Mixing Up Mica Powder Colors -- Zircon Teal Blue

Have you found that sometimes you just can't find that perfect mica powder color for a project you are working on?  I have and when I was looking for a shade of teal to match the Zircon colored Swarovski crystals we use I decided to pull out our mica powders and mix some up until I got the shade I wanted.  It is fun to experiment and create new colors this way.

Before I actually started mixing up lots of powders I combined tiny amounts on a piece of parchment paper with my fingers.

Once I figured out the combination, I then proceeded with mixing up my actual recipe.  All you need is a container for your new mix and a small (1/8 or 1/4) measuring spoon.

Measure out your powders and add them to your new container.  I used a metal poultry lacer (bead piercing tool) to level off the mica powders.

The end of the metal skewer works really well for mixing up the powders without spilling and making a mess.

I share this Teal color recipe I mixed up in my new "Snowflake Snap" tutorial.  This tutorial is not for sale right now.  It is a bonus offer and you can receive your free copy plus a snowflake charm when you order $35 or more from our Snap Supplies in our online store.  You can read more about this promotion and find the coupon code in my past blog post here.

My Clay Color System

One thing I enjoy the most about working with polymer clay is not only how I can create new colors but I can actually save those recipes and make them again whenever I want.  While I enjoy mixing up new colors, I don't like wasting a lot of clay in the process.  I also find that some of the "color mixing exercises"  out there are time consuming and I would rather get right into the projects I want to make.

I have developed my own color system library where I can quickly pick and choose my clay colors and recipes for easy combining.  It is a simple system that allows for expanding to more color options and at the same time keeps everything organized.  I also developed my own color base "recipes" for mixing up new colors, shades, hues or blends.

My new tutorial on color combining will be available shortly and I plan to share all this with you plus more.   Although my recipes are for Kato polyclay,  I understand that many prefer other brands and so my system can be easily adapted to them.

Pantone Spring 2010 Colors

We finally have all our displays in order and ready for the show coming up next week.  I've been also mixing up some new colors for our new spring and summer jewelry collection.  I have my favorite color combinations I like to use but for more inspiration, I follow the Pantone Fashion Color Report.

I love the colors for this spring -- they are really alive and vibrant.  And of course the color turquoise is chosen as the color of the year which is a favorite for many people.

Some time ago I invested in a Pantone Color Guide.  They look the same as the color chips you can pick up in your local paint store, however, the colors are all coded and match the Pantone Fashion Colors.  These are great when mixing my clay colors for a close match.

I look up the color codes, mix my clays to match the colors, and then make a new color sheet with my clay chip samples and clay recipes on them.

I was hoping to have some finished pieces in these new colors to show you but will have to post them tomorrow.  In the meantime, wishing you colorful dreams.

Mixing Colors

A lot of people are surprised when they see my work and discover they were not painted.  They have a difficult time understanding how it can be done without involving paint whatsoever and so each week I will share with you how this is done through various techniques I use.

This is what the clay I work with looks like.  They contain pure pigments and come in a variety of colors.

You can use these colors straight out of the package or mix your own.  I have my own "recipe" book for my clay so when I mix a color I like, I will bake a sample and glue it onto my "recipe" cards for future reference when I want to make that exact color again.  I have each recipe numbered -- on my card and my left-over mix stored in ziploc bags.

I create my color recipes by first making sheets of colored clays all in the same thickness.  I use a pasta machine for this and I can adjust the settings to whatever thickness I want.

I then use a tool like a cookie cutter to cut out my pieces.  For instance, recipe #12-3 calls for 2 parts Kato Ultra Blue and 1 part White.  I cut out 2 circles in the blue and 1 circle in the white. When I mix those together, I end up with the exact color I want.

I can then do a blend of colors.  For instance, I started with choosing my own mix of primary colors:

YELLOW (a nice golden yellow)

RED (I choose a magenta pink in this case)

BLUE (a turquoise shade)

For the project I was working on, I wanted a little more control over the secondary colors so I mixed up my own blends for those and now I have 6 colors that are all balanced.

I took a strip of each of those colors and placed them side by side (like in a rainbow) and ran them through my pasta machine several times and created this blend.

And this is what I created from the above blended colors.

If you have any questions about this, please feel free to leave a comment below and I will try to answer.