Starching

Starching the muslin is a critical preparatory step that tightens the fabric and eliminates wrinkles, creating a smooth, taut canvas for painting.

The material must be drum-tight; otherwise, pressure from a paintbrush will cause the fabric to sag inward, turning straight lines into curves.

Furthermore, untreated wrinkles can create shadows that compromise the accuracy of the underlying drawing, gridding, and all subsequent stages of production.

This process uses a mixture of flexible PVA glue and water, applied efficiently with a sprayer across large areas before being worked into the weave with a clean broom. The solution is applied in vertical 5-foot-wide sections from top to bottom across the 40-foot span of the backdrop, and the wrinkles release almost immediately.