Books about prop making, including sculpting, molding, casting, painting, mask making, paper mache, foam armor, graphic design, fake food, and props for Halloween.
These books will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to create professional-quality props for any project.
Whether you’re working on a film set, stage production, or just looking to expand your crafting skills, these books will provide you with all the resources you need to succeed.
The Prop Building Guidebook
For Theatre, Film, and TV
By Eric Hart
Now in its thoroughly updated third edition, The Prop Building Guidebook: For Theatre, Film, and TV is the most comprehensive guide to prop construction available for both professional and student prop makers across the entertainment industry.
Experienced prop maker Eric Hart walks readers through a wide range of historical and contemporary prop-making techniques, demonstrating how to apply them to a variety of materials with confidence and creativity.
Hart outlines a clear and practical construction process that gives readers the foundational knowledge to choose the best materials and methods for each individual prop, along with the background information needed to understand the advantages of those choices. Illustrated by hundreds of full-color photographs, this edition has been extensively updated throughout to reflect the latest tools, techniques, and industry standards.
New and expanded content in this third edition includes:
Over a hundred new images and diagrams to better illustrate techniques and processes
Updated terminology, products, and brands used across the international prop-making industry
Expanded sections on 3D printing, vacuum forming, foam patterning, and other modern techniques
A brand new chapter dedicated to prop design
New information on international safety standards, cleaning, and sanitation practices
More recipes and step-by-step instructions for achieving a variety of finishes
For additional how-to videos, instructional documents, and supplemental information, visit www.propbuildingguidebook.com.
The Prop Effects Guidebook Second Edition is an essential resource for anyone looking to create stage props that truly come alive – whether it’s a sword that glows, a vase that shatters, or a book that safely bursts into flames.
This groundbreaking guide bridges the gap between creativity and engineering, showing readers how to bring their most imaginative ideas to life using practical techniques and everyday tools and materials.
Concepts like electricity, mechanics, and pneumatics are explained in clear and accessible language, making this guide suitable for complete beginners as well as more experienced prop makers.
Nearly 300 photographs, illustrations, and charts guide readers through the process of building dynamic and interactive effects with confidence.
This fully updated second edition includes new technology and more detailed information throughout every chapter, along with additional photographs and diagrams, new coverage of virtual prototyping methods, LED and wireless lighting technology, app-based controllers, blood delivery methods, flicker effects, sound effects, and much more.
Whether you are a student in a prop building course, a working artist, an educator, or a passionate hobbyist, The Prop Effects Guidebook empowers you to solve creative problems and adapt designs for any situation, making it an invaluable companion for anyone with a love of storytelling and craftsmanship.
The book is complemented by a companion website at www.propeffectsguidebook.com, featuring videos demonstrating how to create individual prop special effects.
The Prop Maker’s Workshop Manual is a definitive guide to the materials and techniques used in the professional performing arts industry.
It covers both traditional methods and modern practices, and includes original illustrations and over 300 color photographs to illustrate the topics covered.
The manual covers paper mache and card construction, flexible canes and withies, timber and steel frameworks, sculpting, molding, and casting, texture and paint techniques, GRP and epoxy resins, thermoformable plastics such as Plastazote and Wonderflex, and an introduction to life casting.
This comprehensive book is the go-to resource for theater props builders of all skill levels, offering a wide range of molding and casting techniques using over 30 different materials, from papier-mache to breakaway glass.
In addition to covering traditional materials like plaster and polyester resin, it also provides unique information on the selection and use of rubber materials like latex, neoprene, silicone, and urethanes, as well as the process for creating breakaway windows and bottles.
Written in an easy-to-follow style, the book is useful for professionals and amateurs alike in the fields of theater properties, puppetry, and costuming, and is also a valuable resource for students studying these subjects.
The book includes over 450 photographs to illustrate the step-by-step procedures, and a special section on designing and building a vacuum forming machine for use in theater prop construction.
This book is a must-have for anyone interested in prop making.
The Fake Food Cookbook: Props You Can’t Eat for Theatre, Film, and TVcontains step by step instructions on how to create the most realistic prop food for a theatrical production.
From appetizers such as oysters on a half shell and chicken wings, entrees such as lobster and honey-glazed ham, to desserts, breakfasts, and even beverages, every meal is covered in this how-to guide.
Full color images of each step and finished products illustrate each recipe, along with suggestions for keeping the budget for each project low.
Safety Data Sheets and links to informative videos are hosted on a companion website.
Prop Building for Beginners outlines the basic concepts of prop building by featuring step-by-step instructions to create twenty of the most commonly featured items in theatrical and filmed productions.
This book uses a combination of projects to expose readers to a wide range of materials and tools that they might find in a basic scenery or costume shop, serving both as a guide to building simple props and as a crash course in the variety of items a props person may have to build. The projects require a variety of tools, techniques, and materials so that a practitioner who completes all of them will have received a complete introduction to the basics of prop building.
