Customer Reviews

It's Faux Easy with Gary Lord

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gary Lord is a fantastic artist, but this book is far from great. While his introduction to this book encourages the reader to experiment with combining techniques, you are limited, according to his instructions, with products in the Aqua Finishing Solutions line. These products, though excellent, are more expensive than the same products that can be found at any paint or hobby store. Unless the reader is familiar with the use of faux finishing products or has taken one of Mr. Lord's classes (as one lucky reviewer had the opportunity to do), this is not a book for those who wish to learn the basics of the art of faux finishing.
Some other of Mr. Lord's books at least offer alternatives to the professional line of Aqua products that he uses exclusively in this book. Perhaps Mr. Lord uses these products daily, and he can afford to purchase expensive tints that he will use for additional projects, but the average home-users will end up with unused portions of product that they will have purchased at a premium, especially if they wish to experiment with colors.
In addition, these products are not easily found; I lived in a small town that was miles from the nearest supplier, and the only way to order the products on-line was to pay a hefty shipping fee! My local paint store, on the other hand, had plenty of Mr. Lord's counterparts' books' suggested supplies, such as basic untinted glazes, drywall compound, and interior house paint!
Another critique that I would have of this book is that the majority of the finishes have that heavy, thickly applied look of some faux finishes. There are only two or three lighter applications, and many of the finishes are heavily textured (with a dimensional product), which leave the user with finishes that will have to be scraped off the wall to get rid of them when the novelty factor is gone. The beauty of other finishing books are that they teach the reader how to do a variety of classical finishes. The finishes in "It's Faux Easy" are like sponge painting in the 80's: they will be outdated in just a few years. Most are much too trendy.
If you, the reader, wish to learn how to do limited finishes that use extra-expensive and hard-to-find products to complete them, that result in popular-today-gone-tomorrow wall treatments, and that leave you with a cupboard full of products that you will likely never use again, than this is the book for you! If you really wish to learn the art of faux finishing, try Pierre Finkelstein's "The Art of Faux." If you are not interested in artistry, but just wish to beautify your home, try the less expensive alternatives such as Linda Sheldon's "Decorative Paint and Faux Finishes" or Gail McCauley's "50 Ways to Paint a Wall". Many of these and other books also instruct the user on how to choose the best finish for their application, how to choose color, and how to experiment with color using easily and inexpensively purchased craft paint.
There are a treasure trove of great faux finishing books out there. Choose the one that is right for you! This one was not for me.

This book contains some very interesting faux techniques. The finishes require various skill levels from beginner to advanced. Many use various products on the market, i.e. Lusterstone and Aqua products. The more complex projects must be done over several days to allow time for base coats, textures, Lusterstone, etc to dry. The pictures are gorgeous. The steps are clear and easy to understand.

Each project starts with a small photo closeup of the finish, then a large photo of a room or wall using the technique. There is a materials list and a color palette for each project. The color palette indicates the name and shows a color swatch of the actual colors used. There are also sidebars included for each project that have Pro Tips. There are full-color photos throughout this beautiful book and some of the treatments are some I have never seen before. I'm a beginner so that's probably not saying much. :-)

There are several projects that actually apply the technique to paper. The techniques were pretty neat, but all I could think about was I would have to repeatedly apply the technique on paper first and THEN I would also have to hang the wallpaper or hire someone to apply it. Now, if they can only find a way to do those techniques directly onto the wall it would deserve the full 5 star. For now, I really think it warrants a 4 1/2 star rating.

Gary has a passion for teaching, whether in person or in the pages of a book. He is constantly inventing fresh finishes that push the envelope. I can highly recommend this book, especially to beginning artists (as well as intermediate) I can't wait till he comes out with a book on his new 3d paint techniques!


To see more of Gary's work see the Chicago church section of the book: "The House that Faux Built: Transform Your Home with Paint Plasters and Creativity." The House That Faux Built He uses his signature metallic foils, lace and shimering plaster to create a beautiful finish that looks amazing but is deceptively easy.

I have done at least half of these techniques, and would
highly recommend some professional instruction as well as the
recipes provided in this book. Most products are attainable
for the general public - if anything, I would recommend getting the
DVD as well..this helps explain the book part even clearer, as you
watch Gary actually apply the products etc.

Anyone venturing into this profession, or even as a hobby, has to understand the process is about 'layering'...for the most part.
And you will need to allow for overnight drying times in alot of cases.
Patience is key, and not for the faint of heart. Once finished,
you can be amazed, or not. The whole affair of Faux, is that this
is something you WILL want to keep on your wall for years to come.
It is not a fad - it is a true artform, as much as it is about understanding product application.

Juliana
[...]

Well written and easy to understand. Gives great visual examples of different finishes as well as how to do it and what materials one will need for each example. I highly recommend this to any one who has no experience with this craft.

I've been looking at faux finish books for the past 15 years. This is, hands down, the best I've come across. The photos and instructions are fantastic.