Customer Reviews

The Art of Resin Jewelry (Dvd Edition): Layering, Casting, and Mixed Media Techniques for Creating Vintage to Contemporary Designs

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed Sherri's art metal clay book so I picked this one up as soon as it came out. She does cover the basic info on resin. Safety and all the important stuff you need to know is laid out a simple straight forward manner. Gives the average hobbyists enough to protect themselves and complete any of the projects or some of their own designs with out hitting a wall because of something they forgot to put in the book. The use of mold making to make the Faux jewelry along with the complete guide to making the molds is worth the price of the book. The ideas about using the resin as a cap to other media made jewelry gives one ideas on what one can do with this material. Other than the use of yogurt containers for the mold frames I don't eat that much yogurt LOL.Making the frames for the molds out of cardboard shouldn't be a problem. The use of flexible candy and candle molds gives a large selection to the artistically impaired person for subject matter.
I like the section on making beads form resin sort of like faux glass for the beginner with out a lot of tools for lampworking.
I own it and will be using it.

As a Jewellery teacher who teaches Resin, I have been waiting with baited breath for this book to hit the shelves. Books on Resin are like hens teeth, I have used Kathie Murphys Book as a reference for years, now Sherri's book will happily be added. I especially liked her techniques showing people how to make molds by using margarine/yoghurt containers, polymer clay molds for inserts and her combination of media. Creating Faux work such as Amber is always a winner with students. The projects are accompanied by well written text, easy to follow instructions and excellent photographs, the gallery at the start is wonderful, who would not be inspired by the fabulous work of Lulu Smith and Robert Dancik. To be frank, the projects in the book, with the exception of the glass bracelet and the seed pod bracelet are not to my personal taste, a bit too glitzy and "home made" as opposed to "hand made", but I did not buy to copy her work, I bought it to show techniques and then apply in your own designs, it is perfect for that. I am a Sherri Fan, recommending her Art of Metal Clay to my clay students too, so she now has two books on my recommended list. I hope she does another one, taking this fabulous medium to a higher artistic level.

Book clearly shows current products and provides warnings about some of the more toxic products one can use. Several articles on making your own molds and has pictures to clarify text. Being new to resin I found it a very useful first book. While I will use it for jewelry I will also use it for
making parts for model railroad parts. Resin is low cost enough to experiment. Will use it for faux amber, love the stuff, but real amber is way too expensive and color variations are hard to find.

I picked up this book to brush up on my techniques and to maybe get a few ideas to get me started. The book provides an excellent resource to tools, safety and technique for beginners and is definitely worth picking up in that respect. The pictures of the projects in this book left me uninspired to try any of them. It looks like the person creating the items took little time in putting them together and the photos were not cleaned up in post to make the finished pieces jump off the page... not to mention most of the projects looked like a child's craft project. Had I thumbed through this book at a book store, I wouldn't have purchased it.
Good thing is, I and most people will use the techniques on creating our own projects, but if you're looking for fresh project ideas.. you probably want to stay away from this one.

You must use protective gear when using resin products but the precautions are worth the results. Sherri shows you how to use epoxy, polyurethane and polyester resins to imbed candy, flowers and found objects to make jewelry elements. You can make imitation amber by including bugs and vegetable matter in resins and make amber's "sun spangles" by mixing in gold or bronze leaf. It's pretty exciting to see how Sherri uses a combination of black polymer clay, very fine glitter, Pearl Ex(tm) powdered pigments and Envirotex Lite® epoxy to make a light-weight cabochon that looks just like dichroic glass.

When using resins, use NIOSH-approved protective gear (respirator and nitrile or butyl gloves) and keep away from food preparation areas. Always read the resin product's Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) prior to using it. When drilling or sanding resin pieces, you must wear a dust mask. Other than standard beading tools and findings, an embossing gun will come in handy to get rid of air bubbles during the resin's drying process. You can use ready-made rubber molds or use Sherri's techniques to make your own molds from an existing piece or your original polymer clay sculpture.

