Paint Books

I found this book well written and informative for me, a beginner in body repair and painting. It covered most facets of body repair and painting. It's not an encyclopedia - for instance, the author mentions "slapping" and what it is used for, but doesn't delve into how to do it - perhaps that would be best for a book on metal working. All in all, this was just the ticket for me to touch upon all the subjects.

I was looking for a book that explained some of the basic restoration/repair principles for a novice. This book does just that. I did not give it 5 stars for two reasons - one is that black and white photos do not really show clearly the points intended. Also, one of the chapters introductions suggests that an explanation of paint technology had already been explained in a previous chapter, but in fact it is in a future chapter. This shows poor proof reading. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to anybody wanting to learn the basics of automobile body repair and finishing.

While this book doesn't go very in-depth, it does cover many subjects of paint and body including some rust repair (not a lot though). Good if you are trying to learn, enough to get started.

Disappointed at best. Bought three books on the subject on Amazon at the same time. Believe it or not this was the best of the three. Gave up on the books and got more information from a paint shop guy. The picture on the cover of the 69 Camaro has nothing to do with the book (Yes, I have a 69 Camaro). It caught my eye and the author got my money. I read the other reviews and either they didn't buy the book and read it or something is funny.

i am very new to the body work scene, it actually happened on accident. i got asked to do it at my new job. i just fix rust holes in junky BMW's in Germany, but i wanted to make my work look like it is supposed to be there. i havent read the entire book yet, but what i have read has been very helpful. the work i have produced is not perfect, but the tips i have gained from this book have made big improvements in the end. a little (by my standards anyway) amount of body filler makes the jobs turn out pretty good, but i am still playing around with the right mixture for the filler. a few more gallons of it, and i might be on the right track. but hey, the people around me are enjoying the contact buzz. wear a respirator as described in the book!
This book has been a big help for me.

Earl Emerson's mystery the "The Dead Horse Paint Company" was a novel that caught me off guard. This being the first of Mac Fontana novels that I have purchased, I was a little disappointed at what I found. I expected a novel similar to a forensic medicine novel, only with a firefighter taste. What I got was another middle of the road murder mystery.

The story is about Mac Fontana fire chief in a small Seattle suburb. Fontana formally worked in Seattle when the disasterous Paint Company Fire occured, killing nine other firefighters. Years later the fire chief who botched up the Paint Company fire is found dead in a burning car in Fontana's new hometown. Fontana investigates and finds many past enemys of the former chief. The characters that make up the list suspects are the best thing of the book.

In total this is a good mystery, but don't expect anything too deep. Emerson's writing style is choppy, as the stories pace is not very fluid. Emerson also has a tendency to throw to much masculinity throughout the book. Not for everyone.

This recent attempt at story telling by Earl W. Emerson suffers from the basic malady found in both his series of murder mysteries featuring the male characters Mac Fontana and Thomas Black (as well as the insipid female, Kathy). Enjoyment of these works is greatly impared by a pervasive macho stupidity. All of the stories convey "...a false sense of charisma" (Morons and Madmen. Earl Emerson. 1993:156) embodied in the male protaganists. An obsession with female breasts and sexual conquests bring a derisive burden to an otherwise interesting story. Insensitive, sexist commentary from a supposed studly point of view mars otherwise accomplished writing skills. The conflict always seems to revolve around men "...whose macho territory has been invaded by women" (ibid, page 175).

I live in the Northwest and can put myself in the real life situations he writes about. Why do we have to wait so long inbetween books. I am hungrey for more.

In the past month I discovered Emerson's Thomas Black mysteries and was so consumed by them (or did I consume them?) that after finishing them all I headed right back to the store for as many of the Mac Fontana series as I could find.

As a general rule, I don't care for continuing characters in mystery -- they rarely have enough "character" to hold my interest for more than 2 or 3 books. Emerson's work is miraculously entertaining for book after book, for both the Black and the Fontana series. His minor characters are as memorable as his heroes, and Mac Fontana is a real delight (and I know comparisons are odious, but what a treat to read a Fontana book after that dismal Kinsey Milhone character perpetrated by Sue Grafton, which I gave up on after letter C).

I can't say that "Dead Horse " is the best of the Fontana series for the simple reason that all the Fontana books are so pleasing to me that it would be insolence on my part to rate one of them higher than another.

