I fell in love with the chair on the front cover, and knew that the designs would be right up my alley. I enjoyed the pictures inside, and found them charming and inspirational. The colors are beautiful, and the whimsical designs quite appealing. Every time I look at the pics, I get excited about painting. That, alone, is a thumbs up in my opinion!However, on a closer inspection, many of the same stenciled motifs were used throughout the various projects pictured, which was disappointing. Granted, they weren't used the same way, but I would have liked to seen more originality or, at least with all the stencils on the market today, more variety.
I am a beginning painter, so I want to know the whys of the methods I'm using. I found the description of how to prepare a chair confusing. The basic prep steps include using primer for previously finished pieces, sealer for unfinished pieces, gesso for all pieces (multiple coats for previously finished pieces), and then the base coat (multiple coats for unfinished pieces) before you start the decorative painting. I'm not sure the necessity of the gesso...why not just go from the primer, to several base coats? Is there really an advantage to that extra step, or is this just the authors' preference? It seems applying several base coats on top of the primer and sanding between would give you opaque, smooth coverage. I would appreciate a bit more insight to the necessity of the gesso.
I also am unsure of what "priming" entails. On page 7 it defines wood sealer and primer. It says the wood sealer is applied to prevent warping and bleed-through of knotty areas, and then directly below it says primer is brushed on to help seal and prevent bleed-through. There isn't enough explanation about the difference between wood sealer and primer, so I'm not sure which I'm to use before applying the gesso. Or do I apply wood sealer, then primer, then gesso, all before the base coats?
It also says to use an oil-based primer on previously finished chairs if unsure of whether the previous finish was oil-based. But, it doesn't explain why. I've since read in other books that this is because the latex and acrylic paints won't stick and will start to peel off, which apparently you may not find out until you've gone all the way to the finishing step. That would be devastating, so I think an explanation of WHY oil primer is a necessity should be better emphasized here.
I bought some gesso, and am using it between the primer and base coats to see if there is a difference in the outcome. I can't tell whether my previous stuff is oil-based or not, so I'm using oil-based primer on all previously finished pieces as a precaution. If there is a way to determine this, that would be great info to include, too.
I also think that there wasn't enough explanation about how to finish the chairs in order to protect the painted design. There are many types of "finishes" on the market. Is a varnish the same as a polyurethane? And what about the description of those...when I go to the store there are amber, yellow, and clear products. Also, are sealers and finishes one and the same?
Since the book appears to target beginners, a better definition of these terms, and what to apply and why would be helpful. Maybe throw in some specific brand names for wood sealers, primers, finishes and varnishes, so I can piece together what I'm looking for when I go to the store.
I give the book a thumbs up for inspiration and for instructions of the individual projects portrayed. If you like decorative painting on furniture, you'll enjoy looking at the pics in this book. However, I have found myself looking at other books to get more concise explanations of what products to use and why.
