Step-by-Step Polymer Clay in a Day [Paperback]

Emma Ralph (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2003

Anyone interested in the popular and adaptable medium of polymer clay will delight in the colorful projects found in Step-by-Step Polymer Clay in a Day. Crafters will welcome Emma Ralph's affordable and beautiful gift ideas, ideas that include wine glass charmers, a millefiore trinket box, stylish napkin rings, clay and metal earrings, colorful pens, and a delicate lattice bowl.

With a comprehensive techniques section, which presents such essential techniques as canework, blending, texture, and filligree, along with a creative gallery of projects and project variations, beginners and experienced crafters alike will appreciate the inspiration found in this dynamic and easy-to-follow guide.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Emma Ralph is a member of the British Polymer Clay Guild. Her work has been exhibited at guild events and in their newsletter. She lives in Coulsdon, Surrey, England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: North Light Books (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581804911
• ISBN-13: 978-1581804911
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #777,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Increasingly Popular Craft: A Super Book to Learn From!, January 27, 2004

By 

Jean Yates "jean, jewelry designer, book and... (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Step-by-Step Polymer Clay in a Day (Paperback)

Even if you have never seen polymer clay, this book, by polymer artisan and author Emma Ralph, will intrigue and inspire you.

I bought this book because I design jewelry using polymer clay beads made by other people, and I wanted to read more about it.

Jewelry--beads, pendants, and earrings--is not the only way you can use polymer clay, however. This stunningly photographed book proves that, with a variety of projects devised by talented and well known artisan Emma Ralph for readers from the beginner group on up to the more experienced.

She is very clear in her instructions and leaves absolutely nothing out--from safety, to amount of clay you will need, to what to do with scraps left over.

When you make a project with this book by your side you are in confident and stylish hands.

Polymer clay is a form of plastic. It is an exceptionally flexible medium which can be baked in a regular oven to a degree of hardness which enables you to make an incredible array of items.

This book has wonderful explanations and is greatly appealing to look at. You will WANT to make things with polymer -- get ready to explore something and have a great time doing it!

Even if you have used polymer clay before, you will learn new techniques and gain experience from this book. There are a number of skill levels to the projects, and the author has marked some of them to note this. I liked that. There are also some really interesting variations explored in some of the projects as well. For example, when you have leftover clay after making one of the projects which involves covering an egg with polymer, you can use it to make pendants. This is illustrated with photographs.

I liked the "artist's tips"--little quick notes throughout the projects--to ease things along, or add something special to what you are working on.

I also liked the remarkable variety of things to make. You like mobiles? There is a mobile in here. You like personalized greeting cards? Believe it or not, you can make a card with polymer! I could not stop looking at the photos and I want to try everything.

So: What is a good test of reading a book which concerns a craft? Do you want to make something after you've read it? As you can see, I did. And you will, too. Whether it is Emma's wine charms which look like adorable citrus slices, her incredible millefiore trinket box, or a barrette, or some clay and metal earrings or...oh, you name it! You will want to get started having fun with polymer clay. Thanks to step-by-step POLYMER CLAY in a day,
you will have a super guide you can refer to, over and over, in order to get you going and keep your enjoyment of working with this fascinating medium high.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is Polymer Clay heaven!, April 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Step-by-Step Polymer Clay in a Day (Paperback)

Emma Ralph wrote a great book here! The reason it's so good is that she has wonderful ideas - and they can all be adapted to whatever YOU want to make. If she shows you how to make napkin rings, you don't have to make napkin rings, but you can adapt the techinique she has very clearly explained to many other things. I love this book and can't wait to spend some more time with it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book to start playing with polymer clay, March 8, 2006

By 

Muriel (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Step-by-Step Polymer Clay in a Day (Paperback)

This is a great book and the only one I have bought about PC so far. It has so many fantastic projects that you will want to try them straight away! The projects are all very colourful and funky and a lot of fun to make. There is a section that covers the basics which is enough for someone who has never tried their hand at PC. Highly recommended!