Calling all craft lovers! If you are into decorative painting, you may want to try learning how to do it in the Russian Zhostovo style.

 

Boris Grafov, an award-winning Russian-born painter whose native village, Zhostovo, is world-renowned for its art, and Priscilla Hauser, a Florida-based teacher and promoter of decorative painting for more than 40 years, have created this luminious do-it-yourself book. It's released in the series "Techniques and Projects Made Easy".

 

This radiant manual features bright arrangements of flowers, fruits, and leaves, bordered in gold or silver filigree, and set off by a black lacquered surface. It’s a style of lush painted floral arrangements with a timeless appeal, and Hauser and Grafov provide comprehensive instructions for creating ten beautiful patterns on trays, furniture and other objects.

 

All the necessary skills are explained, with plenty of advice on preparing the surface, wielding the brush, and mixing colors. Start by painting the intricate borders of wreath and linked motifs, then, make the designs more luscious with every colorful layer. You will see how beautifully these rich floral arrangements bloom on trays or pieces of furniture that you decide to decorate!

 

In English language. Publisher: Sterling (USA). Large format. Sturdy softcover. 128 pages.

 

Makes a nice Russia-themed holiday gift!