[.ca] Projection Stenciling (ISBN 0881791806)

From Amazon.com:
Stencil artists extraordinaire Linda Buckingham and Leslie Bird have hit upon a truly brilliant approach to their subject that enables even novices to create high-quality, large-scale designs. Their method entails covering the paintable surface with freezer paper (adhered with stencil spray adhesive), projecting the image onto the paper using an overhead or slide projector, and tracing the design onto the paper. Each design element is then color-coded and cut out one color at a time. In effect, the usually complex process of producing wall murals is reduced to the simplicity of a paint-by-number scheme. The 40 step-by-step projects include materials lists, color codes, color photos of the finished work, and complete gridded patterns of each design, so even if you don't have access to any of the various projectors adaptable to this process (though they can be rented for surprisingly little), you can still follow the technique using the old-fashioned grid-transfer method. Not only is Buckingham and Bird's approach ingenious, but their designs are stunning, and greatly varied in style. They fill walls with schools of tropical fish, a soaring Pegasus, peaceful landscapes, an airborne snowboarder, the cow jumping over the moon, a dozing tiger. Doors sport faux wood inlay, a gliding ocean liner, desert scenes. Glass can be "etched" with elegant stencil designs. Floorcloths feature cobblestones or swirling art nouveau designs. Every room in the house is fair game to these two, and not only in the house: one of the authors lives aboard a boat crammed with stenciled surfaces. This volume is both a marvelous source of inspiration and a practical, beautifully produced how-to guide. --Amy Handy

Useful and helpful:
This is one of the better "how to" books I have ever read. The patterns are provided so that you may actually create the items shown and enough direction is given so that you can easily use what you have learned to create many more projects of your own.

OK If You Are Looking For Projects:
I was disappointed in this volume, only because it contained very little instruction, but instead demonstrated the techniques through projects. If you want a grand and slightly garish display of zebras or dolphins on your walls, this is the book for you. If you are trying to learn how to enlarge something and create stencils from it, you can probably find more information elsewhere.

Great ideas:
I had never thought of stenciling in this way. I have made my own stencils in the past using acetate or paper, but I never thought of making whole scenes in this way. I probably won't create any of her particular projects, but by the instructions she gives for doing them, I am able to use the same techniques for my ideas. It really opened my eyes to a new way of doing things.

Beautiful Pictures:
The pictures alone are worth more than what I paid for this book, and there are pictures on nearly every page. Complete and thorough descriptions of both roller stenciling and the projection method have me anxious to attempt my first project.

An innovative approach to stencilling:
This book widened my perception of stenciling. Previously I thought of stencilingf as a neat, precise, predictable repeated pattern. A craft to add embellishment to a piece of furniture or a border around a room. When I first flipped through the pages of this book it was hard to believe I was looking at stenciling. If this process at first looks difficult, don't be fooled. Clear step-by-step instructions walk you through the process. I found once I had done a few projects from the book I was ready to produce my own original artwork. This book is a nice addition to the library of any decorative painter and a must for the wannabe artist.