Woodworker's Central Woodworker's Gazette Gazette Archive 10/8/99

A book review: By Wayne Arvidson Title: Painted Woodcraft Authors: Stewart & Sally Walton Published by: Sterling Publishing Co. Inc. 387 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016-8810 ISBN 0-0869-9583-1 Price Softcover: $14.95 (Canada $20.95 ) 128 color pages As is typical of the publications from Sterling, this was an extremely well produced book. The photography and printing quality were excellent. Perhaps the best feature of the book was the first section, which covered various painting techniques. The photography was very detailed and made it easy to view both the steps and the end-result. Each technique took a single page and was accompanied by a sidebar that talked about materials needed, and then offered some additional hints and suggestions. I actually found this better than the rest of the book. The projects themselves ran the gamut from children's toys to various boxes and even some picture frames. While the project pages also broke out the materials, tools, and equipment needed, they were much less specific than the first section. Most of the illustrations and templates were hand-drawn, which is probably OK for most 'artsy craftsy' type of projects, but I found I would have liked a little more dimensional data, especially on the boxes and frames. There were a lot of assumptions made. Overall, if you view the project pages as more of a way to get ideas versus actual plans you'll be fine. The first section was definitely worth the price of admission if you do any type of folk crafts, as the painting techniques were great. Wayne Arvidson Editor's Note: Sterling Publishing has graciously donated several books for review which are passed on to our members free of charge in exchange for thoughtful, honest reviews. Thank You!