[.ca] Faux Surfaces in Polymer Clay: 30 Techniques & Projects ... (ISBN 1579907512)

Delightfully Surprised!:
I now have quite a collection of Polymer Clay books that I have aquired over the years. I decided on a whim to purchase this one hoping to learn a few new tricks to add to my repetoire. I won't list all the surfaces one learns to imitate in this book...previous reviewers have already done this. What I will say is that I am very pleased with this purchase. The photos are clear and easy to understand. Each technique is explained fairly well. What I like most of all is that for each surface/stone/substance that is taught, an example project describing how to utilize your newly made substance is included. For example, the malachite section shows how to make a make-up compact and powder brush cover. It offers a launchpad from which to create your own ideas. Summary: If you are brand new to polymer clay, I still recommend The New Clay by Nan Roche. A better book or more bang for the buck does not exist...trust me, I've looked! If you're somewhat experienced and are looking to broaden your polymer clay horizons, this is a great place to start.

You Want The Newest & Best FauxTechniques? Look No Further.:
This book is wonderful. When it arrived, I poured myself a cup of hot coffee, put my feet up and drifted off to happy, happy land. The books begins by covering basics~ yes, this may seem boring to some, but I've learned a little something each time I've taken to time to read what I thought I already knew. For instance: tiger eye mutation, leaching, plaquing, carving, to making your own texture sheet. And this is still in the Basic "Materials, Tools & Techniques" part of the book. Yikes. She also includes Recipes & Projects for: Malachite Lapis Lazuli Tiger-Eye Turquoise Opal Jade Balinese Silver Bronze Rusted Steel Pewter Copper Verdigris Bone Abalone Cork Mother-of-Pearl Leather Burled Red Maple Cinnabar Jasper Slate Marble Agate River Rock Celadon Dichroic Glass Faience Cloisonne Raku Scrimshaw on Faux Ivory and last, but not least Basse-Taille Enamel (which is a totally new technique derivation that is wonderful) Oh my . . . what a great book. She includes work from Elizabeth Campbell, Alison Ingham, Lynn Krucke, Chryse Laukkonen, Pat Laukkonen, Gerri Newfry, Pat Pettyjohn, Heather Roselli, Dawn Schiller, Julia Sober, Luann Udell, Diane Villano and, of course, her own wonderful art as well. Check out Irene's website for even more Eye Candy: http://www.good-night-irene.com/ My recommendation: Run, don't walk, to get this book. It's fabulous. Babette <*})))))>< Mystic Mermaid

I'm actually impressed!:
I was wary of buying this book, esp. since I saw that one of the reviews was from someone who knew the author. Also, sometimes reviews sound like they were posted by friends. But, the front cover images were irresistable. I saw them and thought that I HAVE TO learn how to do those! I figured I'd take a chance. I'm an absolute beginner to polymer clay. I have never worked with it before. I don't even own anything in polymer clay yet. But, I've been anxious to start and this book is not only very useful, but is also inspirational. The photos whet my appetite for creating beautiful things. The instructions are clear, concise, easy to follow. Only once or twice I had a question. I was going to provide an example but I can't find any. Perhaps rereading made the matter clear to me. This book is so cool. it even shows how to create the realistic images of screws in a metal (polymer clay that you make look like metal!) picture frame. She indicates in the book that it's for experienced polymer clay artisans, but I am glad I didn't know that because this book is so well-written and photographed that a clueless beginner like me can use it EASILY. Most instructional books -- even for beginners -- aren't so clear. They'll say something like "Cut the edge" without saying which edge or how much of it to cut, etc. That's not the case in this book. When one needs to know specifics, she gives them. Lovely! The other thing I like about this book is that she doesn't overload you with personal anecdotes, philosophies, storytelling, etc. She doesn't provide too much of an intro to the instructions. Too often authors go on and on about what they think you're thinking about, the enjoyment they hope you'll get out of the book, what their own experiences were when they started out, etc. It's good to be friendly but cut to the chase already! Irene Semanchuk Dean is a great instructional author, and I hope she makes DVDs too. I'll be looking for more books by her. I should have bought this in hardcover. It's well worth the price.

I must admit to some bias:
I am somewhat biased on this topic, because I helped with a few of the projects in this book. Irene and Valerie (the editor) were absolutely fabulous to work for and I enjoyed the whole process, immensely! I'm not usually one to submit projects for books and magazines, but they made it easy - they asked me to do specific things and set a deadline for each step - that made it easier for me (not very well self-directed ;) to get things done. It was a very long process - over a year from the first contact, and interesting to observe. The day that the book came in the mail, there were a few wild minutes of jumping-up-and-down noisy hooplah, and then I settled down with a cup of coffee to read it like a calm and rational human being, instead of like a screeching jumping bean. ;) I was already excited just to be part of this project, but I was doubly proud to be associated with it after I saw the beauty and the originality and the finely-executed craftsmanship shown throughout the book. Beautiful paper and text, well-organized and laid out, it's just a gorgeous book. Thirty faux substances and thirty different projects. I was intrigued by this idea from the start, but I wasn't sure how it would show up. Turns out that it works very well - the recipe for the faux surface flows right into the project that goes with it or right into some other project. The photographs are rich and beautiful and the array of different faux surfaces is amazingly wide. The book has basic information about the clays and materials in the beginning, and the instructions for the projects and recipes are clear and easy to follow. I love the rusted steel and copper verdigris by Alison Ingham - what a novel approach! Luann Udell, who got me started with the addicting hobby of carving my own rubber stamps with her book has a gorgeous rendition of bone project for buttons. Gerry Newfry's celadon pottery and Lynn Krucke's raku faux's are innovative and exciting, too. Dawn Schiller's "bronze" green man would be a beautiful outside wall decoration. Diane Villano provided one of the most original applications of faux Balinese filigree silver that I've ever seen! Julia Sober's Baisse-Taille book is on my "must do" list. In fact, I loved all of the projects in this book, even though I can't remember them all at the moment. I plan to try as many of them as I can... the level of realism demonstrated is just incredible. If you're as fascinated with the possibilities of this wonderful medium as I am, you will love this book. It's aimed at people who have some experience with the clay, but even if you're a beginner, try a couple of the projects and practice and I'll bet you can do these things, too. Another of my favorite books is Tory Hughes' "Chameleon Clay," and I'd recommend buying that one, too - these are two completely different books with very little overlap in the processes by which we arrive at the different faux looks. They complement each other very nicely. zig

Fabulous Resource Book for Clay Artists!:
This book was much more than I expected ~ it's a valuable reference and resource book for both experienced clay artists and those new to this media. I was especially impressed with the clarity in the written directions and the abundance of photos. Well written, clear presentation with a wealth of color photos ~ an asset to any clayer's private library.