Looking for something different to inspire the artist within you? Why not try a gourd! Theyre fun to work with, so practical, and make great gifts. You can paint, decoupage, carve, mosaic, woodburn, or leave them in their natural state. Once you start, the possibilities are endless. So for people wanting either a new craft or a new medium for an old craft, give a gourd a go! Youll be surprised and delighted with what you discover in the gourds and in yourself. Here, I show you how to grow and decorate these amazing natural art mediums. Read on.

A guide to gourd pyrography--using heat to create works of gourd art--that discusses gourd prep and work basics, provides step-by-step instructions for several designs and techniques, and presents secrets from fifty artists.

22 projects; 55 decorative techniques; 300 inspirational designs.

Jim Widess and Ginger Summit, the best-selling authors of The Complete Book of Gourd Craft and Making Gourd Instruments, have done it again: they’ve produced another winner to delight the many crafters who work with gourds. Large, lavish, and astonishingly comprehensive, this breathtaking volume introduces every tool and every technique associated with gourd carving, offers fabulous projects that advance in difficulty, and presents a gallery of works designed to inspire. See how to choose and prepare a gourd, impress the surface with a design, and work with green gourds. The magnificent methods of decorative carving covered include fretwork, engraving, chip carving, carving with gouges, relief carving, inlay, and deep relief or sculptural carving. Throughout, color photographs of exquisite carved gourds present crafts styles from countries around the world. A Selection of the Crafters Choice Book Club.

For crafters and artists who like the idea of working with gourds but don't know where to begin, this Beginner's Guide provides basic cutting, coloring, and decorating techniques. Gourds can be made into a container, an animal, jewelry, a face or mask, or anything else you can create. Step-by-step instructions and 361 color images take you through 21 projects using both cleaned and uncleaned gourds. There's the snowman, gourd pin, shadow box, candy dish, and a beaded face mask. Chapters include cleaning and cutting the gourd, coloring and decorating, and easy-to-do projects with your gourd scraps. Though geared for beginners, this how-to book is also a great resource for seasoned crafters who want to take their gourd art to the next level. A gallery of completed projects will further inspire your own creative ideas.

Contains twenty easy projects using gourds to create candleholders, a birdhouse, drinking cups, bracelets, and bowls.