Thread: Modeling Books...

Polymer Clay Basics
by Monica Resta
Sterling Publishing Co. NY N Y
Copyright © 2000 US Translation
Published in Italy 1999©
Available in Canada, Sterling
Great Britain and Europe Casell
Australia, Capricorn link
ISBN# 0-8069-7136-3
Hard cover

This is one of those new publishing practice, of republishing craft
and hobby books from their original country and translating it to English and then selling it around the rest of the world.

It does a couple of things the way it was explained to me. First the author gets some more money up front, but not as much as if it was published in each country. It’s a one time packaged deal, and the only one that wins is the publishers and distributors as the cost of the book is lower so Higher profits.


Polymer clay has been in recent years improved so much that it has become the sole choice of medium of a lot of hobbyist and artists. It is a great material, for the modeler if they do detailed scenes, or details around the model, or even parts of the model. Where other materials are not with in the skill set of the modeler, boat fenders, deck cargo, rolled up traps, clothes and hats, or gear for the back of tanks, rolled up tents, duffle backs or all the other material of day to day life.

This book goes over the basics of working with polymer clay, tools, colors and pigments and then baking so it becomes harden like a cast plastic piece and then can be painted.

It doesn’t get into figure modeling, I have a couple of others for that in the future. But is does give one the experience of working with the clay, and some simple projects. With the holidays coming up the simple bead and jewelry pieces can make a nice hand made gift from the modelers shop.

It is great stuff when nothing else seems to work or do the job.

1/12 Scale Character Figures
for the doll house
James Carrington
Guild of Master Craftsman Publications
ISBN# 1-86108-161-8
Trade paper back
Copyright © 2000
First published East Sussex



This is an amazing book, and Mr. Carrington’s work is museum quality standard. This volume was originally published in England. So it should be easier that some of the others to pick up.

Yes they are large scale or doll house scale in the most popular size one inch to the foot or 25mm to the 250mm. But then again ½ to the foot or most of the smaller scales can be done with in reason.

Starting with an introduction and overview, he gets down to the basics. Then setting up a work station, and materials and equipment. What it is and what it does.
A few pages about observations of people and the surrounding go a long way to improving the realism of the scene.

The body and head proportions can make or break a model, he devotes and covers the subject matter completely. Then he goes on to the basic body and head forms. Showing the various ways to adjust the positions of the figure from seated to standing and in motion.

He goes lightly in to plaster casting mould making if you, as he does makes more than one figure. As he has a number of basic types and models that can be put together and adjusted for finishing into various figures.

He devotes a full chapter to the skull and face shapes basics, and then the basic features, hands and feet and then finishing up with facial details and expressions.

As these figures are wire and padded form figures( the non exposed arm, legs and body are wrap with fiber fill and use wire skeletons for movement) are covered in the final chapter from painting and wig work to cloths as his figures are clothed in cloth.

You may never do anything as detail, but some of the techniques used in getting the hair to stay were it suggests movement can be applied to flags and other cloth based details life boat covers and traps covering hatches etc.

It is filled with drawings and photos to give the complete story of the construction to follow.