Clay Art for All Seasons: A Guide to Soft Clay Art (ISBN 1597002569)

Stunning art instruction........:
Stunning art instruction from a gifted artist is how to describe this instructional and visually beautiful book. Yukiko Miyai is a brilliant artist who has written a most inclusive tome on how to use soft clay and transform it into spectacular flowers and floral arrangements. I first saw her on a recent episode of The Martha Stewart Show and she was displaying the incredible lifelike floral peices that she made using soft clay. In and of itself, soft clay is a great medium, but to be able to mold it and arrange it and ply it into bouquets of flowers bursting with colors is where the title of "artist" comes about. The arrangements she created looked real, and that's the beauty of knowing how to mold and shape this clay. To begin, getting a hold of a copy of this book required Herculean efforts. Amazon initially didn't have this, so I placed myself on the waiting list. In trying the local bookstore giants, I had to place my name on their waiting list as well. Fortunately, there was a brief window of availability from our friends here at Amazon, and I seized it, and the book, but it's become "unavailable" once again. Therefore my advice is when you see a copy anywhere, grab it! If all other avenues fail, you could try the Deco Art website, and purchase directly from the company. The book itself is hardcover with a spiral spine. The layout and look is soft and pastel, as are all the breathtaking arrangements. The photography is superb, detailed, and all shots are close-up. You will have a hard time realizing that what you're looking at, is what can be transformed from clay. The education you will receive begins....... INTRODUCTION: Yukiko describes how her gifted mother began this art form through years of trial and error until she found the right consistency of this medium. Then her mom began classes and workshops and as Yukiko grew up, she learned and expanded this art form to where it is today. GETTING STARTED: Basic materials, tools, and other materials. WORKING WITH THE CLAY: How to use the basic techniques to shape the clay and make the stems and leaves, as well as how to attach the flowers to the stems. COLOR MIXING: How to take basic colors of clay and by incorporating other colors with it, in small amounts, make primary and pastel colors. FLOWERS: Through the use of molds, the real fun begins with making roses, plumeria, daffodils, gerbera daisies, lilacs, hibiscus, peonies, orchids, stephanotis, pakalana (for lei's), calla lilies, poinsettia's, long stem roses, decorative topping for a gift box, decorated eggs, a "basket", chicks and bunnies, lei's, haku lei's (for wearing as a crown), hand-tied bouquets (one of my favorites), a "dress" for a shadow box, pumpkins, trick or treat bag, wreaths, and Santa ornaments. Each of these projects have step-by-step photographs with detail so there is plenty of direction; it would be hard to error. And again, the arrangements are so spectacular, you will be quite please with your efforts, when they turn out just like the photograph. And all the tools and products you need can be purchased easily through the company, and its website, which is located in Hawaii. So you would be hardpressed to find an excuse not to attempt these gorgeous projects, though they are time-intensive. Actually, if you could become skilled enough to make these lifelike clay bouquets, the possiblility of a business that caters to those who would like to keep their flowers and bouquets (brides for one) would be a good one. Enjoy the fun ! Peace!

Simply extraordinary for Air Dry Clay.:
Everything that could have been said about this stunning little book has pretty much been said, however I felt so compelled to write something positive about this book. I work with all three contemporary clays, Metal clay, Polymer Clay and Air Dry clay. The projects in this book are based on Air Dry clay and whilst it is a type of Polymer clay it should not be confused with Polymer Clay such as Fimo and Premo. No baking required. Makins Air Dry clay is my choice of clays, and I could not wait to sit down to create some of the magnificent flower creations. It is beautifully photographed and whilst the written text occassionally falls short, the step by step photos or drawings more than make up for it. Thank you Yukiko for this wonderful book, your exquisite talent in capturing the essence of the flowers is remarkable.

Beautiful book ;great for beginners and experts!:
I am new to the art of polymer clay and this book shows you exactly what you need for tools and supplies and the directions are very clear. Great book and if you love flowers and projects that are easy but beautiful this is the book for you. Not a large textbook type book but a great intro to this artform.

PLEASED WITH TRANSACTION:
This book is a very nice book with beautiful photos throughout. Received the book quickly as described.

Simply Wonderful!:
This book is an excellent book for using Air Dry clay. Probably my favorite feature about this book is the way it's bound--hard back for durability, but spiral inside so that the book lays flat when you're working. I was disappointed to see that the large white flower that is featured in the front cover bouquet was not laid out in the book instructions. I'm still giving the book 5 stars, though, because the book itself is pretty much perfect in the floral instructin section. As far as the seasonal crafts, I found them somewhat hokey and silly. But they'd be great for kids. They DO give some information on how to do a ribbon tied bouquet, which I thought was great. One of my friends already says that I have to make her a bouquet of my flowers when she gets married.