Why I Use Kato Clay?

I wasn't always a Kato fan.  I started out using Fimo and then switched to Premo when I fell in love with the rich colors.  When the phthalates had to be removed from all plastics, the consistency of the polymer clay changed making the Premo clay much softer and mushy.  I found it just didn't work as well for me when I wanted more detail especially when making canes.

I decided to give Kato clay a try.  I found it extremely frustrating and difficult to work with at first and almost wanted to curse every time it would crumble when slicing or conditioning it.  I found a way to relieve my frustration thanks to Jana Roberts Benzon and her "Jana Whack" method by pounding the ----  out of it with a rubber mallet first!  At least it made it more bearable to work with.

Fortunately Donna Kato announced they were changing their formula again to make it a little softer and easier to condition.  It was a year later when I finally got my hands on some and I was finally satisfied that it was a more superior product than the other clay brands I've tried.  Below is an example of two leaf canes I had made.  The one on the left made with Kato clay which shows more detail and clarity than the one on the right made from Premo.

But what about the colors?  Premo has some beautiful ones but other than a few like black or gold, I'm not one to use any of the clay colors straight from the package.  And now that Polyform has revamped their colors many recipes that we have created will have to be reformulated all over again.  Many artists were up in arms when they tried to discontinue several of their primary colors like cobalt blue and zinc yellow.  Polyform compromised by making them still available but only from a few sources that sell online.  It is apparent that they still don't consider the artist community who buy tons of clay from them each year that important.

So what about Kato clay?  Well Kato clay was formulated by Donna Kato, an artist, for other artists.  She understands the artists needs and demands for a top quality product.  I discovered I could create gorgeous rich colors and finer detail with Kato clay like in these bracelets.

Shades of Clay is a Canadian supplier that I buy my clay from and they have some great color recipes  for Kato clay.  These recipes are great as they are similar to some of the most popular colors from other clay brands.  You will find the color recipes on the link here.

I have many more rich color recipes that I have formulated, all from Kato clay which I decided to share in my new tutorial that will be available soon.  I will share my own method of mixing, blending and combining colors as well as a simple and unique way of organizing your clay and recipes.  This is a fun way to discover new colors and exciting color combinations.

I will share more about this with you next time.

Update:
My tutorial is now available and you can read about it here.