I, too, must take issue with the reader who didn't like the chapter titles. I think writing interesting chapter titles is very nearly a lost art form, and feel much indebted to Emerson for his chapter headers. (In particular, the opening chapter of Dead Horse has a fine title that I showed around the office to those of a scatological nature.)

Please, Mr. Emerson, stay out of burning buildings! Your books have become essential to my well-being.

Just like Thomas Black, Mac Fontana is a character I--a macho-disliking female--love! I'm wondering if some people miss the irony in Earl's books. I started reading him because I was with a friend on vacation and she could hardly put "Dead Horse" down. I ordered one of his books off Amazon, devoured it in about 2 hours, then went out the next day and ordered every other single title of his I could get my hands on, and read them one per day.

Dead Horse is my favorite of his books, next to "The Portland Laugher". It's Mac at his finest--uncertain, a little vulnerable, but determined to do the right thing. Even if he doesn't always know what that should be...

Yes, his writing can be a little choppy at times, but that's a style thing. I'm used to it, and I like it. I don't think it's a good idea to ever come in at the end of a series, particularly when so much of the character groundwork has already been laid. It begs the comment "....

The only bad thing I can say about this book is that it's been far too long without a sequel. Earl! Please! The suspense is killing me!

We let the kids flip through this book and choose which design they wanted on their face. They had a great time and were also able to understand that with patience the end product would look (at least somewhat) like the picture in the book. They had a great time.

My Girl Scouts ages 8-12 had an awesome time practicing the face painting for the haunted house on Oct. 27 & 28 at the VFW Post 10211 in Key Largo, FLA. Thank you so much for offering such a book as the girls has no idea how to face paint and now they are prepared for almost anything!!! Cudos to you !!!!!! We wuld highly reccommend this face painting book to anyone young OR old that needs hints/help in the how-to's of face painting!!

I cannot rate this item. This item was on backorder and I have never received it!

I like the way the book is laid out and how simple the instructions are.

I did the vampiress and japanese doll faces from this book on my daughter and friend. We made an errand to our local "clown store" and all the entertainers said how great they were. Those were just 2 of the fun face designs out of the book. The wicked reptile & colorful butterfly faces from this book are also very nice. There are over 40 faces!

As far as time travel for adult readers may go...this doesn't. But the book wasn't written for adults. As far as the 9 to 12 year group goes...it's a fairly good read. It only takes the reader back to 1926, which is a pretty good year for family living and values. This book is built on that premise and it also has a provocative evil time travel element that makes it interesting. I would recommend it for the lower end of the 9 to 12.

This book has one of the best storylines I've ever read. Kathryn Reiss knows how to make even the simplist and strangest subjects seem scary and spooky! Sometimes there errors in the writing, but overall it was a really good book. It is about a boy named Conor who comes home from school one day to find his mom acting very strange. He soon finds himself barrelling through the bounds of time and must find out how to save his mom...and himself. I would highly sugjest this book for an eight or nine year old.

The idea of an 11 year old boy traveling back in time to save his mother was an interesting story line. However, the characters and plot could have been better developed. I felt like the story was told too quickly and that more details could have been provided for the reader instead of waiting until the last minute to fill in all the plot. Overall, the story was very creative, but could have been better organized.

When I saw the title, I was extremely sceptical. The story revolves around an 11 year old boy named Connor. One day his mom is randomly acting very strange. He gets whisked back to the year 1926 to save his mom, and himself, 80 years before they are in danger. I found the story cliched(save me from the "evil powders"), and not one bit scary or disturbing. The author didn't seem able to construct a good atmosphere in many seens, and also poorly done emotions. Despite these flaws, I enjoyed paint by magic. I think this would be best for a 9 year old, mainly because they would'nt notice the authors sometimes just plain bad writing. Still, it was enjoyable and I think it is worth reading.

I first read this book when I was in fifth grade. I thought it was the best book I had ever read. I picked it up again in the sixth, and I thought it was horrible. I thought it was badly written, though I could not tell in the fifth grade. I didn't get a feel for the characters either. I thought that they said "freaky" way too much at the wrong times. They really annoyed me. I did, however, love the plot. It was so creative and gripping. This could have been a better book.

The projects in this book are definitely cool. However, I encountered two substantial problems.

First, it was difficult to find some of the supplies. I live in a metropolitan area (2 million people) and could only find one place that sold liming wax. I spent an hour on the phone calling places looking for it. I finally found a supplier 40 miles away.

