The Friesen Project
If you are wanting to spend the next year working with clay, Christi Friesen, and me as your host … the Friesen Project is just what you’ve been waiting for. Below you will find answers to the most common questions.
Start it Up – Basic Questions:
When Does it Start: The official year long project has now concluded, but with Christi’s blessing the Project is still hosted here on the site. So now, whenever YOU want to start it, you can!
Which Book are We Using First: CF Originals “Dragons (Revised & Expanded)” will be the first book you need to purchase.
What are we doing first: As described in the overview, the first week of every month will be a book review of the current book we are using for that month. This will give those participants who have never read the book a chance to read the book, explore it’s content, and begin to think a la Christi Friesen!
How Many Tutorials are There: As shown above and described in the overview there are a minimum of 40 weekly projects. This is because as stated above, the first Friday of every month we will be reviewing the book for the month we are working on. At the original posting of this Project (2013) Book 6 “Birds” was out of print. Because of this, different project were chosen from her website in addition to the Polymer Clay & Mixed Media book.
How Does It Work? All the projects are right here on the blog. You just need to GO HERE and you can follow along and work at your own pace whenever you’d like.
What if I forget to come to your blog to get my project? Not a problem! In fact, that’s no worry at all. They will be waiting here whenever you remember to return. In our free email we will occasionally have a “remember when” and highlight something from the project which will trigger your memory to come back.
Are you trying to sell something? Yes and no. There are links within the posts to new tutorials, projects, or other material Christi or I have released or new things related to what either or us Christi are doing as well. Please understand that both Christi & I are full time artists, so we do “showcase our stuff” from time to time. However, the project as presented here on the blog is FREE. Please remember by buying tools and materials from Christi you are helping to support her as an artist. By buying tutorials from me, you are helping to support me as an artist. You do NOT have to buy anything to participate in this project.
Does Christi Friesen know about this? Yes she does (insert appropriate chants, clapping, dancing, and any other celebratory gesture here). Christi Friesen helped in the concept of the original 2013 Project and continues to support it’s regular continuance here at KatersAcres.
What About Copyright & Selling My Pieces? Another great question, thank you for asking! I will not be detailing Christi’s process in any way. This is largely a self-guided series where we will come alongside each other and create using Christi’s style. This being said, Christi asks in all of her books that when something has been made using her tutorials or style, that she maintains credit for the style. For example, placing “Gideon, inspired by Christi Friesen” is 100% appropriate. Likewise “Gideon, inspired by Christi Friesen for the 2013 The Friesen Project” are also acceptable. As in all forms of art, please give credit where credit is due. The polymer clay community is one of the most sharing artistic communities out there, let’s not ruin that by tramping on each others toes. Okay? Okay.
Which of Christi’s books will I need? You will need to purchase Books 1-7 in her CF Sculpture Series, Flourish: Flora, Steampunkery, & Polymer Clay and Mixed Media Together at Last (available on Kindle). All of these books can be purchased on Amazon (which also come direct from Christi). Or these books are available direct from her website.
Are you getting paid to do this? I am not affiliated with Christi Friesen or compensated by her in any way for this project. I am simply a polymer clay artist who loves and adores playing with clay. I also find Christi’s unique & highly identifiable style refreshing, fun, & relaxing. Yes, I adore Christi and consider her a polymer clay mentor and friend; I am not paid or affiliated with her in any way.
How Much Will This Cost Me? There is no charge from me to participate in this year long endeavor. (Cheering is appropriate here please!!) However, in order to do the projects, you will have to purchase the CF Sculpture Series Books, the Steampunkery book, Polymer Clay & Mixed Media book, & Flourish book. In total the cost is less than approximately $120.00 for the books only if you buy them all right now. Please remember that I am doing ONE BOOK a month, so you can order them one at a time in order to spread your payments out. You will also need to purchase polymer clay which varies from $1 a block to $4 a block. With the exception of a few projects, each project will use approximately 1/2 – 1 full block of clay. You can use all different colors for your pieces if you choose, or each piece can be made with one solid color. You will also need a tube a acrylic paint that we will be using to antique the projects. You will also need beads of various sizes, though this element is optional as each piece can be completed without it. Your cost per month (approximated) is around $22 per month for the book & 4 bars of clay for the first seven months. After this the cost increases slightly to around $30 per month as the cost of the books increase.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask in the comments below.
The Friesen Project
The Friesen Project is done in conjunction with Christi Friesen. All tutorials are retaught here with her expressed permission. Please make sure to read about the project here, and get answers to the most common FAQS here.
Sculpt Your Dreams,
Just LOVE the clay things you make. I am just starting to work in polymer clay and I am also getting my webpage set up on Artfire so I can sell my crafts (I make several types of things). My question is: Can I use your patterns to make clay items and then sell them on my site? Please post an answer because I really want to make them and sell them.
Thanks for your answer and thanks for your wonderful stuff.
Hi Linda,
Thank you for asking. As a general rule of thumb you can NEVER copy & sell someone else’s design. It is illegal. Let’s use Parker as an example. Parker is copyrighted by the US copyright office; in reality he’s no different than Mickey Mouse. Therefore, anyone who copies and sells Parker is in violation of copyright laws because I own Parker’s name, design, character, etc.
Here’s a case in point…lots of people make and sell Mickey Mouse. It is illegal. Disney can and has in the past gone after those who sell Mickey’s image. They do this often in part because they have the financial resources to stop everyone on the planet from copying and selling the Mickey image (be it his hands, pants, shoes, likeness, etc), but also because it is illegal. Period. ONE sale of a Mickey Mouse can land you a penalty fine of $150,000 (imagine if you sold 300 of them) and that doesn’t include attorney & court fees. It’s just good practice not to do that.
Using others work as inspiration and a jump spring to your own designs is acceptable. Take a look at my peacock. Even though it’s done in Christi’s style, it is NOTHING like hers at all, mine has my whimsical touch and my bold colors that I’m known for, whereas Christi’s has a realistic and authentic look, mine does not. Another example: let’s say you’re making a Christi Friesen dragon, it’s okay to sell a dragon that is done in Christi’s “style” as long as you list in your ad somewhere: “Inspired by Christi Friesen” and it is NOT an exact copy. It is NOT okay to copy her designs (or anyone else’s) exactly, this is in violation of copyright.
The only way to get around the copyright is by obtaining expressed and written permission to make & sell someone else’s design, character, etc. Back to Mickey Mouse, let’s look at Jim Shore. Jim Shore does hundreds of beautiful Disney pieces and sells them for top dollar. Disney has granted Jim Shore a “license” to sell their image and attach Disney’s name to them … trust me that he pays SIGNIFICANTLY for this priviledge.
That’s a very vast overview, but I hope this makes sense to you. Let me know if you need additional help or information.
Hey, thanks for added info. The only thing I’m not attached to is the Pinterest page. I’m fairly new to Pinterest, so I’m still figuring it out! I am following the Friesen Project group on there but I guess now I request to add me to it right? My name on Pin is Laura Phelps Brosi. Thanks again
Hi Laura – Please email me your Pinterest URL at the email address above. Thanks!