 Beautiful Bonded Surfaces Lynda Monk ISBN 978-0-957-4413-4-7 Published by D4Daisy Books www.d4daisy.com Price £14.00 Lynda’s new book follows on from her two previous D4Daisy titles Exploring Creative Surfaces and Fabulous Surfaces. The focus here is on Tyvek, a synthetic material made from high density polyethylene fibres and how it can be used to make complex and colourful mixed media fabric. The beauty of this book is in its focus on this particular material. Too often we are bombarded with a multitude of techniques and materials to work with and we jump from one to the other never settling on seeing the full potential of one. This is exactly what Lynda does in this book. There are some basic techniques presented using Tyvek, fusible webbing (ie Vlieseline Bondaweb) and felt and then the experimentations begin on a ‘mix-and-match’ basis introducing other base fabrics (such as Lutradur, Decovil and Evolon) and decorative effects with lighter fabrics such as organza or netting.   Colour plays a large part throughout the book with all samples incorporating dyes, paints and inks which add to the wonderful textures and patterns being created. Close-up shots show the intensity and vibrancy of colours with a splash of shimmer from foil in some or glitter peeking out beneath bubble wrap. Particularly useful is being able to see some of the ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots of fabric samples before they are cut and once they have been made into something amazing. It is an advantage to see how the flat surface can be transformed into a dimensional object, whether a coat, hat, bag, purse, cuff, vessel or box. The reader is encouraged to create a library of samples and skills from this limited palette ready to be utilised for pieces of work and these pieces are good examples of how far your imagination can take you. Lynda’s pieces made of these fabrics are exquisite and create a grungy, vintage Steampunk look that reflect perfectly the peeled-back layering that is characteristic of her work. The parade of Plague Doctor masks is a perfect example of this, showing the variations in each sample technically whilst evoking the grubby, putrid and germ-ridden origins of the masks’ history. Lynda has pulled off a master stroke with this blend of imagery and showcasing.
This book cements Lynda’s place as a Queen of Technique. Producing innovative, beautifully-constructed work with a punky, vintage edge and giving the reader the tools to do the same makes this another must-have edition of the D4Daisy library.  All the jaw-dropping photography here is by Michael Wicks and came from the D4Daisy website where you can find more information about Lynda, her books and other titles available. You can buy all the books there.
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Long Diaries and Tall Tales
Maggie Grey ISBN: 978-0-9574413-3-0 Softback 56 pages, 90 images Size 260 x 210 mm £14.00 Textile Artist Maggie Grey has travelled all over the world in her time as a leading tutor. This book brings together those travels and her affinity to stitch and mixed-media in creating a series of textile diaries. These diaries reflect a place that Maggie has visited and provides creative inspiration for the readers by way of step-by-step tutorials to learn some of the processes used to create them. Maggie has a wealth of information to pass on and the D4Daisy books regularly provide an Aladdin's Cave of inspiration. Working with Gesso, foil, water soluble paper, Ink Aid and digital arts and many more products, these are used in new and exciting ways. Maggie can always be relied upon to show us how to use what is already in our stash cupboard and in a digital age where photos are stored online and often forgotten, this is a novel way of creating lasting memories of favourite places. Available from www.d4daisy.com |
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