if you want to learn how to do a mural this is an easy book to start with. clear, simple, basic. the author tells her secrets that will save you trial and error time of your own. sturdy, glossy pages that will stand up to the abuse of using it while you work and i'm sure paint will wipe off of it quite easily. clear photo instructions. perfect for the do-it-youself type with no stencil experience. i still prefer freehand painting but there are some jobs that require this stencil business until my skills improve.