Second, the colors in the book are quite different than in person. I added the specified amount of artist's paint to create the terracota fresco. The color was suppose to be orangish. It turned out to be pink. Let me tell you, my husband did not appreciate that at all.

My recommendation, take her ideas, but don't use her colors.

I do decorative finishes quite often, and while I have not actually followed any of the paint recipes to the letter, they have provided a jumping-off point for many projects. A nice sourcebook w/ photos of different kinds of tools, pigments, etc. The use of UK measurements and paint terms could be confusing for some people. Overall a very good reference for the serious or semi-serious decorative painter...

I have been enchanted with this book since I first saw and acquired it a few years ago. I have followed only a few recipes, partly because it has been difficult to find some of the ingredients in my area. My most pressing complaint, however, echoes comments by an earlier reviewer regarding the accuracy of the recipes. I am in the middle of a faux stone block wall that calls for a base coat and three glaze coats, followed by veining and shadows--a lot of work. It was clear after the first glaze coat that my wall would never be remotely close to the lovely terra cotta color identified (p. 94) as "the basic recipe". Help, Liz, where are you?

This is a wonderful book for anyone wanting to decorate or redecorate their home with style. It is great value because it is literally packed with techniques and ideas to suit anyone's taste. Most effects are surprisingly easy to create.

The book starts out with a through explanation of materials. This includes color photos of all the tools, as well as charts with great information on mixing and thinning paint types, primers, undercoats, solvents, glazes, varnishes, sealants, and metallic finishes. Information about toxicity, uses and whether it should be used indoors or out is included as well. There are even several excellent charts on preparing almost any surface for painting.

Numerous techniques for painting walls including colorwashing, sponging, dragging, rag rolling, stippling, limewashing, dry brushing, fade-away washing, loose-glaze, mock and rubbed back plaster are included. Effects such as Fresco, Mediterranean and Egyptian are also covered as well as creating borders, stone blocking and making distressed plaster patterns.

Then wood effects such as aging, spattering, graining, crackling, combing, and staining are covered. The Scandinavian and Shaker color pallets and styles are demonstrated here too. Stone finishes such as marbling, lapis lazuli, sandstone, porphyry, granite and terracotta follow. Then there are metal finishes including patina, verdigris, rust, lead, iron and bronzing. Finally, lacquer, tortoiseshell, shagreen, leather, stenciling, and gilding techniques are shown.

Most of the projects use latex or acrylic paint, only a few use oils. Step-by-step directions are given for each of these techniques or effects. Close-up photos show the each style in a few different colors and recipes are given for each one. Some styles have pictures of finished rooms or objects done with them.

Since printing accurate colors is tricky and there are so many variables in materials and surfaces, I know that results can vary. I would recommend experimenting on a small scale and tweaking the recipe to get things the color you want. All in all this is fabulous and inspirational book at an excellent price for anyone who wants to do more than brush on off-the-shelf paint.

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I have both of her books and they are both great, helpful etc..the life-lesson i learned is...if it doesn't work out..paint over it and start again. ...

Amateur, cheap looking finishes. I was looking help with finishes that look like they came from Habersham or other great furniture makers.

I bought this, and both my wife and I went through it, and we both agreed that it was a worthless book. I can't believe it was ever published. I have returned it and will never buy another book by this author. Sorry to be so negative, but this book truly is worthless.

This is preciesly the book I was looking for! Has copious details about re-finishing all kinds of furniture surfaces, from bare wood to laminate to steel, plus how to get a wide variety of effects. This book has a higher level of detail than many other faux finishes books (which often skip over how to prep the surface or how to deal w/any surface other than bare wood).

This book is not for the person who wants to do huge amounts of serious woodworking, and you need to come to it with an imagination. What it does is effectively tell you how to do a hundred or so styles and techniques. You can't replicate everything that's in here, but it's simply incredible to go through when you have a beat up old piece of furniture, and are open to thoughtful, imaginative refinishing.

I stumbled upon this gem of a book while on a recent day trip to Northampton, MA. Since its discovery I cannot put it down and have begun some of the projects in it. This book is a packed full of helpful ideas and the book's standout feature is that step-by-step guides serve to help the novice in creating a replica of the pictures that exist in the book. Wagstaff & Thurgood's book is softcovered vinyl. Should paint get on it it is easily wiped clean. For certain, I will be purchasing 2-3 copies for friends and relatives as Christmas presents!!!

