Polymer Clay Color Inspirations: Techniques and Jewelry Projects for Creating Successful Palettes

I had a hard time finding samples of this book online and hesitated ordering it. After seeing several of today's leading artists attributing this book to their inspiration and learning I wanted to give it a chance. I'm REALLY glad I did! This book is chocked full of wonderful color photos of work! Like the most fun and interesting textbooks, It walks you through several exercises to fully expand your understanding of color and how to use the techniques to inspire your artwork. This book is not for beginners, but perfect when you have exhausted all the basic information you find in so many other polymer art books. I can see this book helping artists who work in other mediums better understand color composition as well. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is seeking to take their work to the next level. Clear instructions, helpful tools you can use again and again and artist spotlights that give you an inside look at the background and inspiration artists use with full size detailed photo examples of their work. This book is the one I have been searching for! I promise that you will not be let down by this inspiring title!

I am a polymer clay artist with an M. Ed. in Art Education. I have two shops online where I sell my polymer clay jewelry. After reading many PC books and buying 10-12 of the best for reference and inspiration, I must say that this book is the best color exploration book for polymer clay that I have found. I have a BFA in painting and took college coursework specifically in color, and this book was a wonderful review. The authors take you through color theory, the color wheel and then take you through specific color exercises in which you create color mixes with your chosen brand of clay to see how they react upon baking. Some come out much darker than you'd think, so this means you need to add white or other colors to create a lighter product. I also liked making the strings of color mixes from zinc yellow to fuchsia, zinc yellow to ultramarine, etc., and adding whites to these mixes to create pastel shades. BTW, they suggest using fuchsia rather than cadmium red, and zinc yellow rather than cadmium yellow (in Premo) and this does create better, more vibrant color mixes. I can only find the zinc yellow at polymerclayexpress.com. I am so glad they still stock it, b/c if I have to go back to the cadmiums I will be bereft. Do all the color studies and experiments in this book and you will really take your clay colors up several notches.

I wasn't sure about getting this book because I have others which cover color mixing recipes. However, I am glad I did because it will help me to make decisions about color choices. Don't be put off by reviewers who say this is not for beginners or that it's a college level text. If you are absolutely new to using polymer clay, you will need a different book or two to help you learn the basics. This one can be added to your collection to help you understand basic color theory, and what will make or break your design, whether jewelry or sculpture. Color theory is explained in simple terms and there are plenty of pictures which will help. And there is nothing like the exercises to really help you "get it" from hands on doing. The book includes color mixing as well as techniques like Skinner Blends and millefiore. This is a valuable addition to the polymer clay artist's library.

This is not a beginners book. The book has wonderful descriptions and images are clear for each project. The tools include the use of a pastamachine which can be an expensive investment. So, if you are seeking to do a one time project, be prepared. I'm certain the use of a rollingpin can get the same effect but the thickness does matter. Otherwise, if you want to get your hands messy more than once, ... dig in.

This book is excellent for those polymer artists and aspiring artists who want or need to document color recipes. Also, it really does a great job of explaining color theory and, especially, how it applies to working with polymer clay.I love color and I love this book. As a commercial designer with over 25 years in the field and plenty of color classes at the University of Minnesota, I am not exactly unfamiliar with color theory, but I prefer to put it into practice! Polymer clay is the best medium I know for "playing" with color. I only wish it had been widely available when I was in college - I probably would have become a jewelry designer rather than an interior designer because I would not have been able to put the clay down.Lovely book for anyone with an interest in color and design. Well written and easy to follow.

Absolutely love this book! It is not a book intended to teach you techniques per say. It is a book explaining color theory. And yes, it takes a book to explain color theory. These ladies have taken a somewhat daunting subject matter and made it interesting and fun. I love the exercises provided. They help you understand theory by doing - not just by reading.You can have the best design in the world, but if the colors are lacking the design becomes sub-par. Of course with the correct color palette, a simple design is taken to the next level. Trained artists understand this and if you want to take your work to the next level you should want to understand this as well. I will forever keep this in my library not only for claying, but for graphics design as well.

Arrived quickly and in perfect condition. Will buy from this seller again for other books.

This book came recommended from a fellow polymer clay friend. Whether you have a background in art or not, this is a valuable asset to any polymer clay library. There are so many brands of clay and each one has their way with color. Some of them have intuitive color wheel mixing, Some of them, not so much. This book gives you a good clear way to acquire what your clay can do, regardless. I think this book is a foundation of knowledge that allows the artist to expand on infinitely. Plus the examples are just out of this world inspiring!

Book was well written and totally covers all the basis of polymer clay color mixing and matching with design. I totally recommend this book. Was in great condition for a used book as described.

Excellent ouvrage pour comprendre les couleurs, leurs interactions. Apprendre à créer et maîtriser sa palette de couleur. Un ouvrage à avoir si on veut être sérieux sur le travail créatif et aller vers un niveau avancé. Ces techniques de recherches et de compréhension sont appliquées à la pâte polymère. Des ouvrages similaires existent pour l’aquarelle, la peinture, les textiles.Ce livre n’est pas un recueil de tutoriels avec une litanie de projets pré mâchés. Il contient néanmoins des exemples pratiques que le lecteur peut appliquer à la lettre ou utiliser comme inspiration.Très belles photos, explications claires et précises.A avoir dans sa bibliothèque.Un très bon ouvrage pour pousser plus loin son propre travail.

I read and reread this book and always pick up something new - the depth of knowledge of Lindly and Maggie is amazing. A must have for the polymer clay enthusiasts

The chapters include - polymer clay color basics - a primer; understanding three properties of color; finding your inspirational colors; choosing your colors for a project palette; mixing colours that flow; orchestrating colour combinations; playing games with colour; exploring colour composiition-placement and proportion; exploring pattern and texture in your colours; putting it all together. Do not be put off by the chapter headings in the book. The colour information is based on the 3D colour representation now in the artistic domain. It is a good book just to understnad colour for any novice and also re educate the professional alike. It also has wonderful ideas on how to collect your colour swatches for polymer clay so you build your pallet of colour. Also to understand your own colour palette that warms to your particular taste. There are exercises you can try that are really good tools to use for any craft or artistic project. If you think polymer clay is only beads - then THINK again! Use the colour tuition in this book and the projects you attempt will be cohesive and pleasing - you actually can't fail. This book for me was more than I expected.....

Qui tutto parla di colore! Non pensate però di trovare le spiegazioni delle meravigliose creazioni in copertina!!!! Troverete in questo libro utilissimi esercizi sull'uso del colore. é un libro interessante ma non particolarmente semplice. Oltretutto è in inglese e di scritto c'è veramente veramente molto quindi per chi non parla la lingua potrebbero esserci difficoltà. A parte questo lo consiglio vivamente perchè è un pò come la ginnastica per l'atleta.....più conosciamo il colore, più ci "alleniamo", più riusciamo ad utilizzarlo e ad ottenere gli effetti che vogliamo.