Learn how to make your own polymer clay beads and turn them into colorful accessories and decorations. Making Polymer Clay Beads offers beginning and veteran artists a comprehensive resource for crafting unique beads of all colors and shapes at home. From selecting the right equipment and working with raw clay to making dozens of different shapes and adding colorful effects, this all-in-one guide will aid you at every stage of your artistic journey. Step-by-step instructions and full-color photographs enable the reader to craft a wide variety of beads to be used in making handmade jewelry and decorations.

A guide to making clay beads and designing jewelry from them.

HANDICRAFTS. Polymer clay is the material of choice and you will learn how to use free-form techniques and bead rolling tools to create several styles. Unusual shapes, sculpted effects, simulations of semi-precious stones, photo-image transfers, and use of glitter and organic material mean the beads you make will be unique. And with practice, they will look professionally hand-crafted. Various brands of clay are discussed, how to condition it, basic colour mixing, and baking temperatures. All the tools you will need are listed, and finishing techniques, such as sanding, buffing, and sealing, are described. Basic jewellery making techniques, including stringing and fixing clasps, lead on to assembling all the components in designs and styles ranging from contemporary and elegant to simple and just plain fun.

How to Make Polymer Clay Beadsis a handy guide to making beads from polymer clays such as Fimo. Withclear instructions and step-by-step photographic sequences, the bookexplains the various bead techniques and how to produce various fauxeffects. Each section features a gallery of beautiful beads byinternationally renowned artists, demonstrating the wide range ofeffects that can be acheived and providing inspiration. Polymer clays are readily available, come in a multitude of colours andcan be fired in the kitchen oven. It doesn't require much space orequipment to make these beads and the result can be very professionallooking. This is a comparatively cheap and easy way to make spectacularlooking beads.

Renowned for their courses and workshops on color, the authors offer instruction and inspiration that focuses on polymer clay as a learning tool that crafters can use to explore their own color instincts and preferences. Each chapter investigates a color principle supported by a jewelry project.

A thousand and one ideas for making beautiful polymer clay millefiori. In Venetian glassmaking, slender rods of molten glass are shaped, then cut to reveal amazingly detailed patterns: flowers, geometric shapes, dancing colors. These slices are called millefiori, “thousand flowers,” because they form a carpet of flowers when placed side by side. Now celebrity author Donna Kato shows crafters exactly how to re-create these intricate, fascinating designs in polymer clay. The Art of Polymer Clay Millefiori Techniques reveals the entire process: how to work with the polymer clay, the basics of planning and creating a cane, and using color effectively. Dozens of canes, from simple to simply stunning, are included, and everything is clearly explained and illustrated with full-color photos, the Donna Kato way. Throughout the book, examples of stunning work by such millefiori artists as Kathy Amt, Pier Voulkos, and Kathleen Dustin provide inspiration. There must be a thousand ways to make beautiful millefiori . . . explore them all in The Art of Polymer Clay Millefiori Techniques.

With her unmatched eye for color, color mixing and layering, well-known artist and fan favorite Julie Picarello helps beginners and advanced polymer artisans design, texture and finish gorgeous art beads using relatively simple techniques. In-depth introduction sections cover basics, color inspiration and recipes, and needed tools and materials. The book includes 7 mini projects and 10 finished jewelry projects, while callouts at the beginning of each project let the readers know exactly what specialized techniques will be learned. It’s the color that makes polymer clay truly exciting, and this book uses color like you’ve never seen it before.