Polymer Clay Creative Traditions: Techniques and Projects Inspired by the Fine and Decorative Arts

This book (along with Donna Kato's Art of Polymer Clay) is one of my two favorite books on polymer clay. As a beginner, I want the basics along with options for future more difficult techniques. I found that in this book with clear instructions that were beautifully photographed. My primary focus is on beads. I found most all techniques in this book can be applied to beads.

There are several recently released books on polymer clay I'd highly recommend and Judy's book is definitely one of them. The other recent additions would be Kim Cavender's "Polymer Clay For The Fun Of It" and Ellen Marshall's book on surface treatment. Judy's historical references to other media attest to the versatility of this amazing material and her examples are wonderful! The projects are beautifully executed and the gallery photos a real treat. Judy is a real perfectionist and it shows on every page. Congratulations on a great book, Judy. This book belongs in every polymer clay library. Donna Kato, author of The Art of Polymer Clay

Finally, a book that's not only about specific projects with the same old techniques. Judy Belcher has written a book that's my Number 1 among my 20 some books. It is very difficult to put it on the bookshelf. The galleries are very inspiring. I've been creating with clay for about 12 years and own other books but this one helped me reach the next level with my creations. Thank you Judy for giving us the inspiration and techniques. Norma.

Polymer clay is gaining in popularity, and with that popularity comes a variety of books that cover much of the same territory. Judy Belcher's book takes a fresh approach. Judy investigates the many styles of other decorative art forms and applies the characteristics of those art forms to clay. The results are stunning, enlightening and invigorating. Batik, millefiori, lampwork, quilting, cloisonne...all these forms--and more--are applied to clay. While this book was not targeted towards the beginning clayer, it does have a variety of projects at many skill levels, enbabling all who read it to successfully complete the project and learn the technique. Judy's skill with clay, her eye for design, her love of the medium and her imaginative spirit all come through in this book. I'm still stunned with her attempt at imitating pointillism--paintings created by using tiny dots of color--using polymer clay. This book will definitely be getting a bit of wear and tear. I've read it twice from cover to cover, and I continue to go through it to learn more.

I received this book in the mail yesterday afternoon and I haven't put it down since. It is jam packed with idea, tutorials, inspiration... I can't stop looking at everything. There aren't too many Polymer Clay books that I truly feel are worth buying because they are all so hit and miss- only 25% of the content in those books are useful and/or interesting to me. I actually own more glass bead books because I have learned more about layering and design and color from those than most PC books. I have yet to fiind a PC book that really suited my needs- innovative projects with great suuggestions and galleries. Until now. This book is not only a great resource, it's also an invitation to explore- and Belcher provides the map. If you have any interest in Polymer Clay or seeing what the potential of the medium is, you must buy this book. There's a bunch of projects, as well as most inspiring set of gallery pages in any PC book I have seen. Almost everything in here is a keeper. I hope this book is the first in a series, because I can think of hundreds of artists whose techniques could be interpreted in clay. I can see a "Creative Traditions: Art Noveau", "Creative Traditions: Pop Art", "Creative Traditions: Impressionism", etc. Thank you thank you thank you, Ms. Belcher, for finally raising the bar on Polymer Clay books and for creating a publication that belongs in every artist's library.