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cameralover53
Jun 17, 2013cameralover53 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Since I have only recently begun to research silk painting (and the WPL has but "3" books on the subject), I have no other source(s) to compare this book with. That said, it seems to be well organized and thorough. Susan Louise Moyer is a professional silk painter and fabric designer. She has sold her designs to major clothing manufacturers and stores. Included in this book are her designs as well as those of other silk painting artists. There is a very thorough chapter on "materials and tools" with pictures of different silk fabric swatches. The author describes in detail, the prep work necessary (stretching the silk, measuring, tearing, securing the fabric to a frame or harite) includes photos of an artist in the process of silk fabric painting and provides her own tips learned over the years she has been a professional silk fabric artist. In the chapter entitled, "Silk and Colour", she covers colour theory, colour harmony, mixing dyes, and making your own dye colour chart on silk fabric. In later chapters, there are techniques using wax/Gutta resists, salt crystals, alcohol and line building. Chapter 11, the last chapter, covers "The Finishing Process". Depending on the type of dye or silk paint used, silk must be "fixed" in order to hold or "set" the colour of the dyes. The methods used are steam fixing, dry cleaning and rinsing the fabric.. each method is thoroughly covered with descriptive photos. This book is very thorough and is a very good book for beginners. It has been rated 4.9/5 stars on Amazon.com. I too have rated this book with 5 stars, and will most likely purchase it on Amazon as a resource book.