Beginners can try their hands at basic projects (some requiring only six steps to complete,) while intermediate decorators can take on more elaborate trompe l'oeil compositions featuring landscapes, drapery and architectural elements.Complete instructions show how to block out shapes, scale drawings, and use shading and highlighting to create three-dimensional effects. Readers will also find a techniques and materials section, as well as a template section with full-size, traceable patterns.

Offers step-by-step instructions for creating trompe l'oeil murals using stencils and includes advice on tools, paints, and stenciling techniques.

Examines contemporary examples of trompe l'oeil murals by such artists as Richard Haas, Garth Benton, and Graham Rust.

Takes the fear out of painting large murals by starting with the very basics. 11 step-by-step projects.

The essential reference for amateur and professional alike, The Handbook of Painted Decoration is the first book to cover the whole spectrum of trompe l'oeil decorative painting, from classic marbling and wood graining to ancient techniques of decorative painting that have been nearly forgotten.

:"Visual deception" can open up space, solve a decorating problem, or create exciting objets d'art to enliven your home. With just a few tricks of perspective, shadow, and color, anyone can usetrompe l'oeil to change the appearance of furniture, ceilings, walls, or an entire room! It's easy, and you don't have to be a skilled painter to get fabulous effects; this basic primer guides you through all the materials; preparing surfaces; mixing colors; and the laws of perspective from background to mid-distance to foreground--even an aerial view. Beautiful projects include a projection of a window overlooking a park, extremely suitable for beginners; painted stones; decorative panels; and classical forms like arches and columns. You won't believe how fast you can get great results!

From a countryside panorama in a windowless room to a faux mosaic wall, an intricately painted Oriental carpet to a soaring cathedral dome in a single-story room, Trompe l’oeil painting offers an art form ideal for contemporary interiors, adding color and aesthetic atmosphere and responding to specific architectural needs and situations. Trompe L’Oeil Today offers a fascinating overview of the range of styles and techniques of illusionistic painting for private residences and public spaces, restaurants and other commercial interiors, and even indoor swimming pools. It covers unusual techniques, such as anamorphism, and bold geometric patterns, as well as more traditional Trompe L’oeil subjects, including Pompeian-style wall paintings, classical arches and colonnades, landscapes, statues and reliefs, and elaborate ceiling treatments. The book defines the categories of illusionistic painting: material imitation, or faux finishes, ranging from marble and wood finishes to snake and crocodile skin; grisaille, including imaginary moldings, reliefs, and statuary; small-format trompe l’oeils, such as those painted in niches and on doors; and large panoramic murals. Experienced professionals, the authors address practical questions and offer helpful tips and tricks for choosing the right materials, technique, and style. They examine the use of perspective and the psychology of visual perception, presenting a visually beguiling array of painting possibilities. Trompe L’Oeil Today is an essential reference for artists and designers working in trompe l’oeil and in search of suggestions or inspiration, interior architects and decorators looking for an outline of what can be done to create new and different ambiances, and clients who plan to commission a work. Over 150 four-color photographs illustrate the architectural and aesthetic impact of professional illusionistic work. Trompe L’Oeil Today is an invaluable survey of an impressive, popular art form.