ART & DESIGN

This informative and easy-to-read classic text describes the various animal and vegetable dyes which were available before synthetic chemical dyes became available. Dyes noted in the book include madder, indigo, woad, saffron, weld, orseille, Tyrian purple, kermes, and many more.

Three classic informative texts are collected here for the lacemaking enthusiast. These works show the history of lacemaking, and distinguish and illustrate the various types of point lace and pillow lace.

Natural color combinations, from the simplest pairings (even black and white) to multi-colored rainbows can be found throughout the animal kingdom: birds, fish, insects, and many others utilize colors for camouflage, mimicry, mate attraction, predator warning, and other uses. Hobbyist modelers will find inspiration here, as might the adventurous interior designer. Common shade and color combinations will offer the artist much to ponder.

In the mid-1800s, Victorian artists began to imitate a strange and pretty decorative leafwork technique seen in craftwork imported from China. Real leaves, stripped of their green tissue, bleached and arranged in floral arrangements or bouquets, created a new trend; some were even colored to match their original (or even fanciful) appearances. The delicate networking of the leaves resembles the finest lacework.

Today, artists and craftworkers can work with a wide range of shapes and sizes of leaves. Phantom Bouquets includes two early (and easy to read) reprints on this oft-forgotten art, and includes some notes for experimenting with modern ingredients. This also makes a terrific botany experiment for the examination of a leaf's internal structure.

Published in 1922, this text covers the history of mazes and labyrinths in various forms, from Egyptian tombs to English gardens, as mosaics, in heraldry, and for architectural embellishment. This is a facsimile reprint in secure printable PDF.

Bernard S. Mason wrote quite a bit for scouts and other young people regarding old-time recreation and activities. In this book, he focuses on creating primitive percussion instruments. Small hand drums, large dance drums, log or barrel drums, water drums, drumsticks, and rattles are all discussed.