure a better dye bond to the fabrk. The Whole Costumtr's Catalogue lists a number of dye companies but phone calls 10 tht>se failed to yickJ specific fluorescen1 dyes. On<.' company.

Rupert Gibbon

Ii

Spider

carries Ouorescent tex.tile paints tha1 can be thinned and sprayed. Ttus may be the best option for r.oloring individual pupµt-ts out of fabric.

Fluorescent "Water"

H

�

ve you ever wanted a liquid that glowed brightly under uhravioleL lighr!

Wlldflre. Inc.

�

arries a line of _{water dyes thac turn ordinary H20} into H2-glo! The yellow is especially brilliant. bu! �ti •xeae M- Blocklight

they carr.v blue and green. among other colors. This could bf> a great idea for object lessons. UV-Reactive Plastics & Tapes Most good theatrical supply companies will carry UV-rPar1ivP rolorE'd rape. as wpll a.'i

glo

tape which not only nuoresces but is photoluminescent. meaning it emits its own light after exposure to light. Once again.

WHdOre. Inc.

seems to be the company with the widest select ion. You'll haw to find the dealer nearest you (check their web site at www.wildfirela.com) . but this company seems to make an amazing array or materials. in· eluding n uorescent confett i . One mat.Prial is Linelight · a brand name no longer applicable. This product is a Oexible OuorescE'nt plastic tub­ ing that comes in a wide variety or colors and widths. We stitched this tubing around the mouths and eyes of non-nuorescent puppets to create an outline efft>ct under blacklighl. It's also VE'ry useful for prop making.

In addition.

Wildftre

ha� a line of transparent acrylic rods that fluoresce. These are made or the same material as those transparent fluorescent drinking cups (often found in grocery stores) . which also nuoresce nicely. We cut up a whole package of the gre-en cups and used the transpar­ t'nT plastir as leaves on flowers.

Wildftre

also car· rics individual plastic granules that fluoresce. and a line of nuorescent wallpaper. including a very nifty "star pattern" which would make a greut background for a space-oriented performance.

Coating on Flexible Solid Surfaces

When using Oexible plastics (such as vinyl tub­ ing. ethcifoam. or piµe insulcition tubing) . how do you paint rhese

materials with f l u o r P S C: P. 0 1 paint? Most UV paints arc Oaky and thin. mean­ ing they fleck right o ff o f a nexible surface that moves after the p a i n t has dried. The key to get. t i ng ca fl uores· cent c o a t i n g t h a t won·1 fal l Let &XtH It- Blocklight

off is ro create a ncxible surface the paint can ad· hE'rE' to. Most or tl1ese plastics arE' nonporous and inen to paint solvents. Using a flexible coating such as spray adhesive works well and is a quick fix for this problem. Figure I 9a shows a can of ·super 77" spray adhesive and a can of nuorcs· cent spray paint. The first step is to apply a light coat of spray adhesive to the material (Figure I 9b shows a length ofethafoarn rod) . Notice that the rod is taped to a stand. and I'm wearing latex gloves. since spray adhesive Is messy to work with.

figure 19b

Make sure that you're coating the piece with l ight mars of spray adhesive. You'll only need one or two coals. hut make sure the coats are completely dry. This means that the surface ofthl' work pien' is tacky. but 1 he glue srays on 1he pir.ce. ThE' next step is to spray one or two light coats of paint onto the piece. Once dry. the ethafoam rod can be bent severely and the paint won't nakc away (Figure ! 9c) .

This technique works for brush-on paints as well. and it's also an excellent process for coating polyfoam props and puppets. There are flexible coatings that do

the same thing available from theatrical sup­ ply companies. usually in a liq· uid form. If you d o n ' t have a spray area. these might be best for you. B u t I prefer the speed and eue of spray adhesive.

Figure 19c