The latest in our best-selling Encyclopedia of Art series focuses on one of the most popular and versatile mediums available to crafters. This comprehensive guide offers directions on making decorative boxes, mosaics, and miniature models, as well as beads, buttons, and jewelry. Large, clear photographs demonstrate over 50 techniques, including basic skills such as rolling, color mixing, marbling, and baking; progressing to more challenging methods of shaping, molding, and sculpting clay. A 16-page gallery of work by renowned polymer clay artists demonstrates what can be achieved and provides crafters with inspiration.

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

Artistically combining polymer clay with wire, this distinctive manual teaches crafters and jewelry makers how to create organic, sophisticated, and contemporary jewelry. A range of innovative techniques in designing beads and components from polymer clay are combined with wireworking elements, inspired clasps and ear wires, wire bead caps, polymer clay tipped head pins, and more for a signature look. Explaining fundamentals of jewelry design, this manual also delves into what makes a piece "primitive" and how to achieve an organic effect through color mixing and textures. Included are a wide variety of polymer clay and wire jewelry design and texture techniques, 15 one-of-a-kind detailed projects, and a gallery of completed works.

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.

Everyone can achieve great results with polymer clay. With the 50+ techniques in this book, readers can create polymer clay buttons or boxes or anything in between. Starting with the very basics (such as rolling, baking and gluing), it then moves on to more advanced methods: marbling, texturing, millefiori, bead-making, faux-stone effects and more. Feature spreads show exciting ways to combine techniques. A comprehensive guide to the medium, complete with everything from a listing of necessary tools and materials to inspiring examples of polymer clay art.