Arts and Crafts Books

This is a book for those wanting to see how metal reacts to various applications --- which are covered in some detail for the metal artist to try some of the procedues on their own. I was truly amazed by how simple variations for the process of Patination and Oxidation could produce such a varied coloration or patterns upon various substrates (metal). Who knew that by mixing ammonium chloride with tobacco will produce such an interested moss-evergreen color variation upon copper. Thus this book served as a great learning tool for me and allowed me to work metal without waste (particularly due to the cost of some metal these days) as the examples provided in the book gave me the confidence to move forward with my own designs. Each section is followed by wonderful gallery examples by numerous artists using the techniques described. Great ideas can be developed by reviewing the metal finishing techniques and observing the gallery examples. More info on how to actually do each technique would have also been helpful, but there is enough to enable every metal artist with significant knowledge of metal to move forward and proceed on some of the finishes described and maybe not fleshed out in the beginning of the section. So classify this book for intermediate or advanced metalsmiths...beginners can review this book, but please gain enough enough knowledge (at least for some processes) to aid in becoming bold enough to proceed. Some techniques are easy enough for beginners - the stamping, rolling-mill, polishing/matt/satin, press forming, and engraving. The other techniques - etching, patination/oxidation, casting, foil, granulation, enameling inlay, and chasing/repousse - are appropriate for those with more experience either through instruction, other book information, chemistry knowledge, and other methodologies.

However, I could only give it 4 stars since one of the most important issues was not covered in significant detail - safety. One page devoted to the subject (page 8) is NOT enough, particularly since some of the techniques are dangerous or at least require controlled conditions with appropriate protective covering of hands/eyes/clothing with stabilizing materials available in case of an accident (e.g. spilling chemicals).

This is a great book to envision the possibilities when working with metals and producing your own jewelry or fine art; and the price makes it an easy addition to your reference library.

I have lots of jewelry books. This is more of "class examples" and the like. It shows many ways to do textures, finishes, etc. and shows the finished product. It has saved me the time and expense of doing them myself. What a help!

Its title is the best description of this book; you must try all possibilities that you can find inside.

I found this book well structured for me as a novice. It provides lots of beautiful examples of the techniques. I'll look for more detailed "how to" instructions elsewhere but this book is a great start.

Awesome book with great illustrations and techniques for many different finishes in jewelry making!! Get this one!!

This is a Fantastic Book! It is great for both the novice quilter and the nore experienced one! The book covers all the methods of machine and hand applique plus it explains how to embelish! It comes complete with projects and patterns! It has everything you could want about applique in one place!!!!

The book has all the different kinds of applique techniques. It is a great reference book.

This book is great for the beginner or advanced sewer. It shows many ways of applique that all make sense. This book has clear illustrations and wonderful pictures. There are detailed instructions that are clear and easy to follow.

I own several books on applique, but will probably never use them again. This one has it all! Great photos and easy intructions for every method and then some. A must have for anyone who sews or quilts.

This book has just about everything you need to learn how to Applique If you are Right-Handed as all of the people that wrote six star reviews must be. There are no instructions whatsoever for the left-handed person.

Excellent book! Very good instructions........easy to follow! Lots of great ideas to stir your own creativity.

I'm no sewer, but this book makes me think I can... Incredible ideas and great instructions. Definitely an inspiration.

A lovely book to look at and be inspired. Lots of photos of very original work, unique projects for wearable art.

This book is a crash course in Rosemary Eichorn's fabric collage techniques. If you read it carefully, you will be able to recreate all her projects, or use that knowledge to further your own designs in fabric. Her instructions are clear and generous. It's an inspiring book. The photos are clear and well done.

The best manipulated fabric book I own. I read it cover to cover because I was interested in every page. She took the time to teach many different facets of sewing, fabrics, colors and many techniques. I belong to a Wearable Art Group and all I do is rave about this book. Her patterns are very good also.

Excellent layout and binding that allows you to leave it open to the page your following. Easy to follow instruction and pics for the visual learner. Love it and looking forward to the projects!

Very detailed and organized. I am glad I bought the book. As a beginner in stained glass this met my needs.

Quick, easy and lots of pictures. Binding allows all the pages to turn easily, preventing the pages from 'closing' up on you while you try to follow the instructions.

I have been checking out many of the books that are available and this one gives the best directions and it has made my first project half way easy.

The title says it all. I went from never having worked with stained glass to completing the first two projects in the book - and it was fun! Now, I'm working on my first original stained glass design. This book is great for anyone new to stained glass - the step by step instructions would probably be excrutiatingly slow to someone who already has a lot of experience, but they were exactly what I needed to get started! I also really liked the explanation of all the most common tools and equipment.

Beautiful color photos and lots of examples and instruction. Maybe not for the beginner's only source of instruction.

