Comparison Shopping Consumer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun,easy book-should please beginners & experienced Paper Mache Artists
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 13, 2014
What a fun and delightful guide to making adorable( adogable?) paper mache figurines of canines.
:-)
It is very reasonably priced and definitely worth buying!
While not a ton of pages, don't let that deter you; there is a reason this paperback doesn't need to be as big as a doorstop.
Because Jonni( Jonni Good, the author) knows how to keep things simple and streamlined when she writes her books, it helps move things along.
Her readers/students are immediately and easily immersed in crafting from the get go- this deters frustration, which is exactly what too many explanatory pages can cause.
Written to be, *right to the the point* simplistic, it a joy of a guide book to use in making small ( shelf/curio sized) paper mache dogs.
*** For anyone wondering about bigger sized paper mache dogs, I see no reason why you could not make the patterns larger on a copier or some other manner- check with Jonni on her site, drop her an email or ask on her Youtube Channel about making larger versions of the dogs in this book*****
This well written/ illustrated book, with easy to read text, clear and large illustrations and patterns, by an author whose warm, charming and amusing personality comes through in her step by step instructions, will put any doubts you have about being able to make one of these dogs, at ease!
Hey, crafting is about fun, and our author is definitely an upbeat,lighthearted person who clearly enjoys crafting away her hours.
The vast array of completed projects I have seen her make, show that she really loves what she does( as well as showing a great love of all kinds of animals).
I admit I kind of bought this book blind.
What that means is, I knew Jonni was coming out with a new book- but I was only aware of a few breeds that would be in the book because I saw her make or demonstrate those breeds on Youtube on her channel.
I knew 27 dog breeds would be in the book, but I never imagined I would be lucky enough to have SEVERAL of the dog breeds I am very familiar with and want to make, in the book.
( Let's face it- it would be a real project for anyone, to cover 100 + dogs in the AKC- American Kennel Club in a craft book.)
But fear not!
Even if your breed(s) are not in the book, Jonni explains how borrowing from several dog types can achieve your breed or even your own mixed breed.
She is also wisely suggests that for optimal doggy breed representation, don't just rely solely on her book for the breed specifics, but rather, look at pictures( from image searches online to your own doggy photographs) to get an idea of the true conformation of the purebred dog or a mixed breed you are trying to recreate.
These are deemed *reference photos* and once photography became popular, many artists( in various mediums) used multiple photos of their subject to refer to, when working, as opposed to strictly their own sketches.
Jonni is all for using photos AND your sketches- whatever helps you complete a project you are happy with.
She even offers some *turn back * points in the creation of your dog.
Yes, you can be almost done and decide you wish your dog looked another way.
Whether it is because you just have a change of heart in the stance of a dog or don't like how it looks in some way, it can usually be saved!
Jonni explains how to rectify a dog that is almost done and salvage as much work as you can so you don't have to start from scratch.
Knowing how much time,effort and devotion goes into working on a craft, I notice Jonni always tries to save a craft gone awry, rather than totally give up on it and starting over.
With Jonni, when it comes to her books, you are always in good hands.
She takes the time to make her books as simple as possible( no falling asleep here) so there is no confusion as to what supplies you need, how you should go about your project( what order of doing things for the best ULTIMATE PAPER MACHE outcome) , and always clearly elaborating on definite do's and don'ts, while you craft.
It is nice that while Jonni tells you where you HAVE to follow certain procedures or get certain specific products, (lest your project end being a major fail), she does let her readers know which avenues one can take the initiative to do it their way, because with these avenues, it is pretty safe that there won't( or should not ) be any screw ups or disasters.
This means you are putting your own spin on the project you make from her books.
( You are not supposed to make a clone of Jonni's work- she is merely offering you a book as a guide and guidelines, but the point is still to be original!)
Jonni is a very humble teacher, which is one of the reasons I was drawn to her site /blog and ended up buying her books and making her projects.
I have seen her show off her best work, as well as sharing her disasters in experimentation. I like that in a person.
Too many artists/artisans/craftspeople- whatever the medium- only present their best work and it can make one feel inferior.
If you only see the best work and you are just starting out, it can be intimidating and daunting to try a new craft endeavor.
I understand only presenting your best from a business standpoint....but from a teaching standpoint, as Jonni learns from things she works on that backfire, so can those following her.
Kudos to her as well, for always being willing to experiment and improve on craft ideas and being open to the suggestions of others.
Since she is willing to learn from her the followers( students that are both newbies and experienced)and encourages people to share experiences, projects, images of completed work, ideas, etc on her site, everyone benefits from each others experiences.
This book should pretty much be self explanatory and have you on your way as soon as you get it and buy your supplies( not many things to buy and some you may already have on hand. Also, supplies are not expensive- a big plus.)
However, if you have a question, just email her or go to her website UltimatePaperMache-dot com.
She has informative videos and tutorials that will help you with the projects in this book, as well as other projects she has made, many of which are also featured in her other books.
( I own 2 other books by her, so this makes 3. All are so easy to get drawn into- just like the projects themselves!)
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