This leather armor set was purchased by the designer (M.J. Hromek) and refurbished to look like a metal armor piece. The leather was primed in grey paint (in case of scraping and damage it would be harder to tell.) After it dried, I covered it with silver leaf.
The process begins by priming with a sizing adhesive. Once it has become clear and sticky, the leaf is carefully placed and rubbed into position. Since the armor is supposed to have seen battle in the past, it was then distressed with paint. I also used some antiquing fluid to give parts a rusty look. A topcoat was then added to help it endure the run.
Elizabeth Aaron
(Costumer) Knoxville native, Liz Aaron, has been a familiar face with the Clarence Brown Theatre since 2008, and a senior costumer on staff since 2013. She has a BFA in Fine Art/Drawing from UTK and an MFA in costume design from the UTK graduate costume design program under Marianne Custer and Bill Black. As a “Jack of many trades” Liz sews costumes, does crafts and painting, creates prosthetic makeup, co-manages the CBT’s vast costume stock, takes on various organizational shop duties, takes in-house and marketing photography, and co-supervises wardrobe for our 8-9 show season. Liz has worked with The Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Arizona Broadway Theatre, The Lexington Children’s Theatre, Knoxville’s Word Players, and Knoxville’ Flying Anvil Theatre. You may have seen her costume design work in the 2019 Flying Anvil Production of A Doll’s House 2, or the Clarence Brown Theatre’s productions of Dead Man’s Cellphone, The Music Man, Charley’s Aunt, and The Marriage Of Bette And Boo. Besides costume design, you can also see Liz’s fine art drawings on her Instagram @la_pop_drawings, on Facebook @lizaaronpopdrawings, or her website lizaaron.com.