Fantasy Creatures in Clay
Emily Coleman
Impact
Nonfiction, Art
Themes: Dragons, Gryphons, Water Monsters
****
Description
Fur, scales, wings, claws... creating fantastic animals requires mastering a variety of techniques and textures, integrating them into a single believable, interesting design. From armature to finishing touches, self-taught sculptor Emily Coleman demonstrates a variety of techniques for sculpting fantasy creatures in polymer Sculpey or oil-based Monster Clay.
Review
An inspiring read, this also is not for pure beginners to polymer clays, sculpting, or art in general. Coleman doesn't offer step-by-step sculpting projects as many artist/authors do; instead, she demonstrates particular aspects of sculpting creatures, such as armatures or wing construction, that the reader/student can then apply to their own projects. A basic knowledge of form, sketching, anatomy, color theory and other general artistic concepts is assumed. With Google and other resources, such information is fairly easy to obtain (on an academic level, if not a practical one), but this book could've used a quick Recommended Reading section to help would-be fantasy sculptors who find themselves in over their head trying to follow her techniques. That issue aside, her works are quite imaginative, and she covers a wide array of topics useful for most any animal sculptor. It makes a good addition to the art bookcase, even if it's not the only clay sculpting book one will ever need.