An in-depth guide with step-by-step instructions on how to select, mix and apply lime- and clay- based plasters, renders, paints and washes. With the increasing awareness of eco-building techniques alongside the desire to make our homes healthier, the historical benefits of using natural renders and paints are being rediscovered. Clay and Lime Renders, Plasters and Paints is a detailed guide to the selection, mixing and application of lime- and clay-based plasters, renders, paints and washes. It provides step-by-step instructions for applying lime- and clay-based plasters, renders and paints, and information on the benefits of natural finishes for personal health, the environment, and for buildings. The book draws on traditional methods & materials for using lime & clay finishes on new and historic buildings, and also includes a comprehensive and up-to-date online resource guide to suppliers, practitioners and courses. Easy to follow DIY projects guide the reader through all aspects of using these natural finishes, with beautiful photographs of techniques and examples from the UK and abroad.

"This book will teach you how to create a wonderful array of unique surface designs, each made by combining day with other media such as inks, paints, and powders, and other tools such as stamps, brushes, stencils, brayers, and wire. Starting with a comprehensive overview onworking with day, the book then offers more than 100 surface recipes and variations with complete details about how the effect was achieved."-- Back cover.

Katherine Dewey's expressive and elegantly detailed sculptures enchant all who see them. With the magical medium of polymer clay and this book, you can follow in her footsteps. Thorough instructions supported by more than 400 step-by-step color photos and 200 detailed drawings cover the entire process of sculpting realistic figures, from selecting clay and gathering essential tools to the basics of modeling the human figure, to incorporating poses, facial expressions, ethnic and gender subtleties, costumes, and painted finishing touches. Easy-to-read maps of the figure illustrate the landmarks of the body, while scale diagrams indicate the simple shapes hidden within the human form, as well as how to combine and model those shapes. For anyone who loves fantasy, romance, nature—or sophisticated crafting—this book is a must-have.

New in Paper The colors, textures, and versatility of polymer clay make it a perfect medium for creating faux surfaces--and these 30 recipes for special finishing, shaping, baking, and molding techniques will transform polymer's appearance. Craft gorgeous faux gemstones; fool the eye with imitation metals, including Balinese silver and verdigris copper; and copy must-have naturals, from bone to leather. Or make simulated agate, slate, and marble. You'll find information on all the types of polymer clay, from translucent ones to some with mica powder, and see how to enhance their surface with paints, inks, wax compounds, and confetti. The unusual include a handsome makeup set, lapis lazuli drawer pulls, and Opal Earrings. "[A] well designed craft book...the end results dazzle."--Publishers Weekly Annex

Discover a colorful new world Polymer clay is truly a medium that has few boundaries. Whether you're planning on beautify yourself or your wardrobe with buttons, barrettes or jewelry, or hoping to give your surroundings a colorful facelift, polymer clay is full of possibilities. Give everyday objects a shiny, eye-catching new look by covering them with clay in a broad spectrum of color and textures. Or create beautiful jewelry and beadwork using techniques that are surprisingly quick and simple. In Create A Polymer Clay Impression, Sarahane Helm demonstrates everything from the basics like baking and carving to advanced home decor themes and jewelry. As an accomplished artist, teacher and author, Helm has a true appreciation for polymer clay and the qualities that make it unique. • 20 creative projects such as miniatures, jewelry, masks, home decor, and gifts. • Discover how simple objects from around your home - from picture frames to children's wagons - can be given a new look, and new life. • Master the secrets and shortcuts of proper preparations, stringing, mold making and surface stamping.

Stretching from the ancient Chinese capital of Xian across the expanses of Central Asia to Rome, the Silk Road was, for 1,500 years, a vibrant network of arteries that carried the lifeblood of nations across the world. Along a multitude of routes everything was exchanged: exotic goods, art, knowledge, religion, philosophy, disease and war. From the East came silk, precious stones, tea, jade, paper, porcelain, spices and cotton; from the West, horses, weapons, wool and linen, aromatics, entertainers and exotic animals. From its earliest beginnings in the days of Alexander the Great and the Han dynasty, the Silk Road expanded and evolved, reaching its peak during the Tang dynasty and the Byzantine Empire and gradually withering away with the decline of the Mongol Empire. In this beautifully illustrated book, which covers the Central Asian section of the Silk Road - from Lake Issyk-kul through Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, the Kyzyl Kum Desert, Khiva and Merv to Herat, Kabul and Iran - Jonathan Tucker uses travellers' anecdotes and a wealth of literary and historical sources to celebrate the cultural heritage of the countries that lie along the Silk Road and illuminate the lives of those who once travelled through the very heart of the world.