Cindy Lietz is a polymer clay artist and Craftista who has put together a series of polymer clay tutorials available by subscription. Since the PC world is smallish and fairly interconnected, she offered me the chance to view her tutorials (for free, for full disclosure) and write a review of what I saw.

If you sign up for her newsletter, she’ll send you some freebie videos and you can get a taste of her style. I viewed a number of videos, and can share a few opinions.

First of all, Cindy does good demos. The videos are shot with a one-camera set-up, giving you a bird’s eye view over her shoulder. The plus on this is that you can really see what her hands are doing! Also, lighting is good and sound is excellent. (You won’t get it this good on YouTube for free!) My only wish is that she’d do little intro shots so we can see her- connect with Cindy the person- more fully. And considering her easy, laid-back style, you get the feeling you’d like to be her friend and have her over for coffee.

Secondly, she is prolific! She has dozens of 2 to 4 minute tutes on everything from color-mixing, comparing leafs and foils, rolling beads, adding inclusions, etc. Since I’m an experienced clayer, most of what she had to offer was not new for me- but geez, I wish they’d been available when I was just starting out. There really is a wealth of handy tidbits to be had in the videos, and it would take you some serious time to find the equivalent info on the internet. Also, the video demonstrations are fairly short, bite-sized pieces… good for ingesting a bit at a time. I think it’s far better to see a bunch of short takes on your own schedule, rather than having to pause a longer video or program in the middle because you don’t have a half an hour to sit through it.

On the whole, Cindy’s video series is excellent for the new clayer, and is a life-line for clayers who don’t have access to classes or guilds- she provides simple, clear instructions in an accessible, concise format.

To check out her free video preview, click this link. You’ll get a brief video intro, and some great tips. And if you subscribe, tell Cindy “hi” for me!