Customer Reviews

Artful Polymer Clay: Techniques for Stylish Jewelry and Decor

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

 

 

I have been waiting for a long time for Gail to write another book. I am one of those people who do not hesitate to contact my favorite authors (via their websites) and check out their various blogs. I kept bugging her to write a book for those of us who do not have a lot of free time to devote to time-consuming projects. I have kids, school, and work. I want instant gratification. And she has done it with this book. I love the layout of this book. The step-by-step photography is great. The projects are written in Gail's straightforward no nonsense manner. For someone beginning their polymer clay experience, this book offers a very handy information and tip area, like how to condition clay, bake-it, safety, etc. The projects include some home decorating pieces, gift pieces, as well as my personal favorite...jewelry.

I love that she took out time to explain Mokume Gane and some of the variations of it (yes...there is more than one way to do it). If you are new to using the "Makin's Clay" extruder, this book has some great projects that will help you master its use quickly. As a seasoned, jewelry artist, I still have problems remembering how to use it so that the polymer pieces come out looking good. She also has a great project using rubber stamps on a tin. Yes, it has been done before, the difference is that she used parts of the stamp to create a cool look that is not only applicable to the tin gift box but can be used to create fun earrings and pendants. The most important part is that she encourages the reader to use their own imagination and put their own flair to their projects. This is a great book for beginners to intermediate. It is a great resource for clay guilds, schools and anyone who needs a quick refresher on the different polymer clay techniques. I am giving this book 5 stars for clear instructions and the large variety of projects that she offers.

I expected a lot from Gail with this book, given her earlier published work. I think that if I were a polymer clay novice , I would find it very helpful. Gail quickly walks through the basics, then dives into liquid clay, texturing, cutters, molds, extruding, mokune gane, mosaics and extruders.
however, some steps that would have ensured success seem to be missing (she says she uses only Kato,but doesn't discuss the issues around conditioning it, which will surely lead to frustrations for the beginner) and the photography includes things that I would not have expected to see from a publisher of this caliber( bubbles, nail marks, finger prints, cracked clay).
Setting that aside, she gives lots on ideas in 1 book -enough to keep the beginner busy for quite a while, producing pretty polymer clay designs.

I bought this book because it seemed to have ideas for more than just jewelry, which is what most polymer clay books focus on. It does have some good ideas, and the layout of the book is beautiful and easy to read. She uses molds for most of the projects, though, and while I don't think there's anything at all wrong with that, I would have preferred to learn how to sculpt some of it on my own instead. Also, at least three of the "different" techniques are just different ways of accomplishing the same thing -- chatoyant effects or mokume gane for example. Other than that, I am glad I bought it, and have already used some of the ideas -- on jewelry, ironically.

As an intermediate polymer clay artist of about 6 years, I have quite a few polymer clay books in my posession, and have seen others that I haven't kept. This is another book that I won't be keeping. Although it does have some decent tutorials for a novice clayer, I didn't feel the projects were as interesting as they could have been. The author does a couple projects utilizing mica shift techniques, but uses very little texture or pattern to show the true depth of shifting, for example. There's a good tutorial on making graduated rounded beads, but the beads are a solid pearly color and rather boring, design-wise. If you're looking for some basic projects to get you started with clay, this would be a good book for you, but if you've been claying for a while, there's nothing new in this book for you and very little inspiration.

Gail Ritchey's ARTFUL POLYMER CLAY: TECHNIQUES FOR STYLISH JEWELRY AND DECOR is a fine survey for home clay crafters and profiles over twenty projects for beginners and experienced clay crafters alike. Colorful, detailed photos and step-by-step instructions make this an easily-followed guide with chapters divided by technique and packed with projects and insights. General crafts libraries will find this a fine pick.

I thought this book cover lots of techniques using very simple supplies and tools. There were lots of different styles of projects, certainly something that would catch and inspire all sorts of creative people.