Perfect
This book is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Perfect condition and rapid delivery. Excellent service.
Great Photos; Horrendous Instructions
If you buy it used, for a fraction of its list price, PAINTING TECHNIQUES & FAUX FINISHES is an interesting book for those interested in learning about a variety of specialty painting finishes from marbling and sponging to stippling and stone blocking. But because the instructions are written in stilted English, this book can be confusing to a first time faux finisher and as a result fails in teaching the reader how to do these techniques. For this reason, I recommend this book with serious reservations. Let me explain briefly.
I have a college degree in painting. I am usually very good at reading how-to books about handicrafts. Since my childhood I have used them to learn how to macramé and basket weave -- to name a few arts & crafts. Typically it takes a bit of concentration to get a hang of anything, but usually if you follow the instructions, you will succeed.
That is not the case with PAINTING TECHNIQUES & FAUX FINISHES. Unless you have an expert to consult with or a video of professionals using these techniques, I do not believe you will master anything by reading this book.
I bought PAINTING TECHNIQUES & FAUX FINISHES a few years ago when a friend wanted to create a marble effect in a basement. Though in the end, we succeeded in making the basement's concrete walls much more interesting looking, the truth is that the instructions written in this book proved to be less than helpful.
Frustrated that the marbling chapter's instructions are grouped into two sets of steps that are separated by unrelated information, we eventually gave up on following the written instructions and instead simply looked at the photographs and did our best to replicate what we saw. The result was a cartoonish version of marbling, rather than the gorgeous images of truly impressive looking marbling that are featured in this book.
Bottom line: take this book out of the library or buy it used and use it to get ideas about what is possible and then find someone who can tell you how to achieve the desired effect.
- Regina McMenamin
Great pictures, but that's all this book has to offer.
The pictures are great, but the explanations are lacking. In doing faux finishes it is imperative to know what colors and types of paints to be used., this book did not offer too much of that. Very disappointing. A waste of money!
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