Customer Reviews

Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay: Tools and Techniques for Sculpting Realistic Figures

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I feel like I got a college textbook and not a craft book. I say that with absolutely positive feelings! I mean, if this were some college course, the book would have been $75.00 and I'd feel like I'd finally gotten a book I was going to keep.

I couldn't even describe how detailed this book is. I feel like I can actually do this figure thing. I mean, every step is laid out for you. Every SINGLE step. There is nothing left to the imagination, no question left unanswered. I mean, there are instructions within instructions within variations of instructions... How to sculpt different ethnic groups, the male figure, the female figure, the musculature, the hands--how to make your own eyeballs, for heaven's sake! Katherine Dewey shows that you can make every single tool you'll use, which I still haven't done yet, but need to do since I think most of her handmade tools are better than the ones I could buy.

I don't think I could really adequately express my excitement over having this book. I have so desired for so long to be able to sculpt figures that were beautiful and believable, and I feel like I can finally do it!

Creating Lifelike Figures in Polymer Clay is one of the best how-to sculpting books I've ever read.

Chapter 1 covers the various polymer clays available, how to work with the clay, safety considerations, and includes formulas to blend colors for various ethnic skin tones.

Chapter 2 describes working with basic shapes and Ms Dewey's technique of modelling units, which is to roll out a log shape of clay at a certain thickness and cut off units of equal lengths. A great technique for a beginner to ensure equal amounts of clay are used. Who wants two disproportionate arms or legs simply because you eyeballed how much clay to use?

Chapter 3 covers making your own tools with the clay. If you are a novice who has never used polymer clay, this chapter gets you familiar with the feel, texture, and baking methods needed as you sculpt your figures.

Chapters 4-7 cover the modelling of the figure from face, torso, arms, and legs. In the face chapter, Ms Dewey shows you how to model a basic face but doesn't just move on from there; she expounds on it. She shows you how to sculpt the differences of gender. She shows how to sculpt ethnic faces. She shows you how to add expression to your figure with the shift of the clay here or there. She shows you how to add age to your character.

Similarly with the torso chapter, she shows you how to sculpt the male torso and the female variation. She also gives you techniques for sculpting the "heroic" or well-muscled male torso as well as adding realistic "fat" pads for the overweight figure.

Her arms and legs chapter are very detailed and you do get the development of the "heroic" arms and legs if you want to pursue that type of figure.

Chapter 8 details how to sculpt in smaller scales. Most of the book prior concerns 1/6 scale. In chapter 8, she gives formulas for the "base units" that enable you to sculpt in 1/8, 1/10, and 1/12 scale. She also demonstrates techniques for sculpting in these smaller scales.

Chapter 9 shows you how to make costumes in clay, which is truly amazing and almost worth the price of the book alone. Her figures look like they were dressed in fabric instead of clay. So if you can't or don't want to sew for a figure you sculpt, you can dress them in "fabric" as textured, with draping and folds as real as the real thing.

Chapter 10 demonstrates "finishing touches" which is the painting and wigging of your figure.

The instructions are exceptionally detailed and EXTREMELY well photographed. The photos and descriptions are why this book gets a 5-star rating. It's as if the author really cared that you do well with your sculpting and wanted to give you enough photos and description to do it.

The only "negative" I would give this book is that it needs to be spiral bound. I own the original self-published book- and yes, this is a reprint of Ms Dewey's original which has a different cover - but I bought this copy to take apart and put into a binder so I could lay it flat to reference while I sculpt.

Overall excellent and highly recommended!

I wanted a book that best described on making poly dolls that were very lifelike. This book explains this very easily with excellent step by step directions and photography. I recommend this to anybody who is learning or wants to learn polymer clay doll making.

this book was the latest and greatest of doll sculpting books...and i have a large collection ! I just took a fantastic doll sculpting class with Diane Keeler who is a good friend of this author. These women are masters at what they do....my only negative on this book was the "Too technical" unit measurements....but i guess it helps you to understand proportion....

I preorder my book and receive it with in three days. This is a great book. The ilustration, step by step guide, tips, trick and techniques are easy to follow without being too complicated. I was searching for new techniques and it has provided all what I was looking for, I absolutely LOVE IT! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and putting it all together in this wonderful great book.

My wife is a budding artist. She does great portraits and she wanted to get serious about the new medium--clay-- that she discovered a year back. This book provided all the necessary instructions for making professional clay people. A great purchase. Not 'the' reference book, but an essential if you are getting serious about clay.

Cons: Some of the critical instructions, like on the size measurements, is extremely unclear no matter how hard you try to decipher it. My wife created her own measurements, just took some time and trials. Also some instructions, like on half-baking things before finishing them, is mentioned somewhere else, as if in passing. Maybe it is a common practice for professionals but it is critical for new artists. Also they should show better pictures for tools like needle-heads. It makes it easier to search for alternatives.

This book gives very detailed step by step instructions in the sculpting methods used by Katherine Dewey.

She even shows readers how to make tools that she uses in sculpting.

Its really a great book. And its shows step by step how to make a doll out of polymer clay. I have to say I think its one of the best dollmaking books

This book is filled with so much information it is like a library in itself. Info. is concise & easy to understand whether you are a beginner or Pro. Dewey gives clear instructions, shows how to make your own tools for better effects, gives instructions on proper proportions & how to acheive them, shows how to mix colors for various ethnic skin tones, & takes you step by step on an incredible journey sculpting the human form. Scales shown are for 1/6, 1/8, 1/10 & 1/12, but she gives easy to understand instructions to take your sculpture to any scale you desire with a bit of easy math calculation.
She doesn't stop there! Instructions for costuming, hair, & special effects (making wings, lacy looking dresses, making skin gleam on a bronzed warrior and more) are also included in the same easy to follow format. There are MANY techniques shown in this book, too many to list.
If you want to learn how to sculpt realistic human figures, this is the book you want!

If you're a beginner in polymer clay modeling you're lucky, as your first teacher will be a first class one. If you're a slightly experienced artist, you'll have to forget what you think you've learned so far and begin allover again from scratch, as the temptation to learn to follow the tutorials in this book and to accomplish the state-of-the-art projects will be overwhelming.