Since antiquity, artists have mixed pigments and secret ingredients together to create textured paint with particular sheen and luminosity. Achieve that same wizardry by unlocking the secrets of paint alchemy. Mix and transform your own paints to invent colors just for you and your home--at a fraction of the cost of store-bought cans. More than 50 unique recipes, each illustrated with a swatch showing the finished paint and enchanting interior photographs, demystify the complex principles of paint formulation. Special sections offer information on how to grind pigments, basic rules for safe handling of materials, organic pigments, and how to give your paint distinct characteristics--more or less intensity, for example--as well as exciting ideas for alternative recipes and inspirational suggestions for devising unusual paint effects. Concoct a batch of Mellow Silk, Translucent Veil, Gold Varnish, or any of the other brews, and stir up some magic in your home.

If you want to give fabrics that personal touch, you can't do without this vital tool that covers everything from traditional vat coloring to tie-dying, as well as innovative contemporary methods involving photocopiers, foil, and latex. Jam-packed with handy tips from a leading expert in textile dyeing and decoration, it describes the characteristics of different fabrics and yarns, dyes, pigments, and paints. Color strip, screen or block print, do Indonesian batik, smoke stencil, and so much more, with over 100 inspirational, beautifully photographed recipes for dyeing and patterning fabric, a comprehensive techniques section, and symbols that quickly convey a recipe's difficulty, preparation time, process, and type of dye required. And a handy color key system instantly identifies the best material for each procedure!