Assuming no previous knowledge of prop building, this is the perfect primer for students, hobbyists, or community theater enthusiasts looking to enter the prop shop.
Prop Building for Beginnersincludes access to full-scale printable versions of the patterns featured in the book.
In this how-to workshop series, by special effects artist and creature designer Russ Adams, you will learn how to create professional looking shrunken heads using methods performed by professional Hollywood prop designers.
This book includes in depth step-by-step tutorials from concept to finished work of art.
In addition to this creating stunning shrunken heads, you will learn how to save money by make your own sculpting tools, armatures, and turntables.
The author includes a multitude of other professional tips from his many years of experience.
Also included in this book are nearly 100 diagrams, a quick-reference mold making check list, and more. The author even discussed the real gruesome head shrinking rituals used by Amazon tribes.
Although graphic props such as invitations, letters, tickets, and packaging are rarely seen close-up by a cinema audience, they are designed in painstaking detail. Dublin-based designer Annie Atkins invites readers into the creative process behind her intricately designed, rigorously researched, and visually stunning graphic props. These objects may be given just a fleeting moment of screen time, but their authenticity is vital and their role is crucial: to nudge both the actors on set and the audience just that much further into the fictional world of the film.
Want to start building fantasy swords, spears or axes? This is the place to start! Followed by millions of people from all over the world, Svetlana Quindt aka “Kamui Cosplay” published this beginner guide as part of her bestselling line of tutorial books.
Never underestimate the power of make-believe! Simply holding a cosplay axe can turn anyone into a Viking, no matter if it’s just made out of foam! Being able to actually make that axe yourself, however, is even cooler! In her typical bubbly way Svetlana talks about everything you will need to get started: choosing the right materials and necessary tools, figuring out the right scale, drawing blueprints, shaping, layering and detailing foam and thermoplastics, adding details and even how to take your props apart for easier transportation!
Over many years Svetlana has grown to be one of the most beloved and respected figures in the cosplay community. Still she loves nothing more than sharing her knowledge with others.
This book will inspire you to craft, explore, and–most of all–enjoy the excitement of making your own costumes.
Prop makers everywhere now have available to them a broader range of products and processes than every before.
Making Stage Props is a book for anyone involved in prop making who wishes to explore the wealth of materials and techniques open to them.
This highly illustrated guide covers planning, costing, and scheduling; tools and safety; working with wood, steel, and clay; making and repairing furniture; painting and finishing; and more.
Andy Wilson has worked with theatrical companies throughout Britain, including the Royal Shakespeare Company. He currently teaches propmaking at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
This book explains and provides templates for organizing and managing a prop shop, from pre-production organization to production processes, budgeting, and collaborations with other production areas. It explores how to plan, organize, and maintain a prop shop for safe and efficient production work.
The Ultimate Guide to Learning How to Make Paper Mache Sculptures, Animals, Wildlife and More!
By Andrea Gundrum
This book is for people who want to learn paper mache. The art of paper mache is a fun and inexpensive activity to carry out with your friends and family, and especially with your children. It is also a great way to express your inner creativity. This type of art allows you to let your imagination run rampant while getting messy with glue and paper.
Why You Must Have This Book!
Why you should paper mache.
How to paper mache.
Step by step instructions on how to make cool paper mache sculptures.
The importance of paper mache.
What to do with the paper mache ingredients.
How to make the paper mache paste and pulp.
Learn how to make a mask using paper mache.
This book will guide you through the steps in an easy to follow manner.
Choose a subject and build any sculpture with papier mache using proven techniques that guide you step by step through the process! Unlike any papier mache book you’ve ever seen, you will use methods and materials you never thought possible in the art of papier mache.
Comprehensive guide to designing masks for the stage and theater, by leading properties professional and educator. Over 350 photos, list of suppliers, glossary, index and bibliography.
The Prop Builders Mask-making Handbook offers a brief history of masks, and provides step-by-step instructions in nontechnical language on how to make masks in the tradition of the commedia dell’arte.
Easy New Way to Make a Mask for Masquerade, Halloween and Dress-Up Fun, With Just Two Layers of Fast-Setting Paper Mache
By Jonni Good
This book teaches new techniques that anyone can use to create fabulous masks easily and quickly. Make one of the 12 popular mask styles in the book following the detailed instructions and over 300 step-by-step photos – or use these easy new methods to create your own unique designs. Jonni shows you exactly how to sculpt the features of your masks so they truly represent the character and expression you’re looking for. Then capture that look permanently with just two layers of super-strong, fast-setting paper mache, using the recipes included in the book. Your finished masks can look like they were made from fur or feathers, antique gold, ancient bone, rusted iron, glazed porcelain, and even carved and highly polished African wood. The innovative methods in this book are easy, the materials cost just pennies per mask, and your new creations will be just as much fun to make than they are to wear.
Do you know of any books that should be on this list? We'd love to hear from you - get in touch! We're always looking to expand our collection with books covering makeup artists, monster makers, special effects, prop making, stagecraft, and more.
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