What I like most about this book is how different it is from all the other polymer clay books I have. Grant uses some different tools like a simple lathe and I am sure there are projects in this book that I will never attempt because I don’t have the right equipment but there are many projects I can still tackle with ordinary polymer clay tools. Grant also makes a lot of little tools of his own which are simple but effective and quite frankly I think the man is a genius! The book contains a wealth of information and inspiration. It starts of with the basics as most books do. Then there is good detailed information about making your own texture plates in several different ways. Grant uses a lot of texture and has developed some clever ways to put texture onto beads without distorting the bead shape or having to join seems, these are of course shared in a later chapter on textured beads.There is a great chapter on using mica clay and some really in-depth information to help you make the most of the special properties of mica clay. He shows how to make some different patterned blocks as well a ghost image technique which most of you probably know as mica shift.There are chapters on hand formed beads, lathe turned beads (he talks about a simple set up with a drill with an adapter), recursive moulded beads, moulded hollow form beads, mandrel formed pillow beads (which uses a metal necklace mandrel but I am sure you could get inventive to find something else to shape on). The book finishes with a gallery of inspiration from some of the best polymer artists.This book may not be for everyone – the techniques and jewellery are perhaps a little more engineering based or masculine than many of the other books available but if you are looking for something a bit different with some clever solutions it’s great a great book!

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Book Review 

by Cara Jane Hayman.

Published 2007