Library & Learning Commons: Scene Design + Painting: Scene Reference + Research

Digital Resources

Selected Ebooks

Drafting for the Theatre by Dennis Dorn; Mark Shanda
ISBN: 9780809387731
Publication Date: 2012
Industry-standard drafting and designing practices with step-by-step discussions, illustrations, worksheets, and problems to help students develop and refine drafting and other related skills needed for entertainment set production work.
Scenic Art for the Theatre by Susan Crabtree; Peter Beudert
ISBN: 9780240812908
Publication Date: 2012
Trusted source for both student and professional scenic artists by UNCSA professor Susan Crabtree. With new information on scenic design using Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro and other digital imaging softwares, this text expands to offer the developing artist more step-by-step instruction and more practical techniques for work in the field.
Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Design Since 1900 by Guy Julier
ISBN: 0500203792
Publication Date: 2005
Handbook for professional designers, students, or anyone with a curiosity about design. Embraces all aspects of modern design: graphics, products, interiors, furniture, and industrial and architectural design.
The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts by Gordon Campbell
ISBN: 9780195189483
Publication Date: 2006
Covers thousands of years of western and non-western history, practice, and mechanics of the decorative arts.
The Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art and Architecture by Gordon Campbell
ISBN: 9780195300826
Publication Date: 2007
Reference resource for the visual arts of the Classical period. Covers authoritative art historical and cultural information about art forms, artists, rulers, philosophers, architecture, renowned works of art, archaeological sites and stylistic developments.
Bridgeman Images: William Morris Collection
Publication Date: 2014
A collection of images of William Morris Designs.

Databases + Web Resources

Ad* Access This link opens in a new window
Over 7,000 U.S. and Canadian advertisements covering five product categories - Beauty and Hygiene, Radio, Television, Transportation, and World War II propaganda - dated between 1911 and 1955.
Europeana This link opens in a new window
Over 50 million artworks, artifacts, books, videos, and sounds from across Europe. Major topics include art, fashion, maps, music, and natural history.
Digital Public Library of America This link opens in a new window
Explore nearly 17 million digital items such as maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, and museum objects from libraries, archives, and museums across the US.
Grove Art Online This link opens in a new window
Thousands of reference articles on artists, architects, craftsmen, patrons, movements, locations, and periods, as well as bibliographies for further research and thousands of searchable images made available through partnerships with museums, galleries, and other arts organizations.

Physical Materials in the Library

Searching the Library Collections

Materials in the library are organized by subject. Browsing the art shelves of the library in-person can help you discover new work, materials, inspiration, and connections. Listed below are general call number ranges for scene design at UNCSA Library:

NA - Architecture
NA190-1555.5 - History of architecture
NA2835-4050 - Architectural details and decoration
NA7100-7884 - Domestic architecture, houses
ND1470-1625 - Painting techniques and materials
ND2550-2733 - Mural painting
NK1700-2195 - Interior decoration; house decoration
NK2975-3049 - Tapestries
NK3175-3296.3 - Upholstery and drapery
NK3375-3496.5 - Wallpapers
PN 2085-2091 - Theatre > Stage and Accessories
TT300-382.8 - Painting; Wood finishing

You can search our digital and in-library collections simultaneously by title, author, subject, or keyword via LibrarySearch. Click Advanced Search for additional search criteria (like material type, language, year, etc.).

Selected Print Books

Scenic Art for the Theatre by Susan Crabtree; Peter Beudert
Call Number: ND2885 .C72 2012 - Stacks (3rd Floor)
ISBN: 9780240812908
Publication Date: 2012
Trusted source for both student and professional scenic artists by UNCSA professor Susan Crabtree. With new information on scenic design using Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro and other digital imaging softwares, this text expands to offer the developing artist more step-by-step instruction and more practical techniques for work in the field.
Elements of Style by Stephen Calloway
Call Number: NA2850 .E44 1991 - Stacks (3rd Floor)
ISBN: 0671739816
Publication Date: 1991
A practical encyclopedia of interior architectural details, from 1485 to the present.
Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture by Ernest Burden
Call Number: Ref. NA31 .B83 2012 - Reference (2nd Floor)
ISBN: 9780071772938
Publication Date: 2012
Features 8,000 definitions, 4,000 color images, and biographies of hundreds of architects accompanied by classic examples of their work.
A Global History of Architecture by Francis D. K. Ching
Call Number: NA200 .C493 2011 - Stacks (3rd Floor)
ISBN: 9780470402573
Publication Date: 2010
From 3500 B.C.E. to the present, this architectural history of the world features rich drawings and photographs of works from around the world.
Architecture and Ornament by Margaret Maliszewski-Pickart
Call Number: NA2840 .M36 1998 - Stacks (3rd Floor)
ISBN: 0786403837
Publication Date: 1998
This richly illustrated two-part dictionary helps with identification of a specific architectural detail even if you have no idea what the technical term for it is.
The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts by Gordon Campbell
Call Number: Ref. NK28 .G76 2006 - Reference (2nd Floor)
ISBN: 0195189485
Publication Date: 2006
Over 1,000 entries covering thousands of years of decorative arts production throughout western and non-western culture.
Theatre and Performance Design: A Reader in Scenography by Jane Collins; Andrew Nisbet
Call Number: PN2085 .T44 2010 - Stacks (3rd Floor)
ISBN: 041543209X
Publication Date: 2010
Covers the visual composition of performance and related scenographic practices. Organized thematically in five sections: looking - the experience of seeing; space and place; the designer - the scenographic; bodies in space; and making meaning.