Stenciling is an inexpensive and clever way to decorate otherwise plain surroundings. Today, with renewed public interest in this age-old craft, the distinctive art form is as popular as ever. In The Complete Book of Stencilcraft, artist and teacher JoAnne Day has updated older stenciling methods and applications, and the result is an easily affordable sourcebook that enables even beginners to create a multitude of eye-catching designs. Numerous ready-to-use reproductions of rare stencil patterns include colorful florals, decorative alphabets, and quaintly dressed folk figures. Easy-to-follow directions tell how to prepare stencil paper, transfer designs, select appropriate paints, and use brushes. Helpful guidelines also suggest ways to achieve harmony, balance, and tasteful effects as well as adapt favorite designs from other sources. As an art form, stenciling offers many attractive advantages: necessary tools and equipment — paper, knife, a stiff brush, and paint — are inexpensive and available in most well-stocked hardware or art-supply stores. Skills needed to cut stencils are easily acquired, and patterns can be applied directly to just about any surface or material, including floors, walls, ceilings, furniture, fabrics, canvas, leather, and tin. A valuable addition to any craft library, this comprehensive volume is sure to please all those who receive great personal satisfaction from creating an enduring work of beauty with their own hands.