The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-10-08
DEAD-WALL ART WORK.
METHODS BY WHICH ARTISTIC THE
ATER PICTURES ARE MADE.

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Amount of Paper Required by First
Glass Company-Drawing ON the Blocks
and Cutting Out the Designs-Litho-
graph Department.
The average theater man growls at the
show printing charges and swears at it, but
he cannot help himself. The printing for
show on the road costs so much. No respect
able company, or pretentious outfit, can APP
proach theatrical show printing place for
less than from $500 to 5000 down. That
money must be put up. That covers tie
blocks alone and the artists services. The
blocks for big forty sheet poster cost not
less than 5000 There are forty pine blocks;
If they are all in one color it is not so much
trouble, but if there are four colors, as there
often are on big show stand, it means 100
blocks, each cut with mathematical nicety
and each to be put away on the printers
standing galley" and kept. The printer
tries to get his money in advance for the
making of these blocks They are of no use
to him after the original party has them.
Therefore he figures to get the first cost Of
blocks, engraving and storage down, and he
is then ready to treat for time on the balance
that is, paper, press work and profit.
A first-class theatrical company starting
on the road takes from 81, 600 to So, 600 worth
of paper" These are inside figures, SO far
as local figures 60. Great combinations from
New York often bring great deal more
than that, but within the year we have seen
very poor New York attractions fairly
scattering their paper between New York
and Chicago, at a cost of not less than s., 600
for the engagement. 1t is dreaful waste of
money, for it does no good. The show print
ing of the country has had its greatest inn
petus from Barnum and the rest of the circus
men, One thing must be said If Barnum, he
believes always in printers ink. He believes
in it so much that he buys his own presses
and his own ink for ordinary work because
he wants so much of it. For the great en-
cravings he, of course, employs proper talent
There is one artist now in his employ who
can cut three sheet poster i'll two colors in
one hour. 1t will not be Raphael or
Correggio, but it will look like something
when he has finished it.
DRAWING AND DESIGNING.
Wooden blocks for theatrical printing are
first drawn ON the wood and then "cut
around" The blocks are soft pine, perfectly
dry, and are held like wise when the man
and his grayer arc digging out the picture
1t requires not SO much art to cut on pine as
it does to design. The man competent to
take scene plot of play and fix up dead
wall matter can in any first-class printing es.
tabIishment command $50 week His chief
skill comes in the drawing and designing of
blocks, SO that after he has dozen or more
made they shall result in striking picture.
His assistants receive from $50 to s22 week.
They are the "board cutters" as they nre
called.
The first block holds tho drawing and
makes the picture. The other blocks simply
fill in the coloring. Thus block or COM
bination of blocks when made will print a
complete picture, but it will all be in black.
The coloring-red, blue yellow, green, etc
is done by another series of blocks Most Of
theatrical fancy printing is in four colors or
combinations of colors. The first, OF .key
block" as it is called, costs $3.50 for the
board, SIS for tho designing or drawing the
picture or part Of a picture, and $3.50 for
engraving. These blocks, therefore, cost
about S11 each before the ink roller goes on
them Most of the "big stand work, !" as it Is
called, comprises from twelve to tifty-four
sheets, the general size for large picture work
being forty sheets. At $11 each for the blocks
it will be seen, therefore, that q forty sheet
engraving on dead wall representing two
fighting rhinoceroses, or herd of leupards,
or Mylesna-Coppaleen jumping off the rocks,
or procession of elephants, uies4ns tho eA-
penditure of about $3.50 before q single sheet
is run through the press.
But it is in the hthographing department
- - h;cr ctoxr, houso that fh.. urr,lnv
is made, and wherein artists earn their fanie
The best show work is now all done ON stone
The first stone like the key block, is the ex-
pensive one The stone costs according to
the time it is required to hold ono picture.
The designing and engraving are little
more expensive, but the printing, on the other
hand, is a trife cheaper. As rule the dead
wall Autographs are not 50 large as the wood
cuts, still they often run as large as thirty-two
sheets iii size. Several of the circus posters
now visible ON the fences will run to that size.
They cost about eight cents II sheet. The cost
of a thirty-two sheet picture, aside from the
cost OF express charges, posting, ETC., is about
$3.50
THE NEEDS OF SEASON.
A first-class attraction other than circus
which of course uses much more paper, will
consume i'll o season about 5oo tnlfty-tWos
sheet, 500 cighteen=sheet and 500 twelve-sheet
pictures These they divide up and nfteH
make smaller stands, but that is about the
quantity of lithogr,ph paper they will Use.
OF wood engravlngs they run from 900 to
5,O0o sheets, and i'll ordinary letter printing
they run about the same A recognized ate
Traction that employs that style OF adVertis-
ing will not expect to so on the road end