This complete artist's guide to gourd crafting provides authoritative advice on a wide range of color media, from craft acrylics and artist's oils to dyes, pastels, watercolors, marking pens, colored pencils, crayons, and more. Featuring bright and clear project photography, Crafting with Gourds explores a wide variety of coloration options for each gourd decoration method. Ten step-by-step projects show how create natural, seasonal décor using painting, carving and pyrography techniques. Author and nationally recognized artist Lora S. Irish explains all the basics of gourd art, including safety, cleaning, cutting, surface prep, transferring designs, and finishing. Readers will learn to make delightful centerpieces, candle lights, jars, vases, and decorative musical instruments, as well as birdhouses, feeders and fun little bee houses for the garden.