Steampunkery: Polymer Clay and Mixed Media Projects

by Christi Friesen

A project book for all skill levels. Step-by-step pictures combined with detailed and humorous instructions keep the pace quick and the excitement level high. Steampunk look combines a Victorian-era sense of romance with a clockwork mechanical-ness. This book adapts those characteristics to polymer clay creations and offers projects that are sophisticated yet playful, challenging without being difficult. This eighth book by well-known author/artist Christi Friesen is her best yet!

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts, Steampunk, Art, Reference

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Annette McIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing things to do with polymer clay that fit into the theme of steampunk

[Natalie Pietro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up for two reasons. One the title, I love steampunk and the name just made me stop in my tracks. Second was that cute little elephant on the back cover. Yes anything with elephants makes me happy. I wanted to learn how to make that cute elephant. So I give this book a try. It seemed simple enough but would I really take the time to try.
Right off the start the book gave you a list of items you would need to cop from the local craft store and object around the house. That’s all fine and dandy but am I really going to spend this much money and time on this steampunk project.
Though the objects you can recreate are so cute. I really want to make one but only if I had a lesson. Start with the easy and work your way up. Maybe try the cute mouse...Rocky the flying rodent, or the gremlin Pocket Protector. Ha!
The colorful pictures bring the book to life. It shows how simple it could be yet so creative you just cant believe it. Plus scatted in between the art creations are galleries of artwork crafted by some of the top steampunk artiest.
Even though it seems I’m not likely to make anything from this book its still great to have around. This is one fun little book.

[Kathy Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review at Kat's Craft Corner Blog

My daughter gave me this book for Christmas last year. I love the step by step instructions with pictures for polymer clay and mixed media projects. This book is fun and informative. It is made with sturdy glossy card stock paper, which is nice but makes it hard to keep the book open to the page as you’re following the directions. The pictures are colorful and detailed. There are great projects and ideas for different degrees of abilities for any crafters. The author Christi Friesen is imaginative, creative, talented and funny. There are quirky footnotes and amusing stories throughout the instructions. This book is a lot of fun.

The only problem with the book is that it is coming apart because the card stock pages are not able to bend easy at the binding. The other books by this author (This is the 8th) are made with regular gloss paper and hold together much better and also have beautiful illustrations.

[Melissa Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Christi Friesen. When I decided to try my hand at polymer clay, it was her dragon book that I started with. Her books are so easy to follow. Even with me being a beginner, I felt like a pro when I was done. Her instructions are easy and fun. I ended up buying all her book but still the Dragons book was hands down my favorite. Then came along Steampunkery. It's chocked full of ideas, still has Christi's wit, and even displays other artists work. I had so much fun with this book. Her ideas are endless. I didn't know much about Steampunk until I saw it on her website. I immediately fell in love. Now I'm becoming a Steampunk fanatic. Even if you don't care for Steampunk, this book is full of ideas that you can makeshift into your own work of art. If you like Steampunk, Christi's other books or just having fun with polymer clay... I highly recommend this book!

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was privileged to take a "Steampunk Hearts" class last Friday with Christi at the CHA Craft SuperShow. She did an excellent job of bringing the beginners up to speed with the basics, while allowing the more experienced poly clay artists the freedom to move at their own pace. She was sweet, patient, eager to answer questions, and encouraging of everyone's efforts. Plus, I love an instructor who isn't afraid to make fun of themselves.

This book is terrific for beginner & intermediate poly clay artists. The instructions are thorough & easy to follow with lots of tips and extra ideas sprinkled along the way. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in poly clay - even if you don't consider steampunk fashion something that you are interested in.

[erzebet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book! The projects were amazing and the techniques were discussed and illustrated clearly. I found the voice of the book to be more than a little annoying, but I suppose this book was written for younger crafters who would really buy into a cutesy author-character. That's the only reason I docked this book a star. If you love the steampunk aesthetic or are curious about it, this book is a must-have.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I wish I were crafty. I stumbled upon this book in the stacks at the library and it just needed to be taken home. I didn't really try the stuff in it but I spent a good amount of time pouring over the images and the way things are crafted and the tid bits of fun. I might try my hand at crafts one of these days and when I do, this is the book I'm going to use first.

[Sheryl I · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the only craft book ever that has led me to sit down and make every single project in the book, and then made me go to Christi's website and find some more to make! Ok, so maybe my little steampunk critters aren't quite up to Queen Christi's standard, but I had so much fun making the whole menagerie!

[Lee Koopman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've recently become interested in steampunk but don't know a lot about it. This book was much fun to read. The author had a lot of great ideas for polymer clay projects and stempunking them. I'm not that great with polymer clay but I think I'll try some of these just for the fun of it.

[Dracolibris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't get a chance to try the projects in this book before my Steampunk themed Teen Tech Week, but I was very impressed. If you can get the painting techniques right, the pieces outlined in this book cold be quite beautiful.

[K. Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this as a Christmas present and due to its engaging style and step-by-step instructions I learned several new techniques and made my wife some attractive steampunk jewellery. A useful little book!

[Lavonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all her books, because they are as much fun to look it, as they are inspiring. This one is over the top, however. Can't wait to pull out my clay!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time to plan some summer programs!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with fascinating crafts I need to try!!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome. A little difficult, but full of great ideas!

[Zinzi Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little reference book.