Great book for it's descriptions of all aspects of the techniques, i.e. photos of tools, resources, finished rooms. Plus the examples of styles and moods they create is so varied. The authors tone is concise and to the point and consistently encouraging. No girly girl stuff. Passionate, but no fru fru. Wow! Such a deal!

The Lord techniques, while somewhat comprehensive in their scope, do not address problem areas such as, corners, edges, lap lines, problems with product drying early, the dangers of tint products near and on carpets just to mention a few.

The advertising brochure for Aqua Finishing solutions would lead one to believe that the room painted to resemble a castle was done with Aqua products when in fact it was done with dry wall compound.

Just looking through this book has my brain reeling with all kinds of ideas for the walls throughout my little tiny house. The ideas in this book look as good for small spaces as they will for large ones. Just reading the book, I've already picked out three techniques I want to try. The book offers a list of materials for each project, tips and a really clear explanation of all the how-to steps to complete them. I heard about this book when Gary Lord was on the Discovery Channel show Home Matters. He did the technique in Chapter 7 using tissue paper on the walls. The way he prepares for this project allows you to remove the tissue at a later date when you're ready to try something different. This had always been a concern of mine when I'd see one of these wall treatments done. After all, times change and so do peoples' tastes. Can you imagine the nightmare of scraping tissue paper off the walls? Well, this book looks like it has everything under control. I'm planning on using this particular technique on a stairway wall that has a lot of cracks in it that I haven't been able to seal permanently. If you can't fix it, camoflage it!

Although the book gives many projects, most of the information on "how to" is vague. Many projects require using and mixing colorants rather than using latex paint. NOT for anyone without some professional training.

I think this book must have been commissioned by the company that makes the specialized products used in this book. Many of the more sophisticated and complex treatments use products called Aquabond, Aquatex, Aquastone, Aquacreme, Aquacolor, etc.

There are many nice paint finishes and faux techniques in this book. The chapter on stone block is pretty awesome and I like the clear instructions on how to get the color variations in the "stone." There is also a Sand Drifts technique that is gorgeous and has the look of travertine. Several of the projects involve a lot of time, which is not unexpected with a complicated technique.

Some of the techniques are old standards - striping, combing, rag rolling, using tissue paper and even torn brown kraft paper. I have never heard of Aqua products and when I looked online, it appears that it is a product sold online through Faux specialty stores. The Aquacreme often requires tinting with Aquacolors, that then requires mixing of products.

From my brief look online, I did not see any local distributors in my area and the products seem quite costly, especially considering how much might be needed to do an entire room. For example, a quart of Aquacreme at one site was $20.95 and an 8 oz bottle of Aquacolor was $15.95 (the smallest size). Because no alternatives for these specialized products were given, I am giving this book a 3 star rating. If alternatives were given that were readily available, I would have given this book a 4.

Transforming Fabric: Thirty Creative Ways to Paint, Dye and Pattern Cloth

The book is very informative, but I have not been able to spend much time with it due to the smell. I do not know where it was stored, but it smells like it was in the garage with puppies or kittens.
The ideas & methods in the book are clearly presented & I am hoping that the smell will disipate to the point where I can use the book to it's full advantage.

A good book if you are looking for technical information concerning ways to colour cloth. However, the book does not contain much in the way of finished examples, an element which I always appreciate in a do-it-yourself craftbook.

This book is particularly strong on explaining the theories behind the different fabric types and why they react as they do to dyes and paints. Some of the instructions are very clear and good photos of stamps and other printing techniques. I found the finished items and cloth a bit messy - not really my style. But a good addition to the library.

I think it is the clarity and precision with which the author presents her ideas. Very good resource material for my daughter. She uses it!

I've already collected a number of painting/dyeing/surface design books for working with fabric, and this makes an excellent addition. I don't think it could stand alone as the be-all and end-all, but it is comprehensive in the sense that the author presents all kinds of ideas and inspiration, as well as photographs and instructions/resources. The one thing I might have found more helpful would be greater detail in the steps she took to achieve certain results. Although she does offer descriptions, it seems that sometimes steps and/or details of the process are missing.

I loved the Facelift when it was on HGTV but this was dissapointing. All of the gorgeous rooms she designed, I don't know how she decided on these. I would rather have had tiny before and after's like Trading Spaces with tips on how to create the spaces. Needless to say I was pretty dissapointed. For the faux finishers, there are a few faux finishes in the back of the book that she gave step-by step directions for.

Great book. I cant get enough of debbie travis.

