Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup: faux library

Print Page | Close Window

faux library

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Props, Scenery, Costumes and Makeup
Forum Discription: For how-to's and where-can-I-find
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4480
Printed Date: 11/04/25 at 8:19am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: faux library

Posted By: Kim L.
Subject: faux library
Date Posted: 2/22/10 at 7:34am

Hello, I need faux library books for a library. I saw one theatre company have some sort of color photcopies of library books that they used as sort of wallpaper. Does anyone know where to get that or how to make it?

-------------
Kim

Replies:

Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 2/23/10 at 7:51am

I think we got some of that one time from an online source. If depth is not your issue, we have used varied boxes, (breakfast foods, rice etc) and painted the "spine" and put them on shelves. Of course the ulitmate if your looking for something you can put in your warehouse and use again is a book shelf that is about 2inchs deep with as many shelves as you like. Then you get a ton of old books that at good will or from your cellar or wherever they wont be used again. then send them though the table saw, cutting off the last inch or so. then attaching them on the "shelf" as desired. Makes for a "farily" light weight unit and you can't beat the realizm.. just some ideas

-------------
Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

Posted By: Mr. Lowell
Date Posted: 2/24/10 at 9:32am

One time I got hold of some 4'x8' vacuform bookshelves from a TV studio that were very lightweight and painted very realistically. There are several companies that sell these vacuform flats, but they are expensive. Here is an example:

http://provostdisplays.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=7&sort=20a&page=2 - http://provostdisplays.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=7&sort=20a&page=2

For a photo-realistic style studio theatre play, I used the technique Marty mentioned above where the spines of old books were sawed off and glued to narrow shelves. It is a rather time-consuming project.

And for a production of King and I in a proscenium theatre, I made large stylized books out of thick blocks of styrofoam insulation that we covered in muslin and sculpt-or-coat then painted. Once again, a repetative and time-consuming project. Here is a picture:

http://bp2.blogger.com/_7OW8VBny-jc/Rz3D_oG1ZII/AAAAAAAAA3Y/3Vs4__7khOY/s1600-h/anna+wives.jpg - http://bp2.blogger.com/_7OW8VBny-jc/Rz3D_oG1ZII/AAAAAAAAA3Y/3Vs4__7khOY/s1600-h/anna+wives.jpg

But the most expedient way to do a bookshelf might be to just have a good painter paint one on a flat.

Good luck with your project! -Dana

-------------
Mr. Lowell,
Lighting/Set Designer & Tech Director,
for the Linda Sloan Theatre,
in the Davison Center for the Arts,
at Greensboro Day School

Posted By: musicmom1212
Date Posted: 2/24/10 at 3:26pm

If you google "library border" you will find wallpaper border that looks like books. It's about 10" wide and you can make rows and rows of books!

http://totalwallcovering.com/p5284~LL50311B.aspx - http://totalwallcovering.com/p5284~LL50311B.aspx

-------------
Cathy

Posted By: gelcat
Date Posted: 2/25/10 at 1:52pm

A lot of it depends on the requirements for the show- If the books really need to be used, then you have to have real books, and make the rest of the bookshelf look the same. If the piece has to move, then look at the wallpaper border/styrofoam books. Just remember that all your books will look alike eventually if you use wallpaper border, though you can also cut books out of the border and put them over other books in the border to break up some of the repetition.

As always, pick only two of the following three -

Good

Fast

Cheap

-------------
www.actorsguildonline.org
Actors Guild of Parkersburg
Parkersburg, WV