Alyice on October 29th, 2009

Polymer Clay and Mixed Media

I still cannot believe it’s been ten months since I interviewed Christi Friesen about her magical polymer clay creations and she shared parts of her studio with us. At that time, I had agreed to review her book, Polymer Clay and Mixed Media: together at last, but decided to wait until I bought all the supplies necessary to create a few of the projects and give a more hands-on review. Unfortunately one financial crisis after another has hit our household and a “new hobby” just hasn’t been in the cards—and the book soon became a forgotten memory.

That is, until today.

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As I was cleaning off a shelf, I ran across the book and began flipping through it. Just like the first time I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. I was mesmerized by the complexity of her pieces and so desperately wanted to start creating some of the projects—unfortunately, I still don’t own a single polymer clay material.

That being said, I found the instructions easy to follow. Each project starts with a materials list, followed by a clay recipe, then an introductory paragraph, and finally a numbered, step-by-step tutorial—complete with step-by-step photographs and a scan of the sketch that inspired the creation. And when I mean a step-by-step tutorial, I mean step-by-step! Depending on the complexity of the piece, projects range from 12 to 31 steps, and each step has a detailed explanation of what needs to be done; not just a few short sentences.

In 160 pages you’ll discover:

The basics of using polymer clay,
The best way to store unused polymer clay,
Why conditioning the clay is vital to a successful project,
How to blend and mix colors,
How to attach objects using liquid clay,
How to wire beads to create various effects and/or looks,
The fun of using surface treatments like embossing powder and foils,
A near-full proof method of baking polymer clay,
How to age pieces with patina, and
When sealing your pieces with a high gloss is a good idea and when it isn’t.

You’ll also have fun with 18 detailed projects, like:

Thistle pin
Grapevine mirror
Holly berry cluster gift tag
Glass-centered flower beads
Leaf and flower designs
Peek-a-boo panda wrist cuff
Flying bird focal bead
Porcupine mini sculpture
Gecko sculpture
Sea turtle sculpture
Tide pool vessel
Ocean Sunset wall piece
Ammonite fossil pin
Thor’s dragon-serpent picture frame
Petroglyph pebbles
Aztec head focal bead
Embellished transfer mini flower vase
Face heart pendant

And the best part is that you can take all the techniques you learn in this book and create your own polymer clay/mixed media creations! All it takes is a little imagination, a few tools, and loads of polymer clay.

If you’re ready to give polymer clay a try, I encourage you to pick up a copy of Polymer Clay and Mixed Media: together at last, today!

Disclosure: I was given a copy to review. This is “my opinion” of the product. I was not paid to give a positive review.

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One Comment

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Susan Tuttle says:
I enjoyed my visit to your blog:)

To answer your question — you will need a Photoshop product to use the book.

thanks:)
Posted at 10:44 pm October 30th, 2009

AlyiceEdrich.com
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All material on this blog belongs to Alyice Edrich, unless otherwise noted. No project, artwork, or text may be reproducted without the consent of the creator. That includes making derivative works for resale. Please use project tutorials for personal use and/or gifts only.