Decorative Folk Art Exciting Techniques To Transform Everyday Objects

The author explores three distinct genres of decorative folk painting - traditional strokework, bold painting and blending - demonstrating the brush strokes and illustrating the huge variety of finished styles which can be achieved with them. Traditional folk motifs, fine art themes, Art Deco designs, contemporary minimalism - all these and more are used as the inspiration for 20 handpainting projects.

Drawing on the natural folk art tendencies of children, who love to collect buttons, bottle caps, shells, and Popsicle sticks to create beautiful, imperfect art, this activity guide teaches kids about the history of this organic art and offers inspiration for them to create their own masterpieces. The full breadth of American folk art is surveyed, including painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and textiles from the 17th century through today. Making bubblegum wrapper chains, rag dolls, bottle cap sculptures, decoupage boxes, and folk paintings are just a few of the activities designed to bring out the artist in every child. Along the way kids learn about the lives of Americans throughout history and their casual relationships to everyday art as they cut stencils, sew needlepoint samplers, draw calligraphy birds, and design quilts. Important folk artists such as the last surviving Shakers, the legendary Grandma Moses, and the Reverend Howard Finster are also explored in sidebars throughout the book.

A complete course in decorative hand painting. Covers everything from base coating to special techniques. Includes bibliographical references and index.

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"American decorative folk art...never really went away. This is an attractive survey collection of two dozen projects for familiar items, such as samplers, decoys, and copper weathervanes, that have been designed by professional artists. Each type of craft has a historic introduction and is illustrated by photographs of museum and gallery pieces....a handy all-in-one source for public libraries..."--Library Journal.