Library : Scene Design + Painting: Reference + Research

Digital Resources

Databases + Web Resources

Ad* Access: draw inspiration from 7,000+ vintage North American visual advertisements
Art & Architecture Complete: access 380+ journal titles on fine and decorative art and architecture
Oxford Art Online: explore an encyclopedia with over 200,000 entries on art
Smithsonian Image Gallery: view a selection of images from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, including collections dedicated to domestic architecture, decorative arts, and interior decoration

Selected Ebooks

Progressive Perspective Drawing for Theatrical Scene Design by Dunsi Dai
ISBN: 9781003016779

Publication Date: 2021

Progressive Perspective Drawing for Theatrical Scene Design provides theatrical scenic designers with the tools to create quick and precise perspective drawings. The book explores three methods of perspective drawings at progressive skill levels - the Grid Method, the Frame Method, and the Freehand with References Method - allowing scenic designers to build on their drawing technique consistently.
Scenic Art and Construction by Tim Blaikie, Emma Troubridge
ISBN: 1861264992

Publication Date: 2016

Scenic Art and Construction is a practical guide to the construction, painting, and finishing of the scenic elements used in professional theater today. It shows you how to bring a stage design to three-dimensional reality as well as how to avoid many of the pitfalls.
Scenic Art for the Theatre by Susan Crabtree; Peter Beudert
Call Number: ND2885 .C72 2012 (2nd floor Browsery)

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.
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.
Painting for Performance by Sean O'Skea
ISBN: 9781317360940

Publication Date: 2016

Painting for Performance removes the mystery from painting and gives beginners the terms, tools, and techniques to approach their unpainted set with confidence. Covering the mechanics of paint and its many implementations in set design, this book provides simple and effective step-by-step instructions for painting a variety of surfaces to look great on stage.
Creative and Successful Set Designs by Todd Muffatti
ISBN: 1620236087

Publication Date: 2018

Filled with dozens of photos, illustrations, and technical diagrams, Todd Muffatti's "Creative and Successful Set Designs" guides theatre teachers through the preparation and design steps necessary to build an appropriate and effective stage set.

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

Additional non-circulating physical resources can be found under the "Set Design" sign in our second floor reference collection.

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

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.
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.