Hand Printing Studio

Rezensionen / Stimmen

Make your mark and print on "almost anything," as the cover says, with this useful primer. Learn how to do various types of printmaking techniques and decorate fabric, metal, glass, wood and even skin!



This is a well laid out book that is easy to use and get good results from. Three basic techniques are covered, namely block, screen and transfer printing, and each chapter includes several projects (fifteen in all). To begin, there is an overview about designing, including repeats and different types of image, various options to actual drawing and color mixing. There is another chapter that deals with what to print on, including a helpful table so you don't buy the wrong product. The three main sections firstly teach you what you need to buy and how to use it, and then offers several projects covering different aspects of it. The author has a fun, chatty style of teaching, and instructions include enough staged photographs as well as tips for getting it right. Designs are fun and modern, and items to print on are very varied. These include a metal garden planter decorated with a repeat design of snails, a tomato-stealing squirrel cushion, seedpod kaftan, triangle printed coffee table, a bandana with a bison and the author's young children printed to look like animals. Full-sized patterns are included at the back, and there is even a page suggesting ways of selling your wares. In short, this is the type of book that makes learning a new skill accessible and enjoyable by telling you what you need to know to do it well, but not swamping the beginner with a superfluity of information. One for the keeper shelf. * Myshelf.com * Whatever you want to print on, this book shows you how. Find 15 hand-printing projects for your home plus 12 ready-to-use patterns. This is a fresh, beginner's guide to printing at home. This book is split into the following chapters: Creating Designs, Surfaces and Materials, Block Printing, Screen Printing, Transfer Printing, Selling, Patterns and Resources. It is structured with tips and techniques throughout to get you started. There is even printing on skin. The book is well illustrated throughout and easy to follow. * Karen Platt- yarnsandfabrics.co.uk * Here textile designer Olmsted introduces three techniques of hand printing-block printing, screen printing, and transfer printing. The first chapters cover basics of design, including techniques for customizing and choosing and blending colors, followed by an overview of tools and supplies used in hand printing, including surfaces, inks, and dyes. The next three sections, one for each type of printing, feature a summary of the technique and a series of projects for practicing it on an array of surfaces-mostly fabric but also wood, metal, glass, paper, carpet, and even skin (the "reptile bird children" tutorial involves stamping a curved pattern onto a child's skin -employing -temporary tattoo ink). Clear instructions and detailed photographs help guide crafters through the process; the projects range from sweet and whimsical (a "tomato thief" squirrel block printed on a pillow) to abstract and sophisticated (watercolor designs transfer printed on carpet squares and ribbon). VERDICT Crafters interested in exploring diverse techniques of hand printing will appreciate Olmsted's all-in-one approach; those with a specific interest in one method may prefer a more focused guide. * Library Journal USA *