Decorate Your Home with Trompe L'oeil: On Walls, Furniture, Frames & More - Softcover

Holding, Jocelyn Kerr

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080697141X ISBN 13: 9780806971414

Publisher: Sterling, 2001

Synopsis

“An unusually good survey of the techniques for decorative trompe l’oeil....Projects...go from painted stones, to decorative panels, to classical forms like arches and columns...accomplished by projecting photographs on a wall, free hand, with stencils, or photocopies.”—Library Journal. “Supplies information on perspective, color, techniques, and architectonic and scenic methods.” —Booklist.

About this title

Review

To truly fool the eye, trompe l'oeil painting must display convincing perspective, proper depth of field, and a credible play of light and shadow. Jocelyn Kerr Holding carefully explores these principles and many more, with detailed explanations of all the basic considerations behind the creation of a trompe l'oeil image and the various techniques available for achieving it, including perforating an existing drawing, painting freehand, projecting a photograph, and using photocopies in a decoupage manner. Despite the "quick and easy" promise of the book's title, however, many beginners will be intimidated by the process as presented here, since Holding offers no patterns (other than a small section of architectural motifs for photocopying) and presumes an existing comfort level with the handling of paint and perspective on the part of the reader to achieve, in her words, "a freehand reproduction of reality." But those seeking a decent primer on the art of trompe l'oeil will find much useful information here, along with some nicely rendered eye-fooling images of book- and object-filled shelves, landscape views, and animals. --Amy Handy

From Booklist

Holding's title is somewhat of an oxymoron--or, at the very least, could only be seriously applied to those readers with at least basic artistic talent. For "quick and easy," after all, are not appropriate descriptors for trompe l'oeil, the craft of creating realistic, three-dimensional illustrations on two-dimensional painted surfaces. Also, this collection is the result of faux malachite and faux marble that artisans such as Jocasta Innes have long popularized. The author supplies information on perspective, color, techniques, and architectonic and scenic methods. The end product? A half-dozen respectable projects to copy, along with real yearning for more information, more process-oriented items, and more details. Barbara Jacobs
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Edition details

• Publisher: Sterling
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080697141X
• ISBN 13: 9780806971414
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160