This is a very clear guide for the beginner and good for referencing different braiding patterns. The pictures are good and the language easy to understand.

The author makes this very easy. Granted this is a beginners book but you can still make a 'pretty' on your first effort. Her dimensions for a wooden marudai (stand) were so accurate that my husband made me one from scrap hardwood in his shop. Like most arts/crafts,you can go forward from this point and get into really complicated braids, or not....the choice is up to you. There are many practical uses for beautiful braids. My first one is attached to a pull for a ceiling fan. This book contains instructions for square, round and flat braids.

As a beginner to kumihimo, I felt this book covered all the basics needed to learn the braiding process. Once you follow the step by step photo images and diagrams, it was easy to pick up the steps. Although I used the pearl cotton threads for my first project, it is not necessary to keep using the suggested threads as they can be costly. I used cotton blend yarn, nylon cord, and even hemp as my cords and found great results, depending on your project needs.

I am a new Kumihimo enthusiast and was looking for something to help me. I love the photos and very easy to follow directions and diagrams! Would definately recommend to those who are interested in this very addictive craft!

WONDERFULLY INSPIRING BOOK - I just LOVED it - have studied all the examples and will use them to try my own carvings and paintings on Aussie gourds.
THANKS for writing the book.
Melody Haskins (Downunder, in Australia)

I baught and loved the hard cover of this book. When I saw the paperback version with the fish gourd on the cover (a picture of a
different equily beautiful gourd apears on the hard cover version) I thought yahoo, David Mcfarlane wrote a new book,Gourd art 2. Boy was I wrong. Its the same book, a very good book but the same. Rookie mistake, live and learn.

Beyond the Basics Gourd Art is an excellent book, with exquisite photos, and diverse projects presented by several different artists. A must-have for gourd enthusiasts of all levels!

Great Book even for beginners, easy to follow steps allows creative people to quickly hone their gourd crafting skills.

I really liked this book and found it one of the best for gourd artists. There are so many styles, examples, techniques, designs and suggestions.

It is fabulous for the beginner through the expert. A definite book for your collection.

This book is recommended for all art fans--you don't need to be familiar with the Sandman character to enjoy McKean's gorgeous covers. The commentary is also very interesting, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the thought process behind many of the works. McKean progresses from producing physical pieces of art to digital manipulations as the series progressed, and although some of his initial digital effects are now dated, it's still fascinating to see a modern master at work.

is there any difference between the Watson-Guptill edition and the Vertigo edition? i noticed one says '1989-1996' while the other says '1989-1997', the size also seems to be differnt, althogh the page numbers are both 208. what i want to know is, is there any difference as far as the artworks go inside? and if so, which is the better one? (one's also more price than the other, it seems).

I bought this book as a gift for a Friend, I was familiar with McKeans art from the comics and she had recently gotten into his work... So i thought it'd make a good gift.

It was a great gift! I looked through the book thoroughly myself and was amazed at not just the artwork but the presentation of it throughout. McKean and Neil Gaiman's Commentry and Notes throughout are both Fascinating and sometimes hilarious. (Ah the Fish...)

I'm gonna pick up a copy for myself, as this really is an Amazing book... ArtFans or ComicFans alike will appreciate just how Beautiful Mckeans Art is.

I don't know why I haven't gotten around to reviewing this collection of work before, but it is amazing! As the title suggests, it is the collected covers of the Sandman comic book series that ran from 1989-1996. There are no Sandman stories in here, just the collected covers of all the issues and some commentary on the covers and The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman himself.

"Just." I love this book. It's "Art" with a capital "A." So many different styles, forms, and moods. It's beauty and magic captured on paper. It calls to mind art as diverse Edward Gorey, Salvadore Dali, the movies of Tim Burtn, and on one startling cover even H.R. Geiger (in a non-Aliens way).

The introduction is very nice too.

I recommend this for any fan of the Sandman series.

When I had collected the original Sandman issues, I was always intrigued by the cover art as well as the story and illustrations inside. Sometimes, I would find myself staring at the covers for minutes before reading the actual story. This was the only time I had ever really done that. And now you can own this book full of those intricate, detailed, and amazing art pieces, along with commentary by McKean and Gaiman.

And there's a Sandman story that I have never read before! If you're a Sandman fan, buy this book.

This book is clear & concise for any level of clayer. Katherine has the amazing ability to relay to the sculpter what is needed to bring the sculpt to life while expounding on the importance of a solid foundation.
My only critisim would be that I wanted even more animal examples & will be the first in line to purchase a follow up book should she decide to do one.

Katherine Dewey is a wonderful artist. I already own her book, "Creating Life-Like Figures in Polymer Clay" so I knew that "Creating Life-Like Animals in Polymer Clay" would be great. I wasn't disappointed! The only project I have finished is the fawn and it is adorable. I'm looking forward to my next project from the book but I can't decide which one to create because I love them all.

