Review of Sue Heaser's Encyclopedia of Polymer Clay Techniques

Author Sue Heaser is a well known writer of craft books on polymer clay and dolls house miniatures, and is the founder of The Polymer Clay Pit , a specialist polymer clay retailer.

The Encyclopedia of Polymer Clay Techniques, Sue Heaser, Quarto Inc. Publishing, London UK. In the U.S.; Running Book Press, Philadelphia PA, 2007

ISBN-13: 978-0-7624-3087-1

ISBN-10: 0-7624-3087-7

Price Under $30.00

The Encyclopedia of Polymer Clay Techniques is exactly what it claims to be; a comprehensive, up to date resource on polymer clay that contains all of the techniques a crafts person would need, along with several techniques that relate specifically to making miniatures and modelling figures. The book is clear and well illustrated, covering materials and finishes that work with all manner of projects, as well as interesting ways to use polymer clay, and a gallery of work by international artists.

Useful for:

• Beginners will find good information on foundation techniques as well as lots of projects to experiment with and a gallery of works to aspire to.
• Enthusiasts can use this as a comprehensive reference of techniques and materials in case you want to try one you don't use often, or want to move to a new area, metal clay for example.
• Children will find well illustrated projects and simple techniques which suit their interests, including making beads, jewelry, dolls, and miniatures. Provided a child is old enough to work with polymer clay, this is a creative and complete How To book, great for starting a child out in a new hobby.

This is an excellent reference guide for anyone working in polymer clay. It covers conditioning clay, rolling logs, color mixing, making blends, cutters and templates, baking, sanding and buffing, gluing and embedding and varnishing. The tools discussion covers tools a beginner should collect or modify, but none of the techniques in the book rely on an individual having specialized tools. As with Sue's other books, the steps are clearly illustrated.

Bottom Line

This is a book that will be sitting on my shelves for a long time. It is a clear reference for most of the techniques I might want to use for art or miniatures work in polymer clay.

The book groups techniques together into similar processes. It begins with foundation techniques; mixing colors, making blends, using cutters and templates, using clay guns, baking, cutting, drilling and carving, sanding and buffing, glueing and embedding. Decorative techniques are given sections of their own. Producing canes is discussed for millefiori, then for flower and pictorial canes, including face canes and landscape canes. There are instructions for creating mica shifts, stamping and texturing, decorative powders, ink and paint, crackle effects, metal foil and leaf, decals and toner transfers, stained glass with liquid clay, simulating enamel and cloisoneé, and adding inclusions (including mokumé gané). There is also a section on using metal clay.

The chapters on forming clay include creating beads in several shapes, and making buttons, and cabochons. Making molds with two part silicone putty, or polymer clay, and information on using molds, including likely sources of suitable molds, are covered in their own section.

• Special Techniques - The book covers a range of specialized techniques including appliqué, textile effects, cords, flowers, and stained glass effects with liquid clay. There are instructions for making a wide range of faux materials from clay including wood, bone, ivory and abalone. Stone effect instructions include jade, turquoise, amber, amethyst, lapis lazuli, onyx, agate, and malachite.

• Projects - Beads and jewelry techniques are well covered, and there are also instructions for making boxes, frames and mosaics, including micro mosaics and Petre Dure mosaic. Simple animal and bird sculpture projects are shown, as are sculpting faces, making dolls and fantasy figures and making armatures for larger figures.

• Dolls House Miniatures - Sue has long been active in the miniature world, and this book on polymer clay techniques contains several projects ideas similar to those in her book Making Dolls' House Miniatures With Polymer Clay. In the Encyclopedia of Polymer Clay Techniques she gives instructions for dolls house scale miniature baskets, a tea set, a birthday cake and cupcakes, vases, bottles and flower pots, a micro mosaic tray and a 1:144 scale dollhouse, as well as a dolls house scale pond and dolls house dolls.