If you already enjoy working with polymer clay, working with resins will expand your creativity and this book will help to get you (safely) started.

Ever since I saw my first superchunky, gorgeous colored resin bangle, available for sale at an online store back in the early 2000's, I have been intrigued by the mystique of always different resin jewelry. Yes I kick myself to this day that I never bought that bangle!

Now I spot brilliant fabulous clear resin jewlery, with pretty silver embellishments, and inlaid semiprecious stones, for sale online. I see resin as well on etsy with yummy looking real candy pieces or sprinkles and glitter floating cheerily in the molded colorful bangles or pendants.

Well, I have finally broken down and bought my own how to book, from the best teacher around, and I am thrilled! Now that I own this award winning book, The Art of Resin Jewelry, by Sherri Haab, I can stop looking and start doing! Having already "devoured" this great book, I plan to get to work (or to play!) as soon as possible! I am hoping to stretch my imagination to the fullest, and to see what I can do as well, with resin as my launching pad!

Sherri Haab is the perfect guide for a neophyte like me! I need HER clear writing style. I need the fun of seeing the variety of her projects, such as her high art "Pod Bead" bracelet, shown in two colors, and her ultra hip Techno Polymer Clay Bezels (which obviously use more than just resin as the medium you work with). That second project I just mention comes from a whole section in the book she offers which is called "Combining Resin With Polymer Clay". Everthing is so fascinating!

The author is straightforward in her writing style and her book is great, in the manner in which she assists the reader to take the intial steps toward learning how to create coated resin, casted, molded or combined medium resin jewelry.

Not only did she produce this super cool book, she has a website where you can pick up the things you will need to create you own jewelry (molds, resin, colors, powders, bracelet blanks, ring blanks and more) without going through the sometimes confusing process of wandering around in a local craft store or even two, looking here and there and checking and rechecking your list of required resin needs you have to obtain to get started. This book and her site will get you started. Who knows were you will end up!

I love this book! I am please with the saftey precautions she is careful to explain, I love the projects, and I feel that this is a terrific all around crafting book!

Watch for this soon-to-be-published winner: it holds the basic keys to understanding layering, casting and other techniques for creating a contemporary jewelry style which offers a seasoned, vintage look. From producing a stretch bracelet to working with polymar clay and creating the look of faux carnelian using the appropriate colors combined with old-looking cords, THE ART OF RESIN JEWELRY involves more than just technique: it requires an eye to understanding some of the design elements which separate traditional from modern looks. Resin is the perfect medium for imitating countless materials, but it requires an appreciation for style to use effectively: an appreciation imparted in the fine techniques-oriented guide THE ART OF RESIN JEWELRY.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book takes the mystery out of working with resin. It explains mold-making in good detail and provides useful info for choosing the right raw materials. Not every artist can also teach, but Ms. Haab is skilled at both. The book is well laid out, not repetitive, and provides sample projects along with a list of necessary materials. Many of the projects are not my style preference, but written descriptions and pictures are clear and can be used for inspiration. Published in 2006, it is recent enough that the raw materials are still relevant and available.

I am new to resins, but have always wanted to learn. I had taken classes from people who were experts in their field, but found it was difficult to create the resin pieces based on their techniques. I love how Sherri has created techniques that allow me to do them in my small studio space and without much expense. (e.g. in the class I took, the instructor had us use aluminum sheeting to cut and put together to pour the silicone into, Sherri just has you use old sour cream tubs, butter tubs, etc. with the bottoms cut off. That is so much easier and cheaper!) The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that she didn't go into why she (or the artist making the project) chose a particular resin over another based on the project (e.g. polyurethane vs. polyester, etc.). I don't think she covers safety enough, but I teach classes and am a safety freak with my students. Overall though, I am very happy with my purchase and definitely would recommend to anyone wanting to get into resins.

I can hardly wait to experiment with the projects in this book. Sherri Haab has provided valuable information about making and using molds. The book has plenty of pictures. She provides pictures of several types of resins that can be used and recommendations for uses. Each project has pictures and the instructions are not monotonous. I love this book!