The book arrived in perfect condition and in a shorter amount of time than specified. Thanks!

This book is a good companion guide to Debbie's FaceLift show. It focuses on several of her facelift projects and includes tips and a few step-by-steps for projects. Where this book excels are the photographs of the rooms, her color choices and combinations and the "before" and "after" pictures.

The first 15 or so pages contains basic info and an intro to her Facelift team. A lot of the time it is difficult to see the before pictures because they are so small, but the main part of the book, her creations, are beautiful. Most of the designs have a contemporary, modern feel. Debbie has a great way of combining function, color and classy styling to her designs.

I think my favorite part of the books are her color choices. So many of them I would never have considered but she shows how you can select a bright yellow or a subdued steel blue and make it beautiful. The best part is that most of the projects seem "doable" without expending huge outlays of time and effort (unlike some of her Painted House books).

I have a collection of five of the Debbie Travis books - this is one (Debbie Travis Facelift) that I really did not enjoy compared to the others by Debbie Travis.

This was not a very good "How to do" book - instead it only shows end results and most of the rooms shown are limited to a very eclectic or modern style of decorating. My other 4 Debbie travis books show a wide range of styles that basically can appeal to everyone and they show a variety of painting styles and decorating. For me two far more useful Debbie Travis books are Decorating Solutions which was really wonderful, and Painted House which I think is fabulous.

I liked the easy going, almost poetic tempo of "I'll Paint the Sun." It was a nice contrast to Al Garrrotto's other suspense stories.
The story of Libby and Painter reads like an adult fairy tale. The writing is clean with beautiful descriptive phrases.
Thanks for writing "I'll Paint the Sun."

This story with "Painter" and Libby started off quite well. The writing was flowing and made you want to read further.
He is a black homeless man ( troubled renowned painter who is missing in action). She is a white and recently jilted (left in financial problems by her former fiance) and runs a restoration business, restoring old houses to their former glory. She ends up hiring him to help her paint such a house. This is suppose to help get back on her feet financially, as well as restore some of her pride by winning a local restoration competition

I had some major problem with the plot. She asked him to move into her aparment, where he has to go through her bedroom to get to the bathroom. Say what?? Some recently homeless stranger she does not know, living in such close proximity. Say what?? She finds out he was a drug addict and promiscuous and she sleeps with him without protection and then hopes she does not get AIDS. Say what?? I fail to see how this book can be classified as romance. So Libby came off as someone who has some questionable judgement.

Painter comes off as a selfish individual. After they have spent time fixing the house ( which was entered in some competion). He paints a personal message on the house, declaring his love for her, but with no regard as to how this will affect others ( 1:not his property, 2:because this gets the house disqualified from the competition which they worked so for 3: as an artist he himself would not like anyone to at their personal touch to his work, so why do it to others?? )

I'll Paint a Sun is a beautifully written novel. I have read all of A.J. Garrotto's books and have enjoyed each of them very much. I'll Paint a Sun is a book that I could not put down until I was finished. It holds your attention from beginning to end. This is a beautiful love story that touches you deep in your heart.

If you want romance in sunny San Francisco, this is the story. I got goosebumps (twice!) from some surprising twists. It's a perfect book for summertime reading.

A. J. Garrotto writes a beutiful story of two broken people trying to get by in life in the wonderful city of San Francisco. He has an excellent way of painting beautiful images onto the readers mind, by his elaborate, and poetic words. Garrotto brings his characters to life. Most people who have been to San Francisco will be able to see clear images of the city through his writing. Those who yet to have the opportunity to travel to such a wonderful city, are given a mental tour around the city, for the story revolves around the restoration of classic victorian homes

Libby has everything she could possibly want in life:love, a wonderfful carreer, and being financially stable. Her life suddenly falls apart when her fiancé drains her bank account and leaves without explanation. Libby is left to decide what she is going to do with the dirty hand of cards she is dealt.

Painter, a homeless man, reluctantly helps Libby, whom he knows through the soup kitchen Libby volunteers at, restore a victorian home so it will be ready in time for the Painted Ladies Contest. It is contest for the best restored victorian home that takes place on Valentines day.

During the restoration of the victorian home, Painter and Libby learn one another's secrets and true identity.

I'll Paint a Sun is creative, beautiful, and will leave the reader with a warm feeling. A.J. Garrotto is an excellent author, who doesn't recieve the recognition he deserves. I'll paint a Sun is entertaining, and great novel to read.