Pantone Fall 2011 Color Combo

Here are some beads I created using a mix of the Pantone fall 2011 colors Phlox, Cedar, Bamboo and Orchid Hush.  I made these "Tie Dye" beads using a technique I call my "mini-mokume".  It really isn't a mokume gane at all but sort of starts out that way and then ends up in a nice compact-size cane for slicing.  It is a really super quick method to see how various colors will work together (or not) without wasting a lot of clay or time.  I share this technique and how to make the beads as a bonus feature in my Clay Color System tutorial.

When we strung these beads, we combined them with olive green cat's eyes and some hand crafted rondelles in lemon curry which we had on hand.   Since the Pantone Fall color Bamboo is simply a lighter shade to the lemon curry, they worked very well with this combo.

Whenever I mix up my new blend, I like to save it on index cards with the color recipe numbers and add them to the back of my Color System album so I remember what I did in case I need to mix up some more.

I also like to make up extra color chips of the latest Pantone and a few other favorite colors so I can play around with them to see what color combinations I might like.  I throw them into my purse when I go shopping and like to look for matching colors so I will have something new to wear with my latest jewelry pieces at any upcoming shows.

Phlox - Pantone Fall 2011 Color

I love this deep rich shade of purple.  To mix up this color, I started with a purple base that was equal to the Premo purple (recipe # 10-2).  This recipe originally came from the list of recipes provided by Donna Kato on the Shades of Clay site.  It is basically Kato violet with a bit of red added.  When you mix up this clay color you will discover that it does darken a bit after baking.  It is the small amount of red added that causes this.  While Kato clay colors do not generally darken after baking like other clay brands do, I have found the red and magenta will both darken so I have learned to adjust my measurements to allow for this.

So here is my recipe for the Pantone color Phlox.

2 parts of recipe mixture # 10-2  (= to Premo Purple)

1 part Kato magenta

If you add 1/2 part pearl to the above recipe, you will end up with just a touch lighter shade but with a bit of shimmer.