book review and giveaway: fabric surface design

Let me introduce you to the book, Fabric Surface Design by Cheryl Rezendes. In the interest of full disclosure, her publisher contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to review the book. I said sure, and the book arrived and was added to the “to do” pile. It takes a long time to get through that pile.

Last week I opened the book. By page two I knew I liked this author. A couple more pages and I had to struggle with my choice to give my review copy to my readers. Cheryl is a teacher after my own heart. She succinctly touched on every one of my soapbox crusades right in the introduction.

• Don’t try to make masterpieces.
• Give yourself time to learn.
• Play.
• Be willing to experiment and let go of preconceived outcomes.
• Take time to learn to truly SEE what you are looking at.
• Learn from “mistakes” – they might lead you in a very good direction.
• Chocolate and dry roasted almonds are on the basic supply list.

This book is a comprehensive overview of just about every surface design technique you can think of using paint. Plus foil. Plus image transfer. Plus lots and lots and lots more. It’s three HUNDRED pages long and every page is stuffed – STUFFED FULL of stuff I tell you! (picture my wildly gesticulating hands as I say this.)

com·pre·hen·sive
adjective

The table of contents you see up there is, well, ridiculously inadequate to give you an idea of what is actually covered in each section. For instance, “chapter 8 Nature Printing” describes printing with plants, flowers, food, fish (Gyotaku) and the sun. Each technique is nicely outlined and illustrated with a page or two. Now remember – three hundred pages. Every chapter is like this and includes enough information about every technique to help you find supplies, tips to avoid pitfalls, pictures of the process, and spotlights of artists who use the techniques.

My favorite parts are the tables. There is nothing I appreciate more than seeing someone else who has done the work and experimentation and put it all down in an organized fashion for me to use as a reference tool. There are a number of tables in this book. I love tables.

At this point I could go on for days and days listing all the techniques. Let me just say this instead. I BOUGHT MY OWN COPY. This is at a time when I am trying my hardest to winnow down my book collection. Sigh.

 So – only because I already promised myself I would, I’m giving away the review copy.
Leave a comment here telling me what surface design technique you have been wanting to try.

I’ll bet you it’s in here!
I’ll choose a winner next Thursday.

Cheryl also has an Etsy shop that I think you should go check out named CherScapes where you can find some pretty cool stuff! Wearable art, hand dyed and painted cloth, and gorgeous silk scarves.

You can buy Cheryl’s book here.

By the way, even if you can get it cheaper on Amazon, I ALWAYS recommend buying a new book from the author. When you buy a new book (that isn’t self published) on Amazon the author only makes a few pennies. When you buy it directly from them they make about half of what you are paying. And it’s usually signed which is cool. (I do buy used books via Amazon.)