DECORATE WITH ENGOBES!
THE decorative possibilities inherent in the use of engobes are quite rewarding when approached inventively, with an eye to a full exploitation of the opposing aspects of the several techniques. Incising, brushing, inlaying, trailing, pouring, and reserving all have their special qualities which wait only to be recognized and used creatively.
Engobe and slip are the same material. The different words suggest different uses. Engobe is slip used for a decorative purpose. However, slip can be used decoratively without being called an engobe, as in slip painting and slip trailing. The word “engobe” generally implies covering the surface of the piece completely or in large areas as when used with paper friskets or for sgraffito.
Engobe, like slip, is a fluid mixture of water and clay or other ceramic materials. It may consist of a single clay or of several ceramic materials properly proportioned. For contrast, the engobe is always a different color than the clay body upon which it is used. Engobe is often applied to the piece when it is either leather hard or dry. In rare cases an engobe may be applied to a bisque piece; in the wet trailing method it must be applied to the moist clay. In each situation the right type of engobe must be used, and the exact method of using it is established by trial and error. [ read full article ]
9 Steps to Beautiful Living Dream, Design & Decorate Your Home with Style
The multitude of color schemes shown here will give the novice plenty of ideas for enlivening a home's decor. The majority of the book contains color schemes arranged according to a desired effect, e.g., the il¬lusion of space or a period feel. For each scheme, swatches of color combinations ap¬pear with numerous photos of how the colors are used in actual rooms, a feature lacking in Anna Starmer's The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors. Especially helpful are the sections featuring a photo of a room followed by color illustrations that show no fewer than eight variations vividly depicting how color can affect the look of each room. The book concludes with a gallery of paint techniques accompanied by brief instructions. With its abundance of color choices, this book is rec¬ommended for public libraries.
As usual, Creative Homeowner provides a well-illustrated, practical guide to transform¬ing a home. Connelly (New Smart Approach to Kids' Rooms) examines all aspects of the front of a house. Topics include paint and color, pathways and windows, driveways and garages, porches, landscaping, and lighting. Each section contains numerous color photos of various residential styles, with the captions describing the success of each decorating detail. Included are maintenance tips and advice on how and when to hire a profes¬sional. Although some topics are covered briefly, e.g., gardening, this overview of front-yard design is comprehensive overall. Recom¬mended for public libraries of all sizes.
American to make Architectural Digest's "Top 100" list of designers and architects, shares her step-by-step process for creating a pleasing home decor. After beginning with a careful evaluation of a room's use and a discussion of creating personal style, she then moves on to space planning, consider¬ing color, pattern, texture, and accessories. [ read full article ]
Fish That Decorate
In spring, some male fish build nests of algae where females visit and occasionally deposit eggs. In the wild, a nest's murky mass looks to human eyes as if it would be perfect for camouflaging the eggs. Yet, when scientists offered some males bits of shiny foil, the fish went wild, taking home the bright strips and placing them around the entrance to the nests. Even though the strips hardly looked like camouflage, the fish were making a canny decorating choice, researchers report in the March Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. In tests, females preferred the gaudy nests.
It's the first modern, controlled test showing that nest decor matters when female fish pick their mates, says coauthor Sara Östlund-Nilsson of the University of Oslo in Norway.
Three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteous aculeatus) live in temperate waters worldwide and build nests with varied architecture. On the Swedish coast, Östlund-Nilsson and Mikael Holmlund of Stockholm saw males tending nests of greenish algae that often had around the entrance several strands of red algae or of dead algae that had turned orange. The researchers had planned to study camouflage but became interested in learning why males incorporate bright accent colors if given the chance.
By cutting up the shiny foil from a Christmas candy, the researchers created 15-millimeter-long strips. When male sticklebacks in aquariums were ready to build nests, the researchers offered them foil in five colors as well as a choice of sequins. [ read full article ]