Transform ordinary gourds into extraordinary art! 14 step-by-step projects with bright, beautiful project photography - Learn to make delightful wind chimes , birdhouses, pitchers, flower pots & decorative figures - Covers a variety of color media , including colored pencils, watercolor, acrylics, oils, pastels, gel pens, & more - Explains all the gourd basics including selection, cleaning, cutting, shaping, surface prep, transferring designs, & finishing Crafting with Gourds will teach you an amazing array of techniques for creating unique and attractive décor! This complete artist's guide to gourd crafting provides useful tips & techniques on a wide range of color media, from craft acrylics and artist's oils to pastels, watercolors, colored pencils, gel pens, and more. Featuring bright and clear project photography, this comprehensive crafting manual explores a wide variety of coloration options for each gourd decoration method. Learn interesting ways to blow, dab, drip, and splatter paint to make spectacular effects. Discover how to add 3D texture and sculpt exquisite gourd art that is both visually and tangibly fascinating. Legendary crafting artist Lora S. Irish provides authoritative advice, explaining all the basics, from gourd selection and preparation to materials, supplies, and construction methods. Lora guides you through 14 step-by-step projects showing how to create natural, seasonal décor using versatile techniques for colorizing, texturizing, and sculpting. Inside Crafting with Gourds , you'll learn how to make stunning birdhouses, wind chimes, pitchers, flowerpots, and more—all from ordinary gourds! Very nice - projects are so colorful! -- Parade Magazine Discover an amazing array of techniques for creating unique and attractive décor in this complete artist’s guide to gourd crafting. Fourteen step-by-step projects include beautiful birdhouses, wind chimes, pitchers, flowerpots, decorative figures and more. Get Creative with Gourds Transform ordinary gourds into extraordinary art! This book will teach you an amazing array of techniques for creating unique and attractive décor from gourds. Legendary crafting artist Lora S. Irish explains all the basics, from gourd selection and preparation to materials, supplies, and construction methods. Learn interesting ways to blow, dab, drip, and splatter paint to make spectacular effects. Discover how to add 3D texture and sculpt gourd art that is both visually and tangibly fascinating. Lora guides you through 14 step-by-step projects for making beautiful birdhouses, wind chimes, pitchers, flowerpots, and more. Inside Crafting with Gourds you'll find: Basics of gourd selection, preparation, materials, and supplies - Creative methods for cutting, constructing, and shaping gourds - Versatile techniques for colorizing, texturizing, and sculpting exquisite gourd art - 14 step-by-step projects for stunning birdhouses, wind chimes, pitchers, flowerpots, and decorative figures - Beautiful photographs and detailed instructions "There doesn't seem to be a medium that Lora Irish hasn't mastered or a technique she hasn't tried." —Pyrography Online "Lora Irish possesses a great ability to research any given subject matter and write about it in a clear and concise manner . . . she influences many aspiring artists and craftsmen" —Shawn Cipa, author of Carving Fantasy & Legend Figures in Wood Lora S. Irish is an internationally known artist and author, whose acclaimed books include Great Book of Carving Patterns , Great Book of Celtic Patterns , Great Book of Dragon Patterns , Great Book of Tattoo Designs , The Official Vampire Artist's Handbook , Relief Carving Wood Spirits , World Wildlife Patterns for the Scroll Saw , and many more. Fox Chapel Publishing has sold more than 500,000 copies of Irish's books. Lora is also a frequent contributor to Woodcarving Illustrated and Scroll Saw Woodworking and Crafts magazines.