Customer Reviews

The Art of Polymer Clay Creative Surface Effects: Techniques and Projects Featuring Transfers, Stamps, Stencils, Inks, Paints, Mediums, and More

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Here's the review I also have posted on my blog, Polymer Clay Review http://polymerclayreview.com

Yes, another 5-star book. Are there books I don't like as much? Yes. Have those been published lately? No.

It has been a decade-yes, a decade-since Donna published her first book, The Art of Polymer Clay. This second book takes us to Donna today. Her style is elegant, her techniques are innovative, and her instruction makes her projects accessible. I've taken two classes from Donna. In fact, I joined my local clay guild when I first started claying just to take Donna's class-and I haven't looked back.

Donna's book is like a portable Kato class. Donna taught many of these techniques in the classes I took from her. However, having this indispensable reference book enables me to review the class at my leisure and further experiment with her techniques. She approaches each technique in a straightforward manner-teach techniques, then apply them to a project. This enables us not only to complete a sample that masters the technique, but also a very beautiful finished piece that will get people talking.

Donna splits the book into seven different sections:

* Polymer Clay Basics
* Mica Shift Techniques
* Transferring Images Onto Polymer Clay
* Creating Texture
* Paints, Inks and Pigment Powders
* Special Effects with Liquid Polymer Clays
* Sculpture and Mold Making

I love Donna's techniques. They are the result of hours of experimentation and development on her part. The book details both how to do something-and why. For instance, Donna makes a mold from her rubber stamps using polymer clay and THEN uses that mold to create her pieces. She goes into detail about why she does this, and what the results are molding directly from a stamp versus taking an impression from a polymer clay mold made from a rubber stamp. It's something I never considered, but it makes great sense.

The twelve beautiful projects are accompanied by step-by-step instructions and photographs that walk you through each major component. While some projects are simple, others teach you techniques in constructing complex pieces like her coveted Japanese Inro boxes.

Peppered throughout the book are awe-inspiring inspirational pieces, including the pieces submitted for two of Kato Polyclay's artists contests/exhibitions-one focused on shoes (Feat of Clay) and one focused on boxes. I was honored to be the 2nd-place winner in the box contest, and my "Donnelly's Sampler" is included in the book.

This is yet another book that will stay in my permanent library. I love having a Donna class on my shelf, ready for me at any time.

I just started working with polymer clay a few weeks ago and wanted a book that logically explains techniques as well as offering good photography. Being a librarian and fiber artist, I HAVE to have my own library of art/craft books for reference and inspiration. Kato's is one of the best I have for any media. It's well written and organized and the photos are inspiring. I highly recommend this book for any polymer clay artist or library wanting to add a high quality book to a crafts collection.

I've loved Donna Kato's work for some time, but while I've purchased several polymer clay "how-to" books in the three years I've been working with PC, this is the first of Ms. Kato's books I've purchased. It won't be the last.

I received it today, and read through it, cover to cover. My hands are itching to try the techniques she so generously and painstakingly shares. While other leading polymer clay artists sell these same techniques individually in seminars and on expensive DVDs, Ms. Kato has demonstrated several processes I've been hungry to learn in one place, in a beautiful, inexpensive and clearly written book.

Hats off to Donna Kato!

To be honest I was a little disapointed by Donna Kato's first polymer clay book, but this one makes up for that, and then some!
It is about 50/50 techniques and projects and covers everything in great detail. The projects are really interesting and different for anything I've seen before. The finished items look really professional and prove that polymer clay can be pretty amazing when in the right hands. I would strongly recommend that anyone into polymer clay get this book.

You get to know how to, to all the things the title of this page says but most of the projects are to make pendants, if you looking to make a lot of beads projects get " Making Polymer Clay Beads: Step-by-Step Techniques for Creating Beautiful Ornamental Beads by Carol Blackburn " as complement to this book, I think you gonna learn a lot out of this two books to start making polymer clay jewelry or whatever.

I've worked with polymer clay for over fifteen years. I have almost every book every published on the subject. This new offering by Donna Kato is concise, clear, beautifully researched and breathtakingly photographed.
We've waited a while for this book to appear and it has been worth the wait. So many books on this subject offer great photography but confusing text. This newest book offers the processes we've wanted to learn in terms that we can all manage - no matter our abilities!

Donna Kato has done it again! Her first book, The Art of Polymer Clay, published in 1997, is still a valuable source of information but now
she has written another that is also a beautiful, informative, visual gem. This one is full of surface effects including methods of transfers for toner and inkjet prints, stamps, stencils, inks and paints, liquid clays and more. Each technique has a step by step tutorial with clear photographs and text. The finished pieces are all enhanced by outstanding design as well as craftsmanship.
A great book by a truly talented artist. It has been well worth the wait.

Carol Blackburn author of 'Making Polymer Clay Beads'

This long awaited book sure lives up to (and even exceeds!) what we'd expect from Donna Kato! The book is meticulously and concisely written and photographed, and the projects are simply _gorgeous_! Each unique and classy technique is more intriguing than the last....every turn of the page brings added excitement about trying out her projects. Donna's writing style and the formulation of the book are reader/clayer friendly, and the instructions so clear and easy to follow. I'm fairly picky about polymer clay books, and this one definitely ranks at the very top of my collection. In this book, Donna shares with readers her unbelievably unique, creative and stunningly beautiful techniques and shares her vast knowledge. Even this avowed 'caner' is excited about trying the many surface techniques from this book (steering me away from caning isn't easy to do!). I highly recommend that clayers from beginner to advanced add this latest of Donna's books to their libraries. I don't think I can praise it highly enough! It's a beautiful book...a 'classic'.

I'm a professional researcher at heart so when I delve into a topic I dive into the deep end and don't come up until I've exhausted the field. True to form this is what I've done with polymer clay. My thinking: If I'm going to spend a lot of money on tools and supplies I'm going to research the heck out of the topic so that I technically understand what's what. As with most artistic mediums, success and high quality results are dependent upon the artist/crafter's understanding of the technical issues. This is where Donna Kato comes into my life (so to speak).

I purchased Kato's first book 'The Art of Polymer Clay' and was blown away by the depth and breadth (underline that last) of subtopics presented. Her writing and step by step explanations are clearly presented without being too pedantic. The side by side pictures detail the techniques being discussed and don't omit that critical step which makes the difference between success and failure. Some authors don't edit their own work very well and when omissions of this sort happen it drives me crazy.

From my experience with her first book I purchased Kato's `The Art of Polymer Clay: Creative Surface Effects' and again wasn't disappointed (remember my expectations at this point were high). This book is an outstanding tool. With Kato's help, and admittedly the help of other well qualified author's my overall appreciation of polymer clay techniques has grown leaps and bounds and I look forward to years of expressing myself in the millions of ways this particular medium allows.

I was surprised at how many "finishes" you can give Poly Clay. This book explains it all . She does show alot of "specialty tools" you can use - but they can be substituted with your own tools or simple copies. GREAT BOOK - Great Pictures and easy step by step instructions.