I'm not near this good yet, but it definately gives me the inspiration to keep trying. Great detail and instructions from a fantastic artist.
I bought this as a used book and was very, very pleased with the seller and the condition of the book.

This book gives detailed explanations and has great pictures, it is helpful and inspirational : it allows you to expand your skills beyond the book's examples. A must for fimo-maniacs. Katherine Dewey is probably the most gifted polymer clay artist in the world but is able to use pedagogy to share her knowledge.
I do not recommend it for beginners or children though, as some of the creations are detailed and might require some anatomy basics to be sculpted successfully.

This book, by Katherine Dewey, is a terrific resource book for those wishing to make animals from polymer clay - either to enhance their other sculptures or as a stand alone product. Numerous pictures and examples, with detailed instruction guide you step by step through the process. Animals included are deer, in two poses, frog, wolf, seal, bear and more. She also includes examples of bases, such as a leave for a sleeping mouse.

The book is well organized and transitions beautifully from one point to another. Graphics are included along with tips and tricks on making armatures and painting the final product. This book has it all and I highly recommend it as a necessary part of your crafting library.

I bought this book and could not wait to get started! I made one bowl and showed it to my friends in our local ASG and they made bowls for an auction and they have not stopped dreaming up new color combinations and styles. The bowls make up so fast that I wish I had someone to wrap the fabric for me so I could just spend all my time stitching them together.

This book is awesome. Great gifts and so much fun to do.
Made a basket and it is so pretty and useful. Totes and baskets make good sense around the house.
Can't wait to make more different shaped baskets and even some trivets for the table. Who knew a hank of rope and some 1" fabric strips could be so pretty and useful. Well, I just found out. Try it you'll like it.

The book arrived very quickly and in excellent condition. I am very pleased with the service. Thank you

I bought this book after seeing a demo in a craft group. I am totally in love with the projects in this book. It is a very simple technique with awesome results. If you can put a machine on zigzag stitch then you can make these. Cord, wrap with cloth strips, sew. That easy. A little bit of shaping and holding at an angle can change a flat piece quickly into a bowl or bag. So fun.Takes no time at all to make small projects like coasters to small candy dishes on up to baskets and bags. Great way to use up scraps of fabric too.

In the 1.3 years that I've had this book, and worked on this craft, I've gotten enormous pleasure combining fabrics and colors and shaping bowls, hot pads, totes, hats and more, most of which I've given to very appreciative friends and relatives.

Susan Breier makes the process easy to undertand and follow, and the bright color photos offer many jumping-off points for individual creativity! My only caveat is that it is imperative to have a heavy-duty sewing machine and thick, sharp needles to get through the layers of fabric and clothesline smoothly. I pretty much destroyed an old Singer Futura I used at the beginning - but liked the craft so much that I bought a refurbished Bernina with a stronger motor and more durable parts, and it handles these projects, over and over, like sewing through butter.

I enjoy that the craft isn't very exacting, like quilting, since I'm not fond of meticulous cutting and sewing tasks. I get loads of compliments on my own pocketbooks and totes that I've created, and it's fun to explain to folks how they're made.

This is the first craft book that I actually read. I mean, I usually just skim these sorts of books for what I need, but this book was so intriguing, inspired and well-written, that I was compelled to lay in bed and read the whole book. It is just wonderful. There are some nice instructions for those that want to make similar projects, but the beauty of this book is the inspiration it gives for coming up with your own unique pieces. Incorporating my photography with my sewing has become a goal of mine, and this book gives me basically all I need to get started on doing so. I HIGHLY recommend this one.

Every time some one sees my book I am compelled to purchase them one as a gift. I am on my forth book. Everyone I know loves this book!

A wonderful book for multi-tasking, multi-talented people who love to put creative personality into their craft projects. Riley's instructions and ideas make for page after page of motivation to create your ownn original family heirlooms."Scraps: Adventures in Scrapbooking" got me into the joys of cropping and journal-keeping, and this book motivated me to take the next joyful leap.

If I never picked up a needle, I'd still want to have this book. It is beautifully written and photographed. Instructions are very clear and make it all seem so simple. This book certainly takes the fear out of the idea of quilting. Lesley has done a fabulous job blending the arts of quilting and collage. Pages and pages of wonderful photographs to inspire you to pick up that needle and head for the scrap bag.

Traditionally, quilt making truly IS a form of fabric collage.
How cool, to see the directions in which narrative quilting is moving!
It's expertly shown to those of us lucky enough to run across this swell volume by Ms. Riley. And we realize from the eye candy, ideas, inspiration & techniques illustrated in this charming (& nicely made!) book, that it's not the size of a project that guarantees its impact. I especially love the "Gallery of Quilted Memories" beginning on page 110. Each example is a small treasure of the four elements I listed above & something to which I will continually return.