Home decorating will never be the same. Close your curtains! Throw away your summery linens! Forget about those white eyelet pillow covers! And for Goth's sake, buy some black lights! Voltaire is here to help you with your home decorating dilemmas, guide you through the hardware stores and decorating centers (which are so difficult for Goths to navigate), and lay it all out on the line about which shade of black goes with which shade of black. Who knows?! One day soon he might have his own decorating line at a discount store. In this world of pastels and plaids, it's so hard for Goths to find anything aesthetically appealing. You go in search of Edward Gorey and wind up with an eyeful of Eddie Bauer. With Voltaire's Paint It Black you can turn the unbearably mundane into the delightfully macabre with little more than a touch of creativity and a can of black spray paint.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Voltaire is a prominent and prolific author, artist, and merchandising powerhouse in the alternative culture market. Following the success of What is Goth?, he jumped at the chance to follow it up with Paint It Black (hey, Goths don't need much sleep). He lives in the ever-dismal New York City and has an extensive touring schedule.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful
By M. Gheesling
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
In his follow-up to his book "What Is Goth ?" musician, artist, and all-around dark jester Voltaire aims his style and sense-of-humor at crafts and interior decorating with "Paint It Black: A Guide To Gothic Homemaking."
I bought this book for two reasons: As a Goth wanna-be (I follow the scene but don't usually dress the part), I wanted to see what spooky insights Voltaire brought to the usually saccharin and kitchsy design world dominated by Martha Stewart. As an educated artist (BFA Graphic Design) who was fortunate to have had classes from an award-winning and accomplished artist and faux-finisher (Diane Thomas Lincoln), I wanted to see if there was anything new I could learn in regards to technique and artistic process.
To be sure, this book covers only a few basic techniques. You won't learn advanced stencil-masking or how to use Venetian marble with this book. But since this book was written with your average Baby Bat or Elder Goth in mind, advanced techniques would serve only to confuse rather than enlighten. In short, this is a good book for beginners who wish to put a bit of spooky into their surroundings.
To its credit, "Paint It Black" is mostly project-based and therefore you can actually end up with your own finished works if you follow the instructions. A few projects are either too tacky ("Graveyard Cake") or too sparse on details ("Gothic Weddings") to be worthwhile. However, most of them,like "The Grimoire" and "Pimp My Ride, Dracula-style," are really useful and successful.
Overeall, this book is a starting point for the beginner and a creative springboard for the experienced. The only thing truly disappointing about it is that, according to Voltaire's own web site (www.voltaire.net), 66 pages were cut by the publisher. And with Voltaire's sense of humor firmly ensconced throughout, "Paint It Black" is an entertaining read as well. Your money isn't wasted if you buy it.
--Sir Rastus
I bought this book for two reasons: As a Goth wanna-be (I follow the scene but don't usually dress the part), I wanted to see what spooky insights Voltaire brought to the usually saccharin and kitchsy design world dominated by Martha Stewart. As an educated artist (BFA Graphic Design) who was fortunate to have had classes from an award-winning and accomplished artist and faux-finisher (Diane Thomas Lincoln), I wanted to see if there was anything new I could learn in regards to technique and artistic process.
To be sure, this book covers only a few basic techniques. You won't learn advanced stencil-masking or how to use Venetian marble with this book. But since this book was written with your average Baby Bat or Elder Goth in mind, advanced techniques would serve only to confuse rather than enlighten. In short, this is a good book for beginners who wish to put a bit of spooky into their surroundings.
To its credit, "Paint It Black" is mostly project-based and therefore you can actually end up with your own finished works if you follow the instructions. A few projects are either too tacky ("Graveyard Cake") or too sparse on details ("Gothic Weddings") to be worthwhile. However, most of them,like "The Grimoire" and "Pimp My Ride, Dracula-style," are really useful and successful.
Overeall, this book is a starting point for the beginner and a creative springboard for the experienced. The only thing truly disappointing about it is that, according to Voltaire's own web site (www.voltaire.net), 66 pages were cut by the publisher. And with Voltaire's sense of humor firmly ensconced throughout, "Paint It Black" is an entertaining read as well. Your money isn't wasted if you buy it.
--Sir Rastus
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Mike Hunter
Format:Hardcover
Another autobiographic introduction by Voltaire leads this volume. It explains from whence came his urge for "turning drab living spaces into fantastic locales": "I survey the world around me and wonder how we came to live in such a boring and mundane culture...What happened to the romance and pageantry of the past? How did we come to live in a world inundated by blue jeans and khakis and baseball caps, where the average person dresses like a mechanic or farmer or baseball player?
