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Curso de Nombre del Profesor

ATIVE
Recursos Adicionales
Background and Set Ideas
A FEW OF THE MATERIALS YOU CAN USE TO CREATE YOUR SETS

We build most of our sets from scratch, with affordable materials that are easy to find. When plan-
ning out your sets, think about the environment that you want to create as well as what the images
will need to communicate. Everything that you use in your set, from colors to textures will communi-
cate something.

PARTICLE BOARD OR MDF: This is our most commonly used material, found at the hardware store.
It is used to create images with a horizon line (a line that marks the horizon of the image, or the
place that the background of the set meets the bottom of the set) or with a two-tone background.
Since it is created from ground up wood, you won’t see the wood grain when you paint it. You can
paint both sides of the board and sand them down in between shoots in order to use them again
and again. You can paint them with any matte or flat paint, we like to use interior house paint. Make
sure your paint doesn’t have any sheen, and that you use a paint roller to coat the boards.

using two pieces of particle two different colors will you can cut out shapes using a you can also paint different
board together will create a create a two-tone jig saw or scroll saw and patterns, we created this one
horizon line, even if they are background create layers by using tape to mark off the
the same color checker pattern

WOOD: To create a wooden background, you can buy a sheet of wood from the hardware store, or
buy planks of wood and use wood glue or nails to attach them. Wood can be stained with a wood
stain or painted depending on the look you are going for.

natural wood stain wood painted white wood stained pink

(on the bottom)
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FABRIC: Fabric is an easy and affordable way to create a background. You can even use a sheet that
you find at the thrift store. The texture of the fabric will communicate a feeling, for example, a shiny
material will look more luxe and a rough texture will seem more organic and natural.

used as the background filling the entire scene filling part of the scene two different types of fabric
for contrast
TILE: Tile is a fun choice when you need to create a kitchen or bathroom feel. We have a tutorial on
how you can create your own tile backgrounds that is linked in the course resources. It’s pretty easy,
and once you create the background, you can use it over and over.

plain white tile two different tiled a bathroom feel, but more
backgrounds, one in the back, playful
one on the bottom

PAPER: Paper is an affordable way to create a smooth background without a horizon line. We use
53” Savage Seamless paper rolls when shooting product. You can also use paper to create shapes
and patterns. We have a blog post all about this which is linked in the course resources.

this image has a smooth paper can also be used to

background create shapes or other fun
additions to your set
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ACRYLIC OR PLASTIC SHEETS: Acrylic or plastic can usually be purchased from a hardware store or
a plastic store. They can be used to add shapes or pops of color. Transparent acrylic can also be
used to create layers or reflections in the set.

clear acrylic placed over plastic sheets in the back and acrylic sheets on the bottom playing with the transparent
fabric to create reflections on the bottom and a third that to add a pop of color quality of acrylic
is bent into a fun shape

FOUND TEXTURES: There are many materials that can be found in your everyday life that will make
fun and interesting backgrounds. Take a look around your house to see what you can find.

a piece of bubble wrap faux fur rug a piece of cellophane

wrapping paper
HANDMADE TEXTURES: We hand make a lot of textures using what we find at the hardware store.
Gluing wooden pieces to a piece of particle board and then coloring them with spray paint is one of
our favorite techniques.

made from gluing square made with blending multiple made from gluing round
dowels onto a piece of paint colors into an dowels onto a piece of
particle board ombre pattern particle board