Customer Reviews

Artdolls: Basic Sculpting and Beyond

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

 

 

This book is essential for anyone who would like to make Art dolls or any kind of polymer clay figure sculpture. The photography is useful and of a good quality, and the text is in-depth and helpful. I would reccomend this book to anyone, but there are just a few minor things I take issue with.

Firstly it's the near complete lack of painting instructions. I have only found a few referance so far in the book regarding painting, and all it mentions is that you may use china paint for a realistic blush, and acrylic washes for shoes! I'd love to know, for example, the different types of paint you can use for the skin, and what Mr. Johnston reccomends against using, and perhaps some techniques for the painting.

Secondly, I am concerned about the section on the soft-sculpted body. All we're told in regards to making our own is: "I advise starting with a pre-made body armature and stocking (both of which are available from retail shops)" Well. They are not available from "retail shops" really. I couldn't find them in any craft store, doll store, or art store in my entire city in fact! The only actual manufacturer of these "doll body stockings" that is easy to find online is Mr. Johnston himself, or rather, Mr. Johnston's website, which has a wide catalog of doll-making supplies. Looking at a photo of the body stocking, it looks actually extremely easy to make. A pattern for this flat thing could easily have been printed in the book so that we could photocopy it and size it to what we like, but no.
I find this a very sneaky way to solicit business, that we NOT told how to make them so that we have to buy them from him. In Mr. Johnston's defense, he does mention the "2,000-stitch body" which is for advanced dollmakers, but we are not told how to make it. I hope it is in his advanced dollmaking book, which I do not yet own.
This issue brings me right to my third and final point, constant self-plugging. Apart from the numerous referances to the fact that he provides doll supplies (with his website info in the back under "suppliers") there are huge reccomendations for ProSculpt. ProSculpt (which you can buy from his website as well as other stockists) uses one of his pieces as a logo, so I'm not sure I can trust this reccomendation to be impartial, but that's just me.
There is also a paragraph or two devoted to how easy it is to work from a resin head armature, which one of his students started manufacturing from a prototype he made (hey, guess the only place you can buy that!). As well as his "Kemper-Johnston Primary Sculpting Tool" -- a tool he created himself and then got the Kemper company to manufacture. It's assumed for many of the tutorials in the book that you own one of these tools, as we're told to poke our primary sculpting tool here and there at certain points.

I honestly have no problem with people plugging themselves and their own brand of supplies in their own book. After all, he wrote it, so why shouldn't he! *BUT* I do take issue when the sale of his own supplies comes ahead of helping the beginner. I find the way we are herded towards buying his supplies to be absolutly insidious, and it is a taint on an otherwise spotless book.

I assure you that you CAN make your own soft-sculpted body, just look for tutorials online. You don't have to buy his premade ones! Also, why not photocopy the photo of the body stocking and blow it out in size and use it as a pattern? There's saving money!! And you can easily make head armature out of aluminium foil or sculpey, you don't need a special pre-fabricated resin one! It's just a luxury for the lazy. And you don't NEED a fancy $15 multi-purpose sculpting tool! Dental tools and rubber clay smoothers and fingers work just perfectly. Again, it's a luxury.

All in all, this is a fantasticly written and illustrated book, one of the better art instruction books I've seen. Mr. Johnston is an absolutly fantastic artist, and his dolls are imaginative, alluring, and beautiful. We're all human, and the allure of extra profit can get to anyone (especially us starving artists!). So forgive him the plugging, read and love this book, and just fill in all the missing gaps with your imagination!

Good teaching, helpful details, nice stories behind some of the creations but many of the photos are very unprofessionally done. Considering the price of this publication more thought should have been put into the photography.

Note: Mr. Johnston does quite a bit of "selling/self promotion" of his products in this book but it is his book so it's his right, right?

Overall, a very good book on sculpting, sewing, encouraging others to succeed.

I've read all of Jack's books, taken his seminars and viewed his videos. As good as his books and videos are, this book is head and shoulders above them all. It may be the most complet text and photos available on polymer doll making. The photos are wonderful, the text is educational and the sculpting is excellent. Jack is one of the best doll makers and educators in America.

This is a very good book for the serious doll maker. I recommend it to anyone wanting to improve their skills.

This is Jack Johnston's best work. I have read everything he has written and find this one amazing. If you make dolls you must read this book.