Paint it Black shows countless ways "how to take the horribly mundane and turn it into the wonderfully macabre." A splendid sibling to "What is Goth?", this "Guide to Gothic Homemaking" is loaded with nicely photographed, inexpensive, step-by-step projects via which one can "Transform a plain sketchbook into your very own skull-covered Book of the Dead," "Pimp Your Ride, Dracula-style," bake (recipe included) and decorate a "Graveyard Cake," and many more craft tactics enabling one to "Turn your room into a lair."
"Deconstructing Goth from the Catacombs Up" covers the basics of the look and different cultural variations to take for inspiration. As explained in his intro, Voltaire's work as a stop-motion animator taught him "model-making, building sets and props, [and] painting faux finishes," techniques which he passes on to us.
One lengthy chapter is loaded with suggestions for staging "Gothic Weddings," followed by final tips on "Pulling It All Together into a Gothic Love Nest." As with "What is Goth?", Voltaire's satiric asides and scattered philosophic comments spice the book. Another winner from Weiser Books, famed for publishing "books across the entire spectrum of occult and esoteric subjects."
Paint it Black shows countless ways "how to take the horribly mundane and turn it into the wonderfully macabre." A splendid sibling to "What is Goth?", this "Guide to Gothic Homemaking" is loaded with nicely photographed, inexpensive, step-by-step projects via which one can "Transform a plain sketchbook into your very own skull-covered Book of the Dead," "Pimp Your Ride, Dracula-style," bake (recipe included) and decorate a "Graveyard Cake," and many more craft tactics enabling one to "Turn your room into a lair."
"Deconstructing Goth from the Catacombs Up" covers the basics of the look and different cultural variations to take for inspiration. As explained in his intro, Voltaire's work as a stop-motion animator taught him "model-making, building sets and props, [and] painting faux finishes," techniques which he passes on to us.
One lengthy chapter is loaded with suggestions for staging "Gothic Weddings," followed by final tips on "Pulling It All Together into a Gothic Love Nest." As with "What is Goth?", Voltaire's satiric asides and scattered philosophic comments spice the book. Another winner from Weiser Books, famed for publishing "books across the entire spectrum of occult and esoteric subjects."
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By K. Scarritt
Format:Hardcover
Voltaire's ready wit and sharp eye are the perfect blend on how to Goth out your home, your ride or your wedding! He has a clear understanding of the Goth setting, knows how to acheive it on the large or small scale, and has no hesitation about doing it on the cheap. His crafts, unlike Martha Stewart nightmare-esque books that make you feel inadequate for not taking college level Home Ec, are approachable and done in easy steps. He is able to streamline a lot of design ideas that can work for most decor and room layout.
Great little book!
Great little book!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exactly what I expected
I am familiar with this author from years back so I kinda knew what to expect and I wasn't let down. The book was in great shape and arrived ahead of schedule. I'm happy.
Published 2 months ago by johnny
5.0 out of 5 stars
Voltaire rocks!
Fun little book, here. It's got some neat tips. If you haven't checked out Voltaire's music, definitely go buy an album right now because you're missing out. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Veidt
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book - <3 Voltaire
I love this book, I received a signed copy from Voltaire upon its release (via special order) Highly recommended to anyone who is, was, or wants to explore Goth
Published 7 months ago by Colin C
5.0 out of 5 stars
Paint it Black
Really liked this book, it had a lot of information for a small book. Stays in great condition because of the hard cover. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Necol
5.0 out of 5 stars
He did it again!
I love this book-I also have its predecessor, and Voltaire makes me laugh every time. He is very intelligent, humorous, and not too hard on the eyes!
Published on April 12, 2011 by DylanAustin
3.0 out of 5 stars
Slightly Disappointed
Though I am a lover of Voltaire, I am slightly disappointed in the book. After paying what I did for this book, I expected it to be thicker and filled with crafts and such. Read more
Published on January 15, 2011 by Rose Marie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Voltaire-style ... five stars all the way!
This book is amazing! Personally, I'm not even goth yet it shows me the charm of this lifestyle, which says a lot. Read more
Published on June 24, 2010 by Diana Cosma
4.0 out of 5 stars
cute lil editon
very short but a good addition to your bookshelf. I'm not a big Voltaire fan, but had become stumped on decorating this helped a lot.
Published on December 29, 2009 by L. Noon
2.0 out of 5 stars
Gothic homemaking....for poseurs
Ouuu...*hiss*... I said the P word... yup. This book is good if you want to pretend you are one of the children of the night. Read more
Published on October 19, 2009 by Pestilent
2.0 out of 5 stars
It's okay.. Not very original & sort-of "Holly Hobby"
This book really wasn't very inspirational to me. The neatest thing in it was probably the cake. I sold my copy on Amazon. Read more
Published on June 6, 2009 by C. Zimmerman
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