Video Tutorials:
1: Lilac Beads;
2: Copper Foil Tape;
3: Teardrop Blend Shift;
4: Birdhouse Beads:

Well another month has gone by and the Volume-035 Back Issue Videos have now been added to the Polymer Clay Library. If you missed your chance to see these tutorials as they were released each Friday during the month of April, now is your chance to add them to your collection as a convenient bundled package.

Today’s photo shows thumbnail images for the 4 videos included in this Vol-035 Package:

Video-035-1 Lilac Beads: The perfect beads for your Spring Jewelry Projects, these polymer clay flower beads can be made to mimic the various stages of blossom development… from a newly forming bud… all the way to a fully opened bloom. You can even use inks to add very realistic looking striations of natural color.

Video-035-2 Copper Foil Tape: Learn how to give your polymer clay beads and pendants the rich Old World feel by wrapping them in real Copper Foil Tape. An easy tutorial that will give you all the tips and techniques you need to get a professional looking finish with this mixed media art material.

Video-035-3 Teardrop Blend Shift: Why make graduated color blends the hard way…? When you can do them easier, quicker and with unlimited variations using this cool Lietz Teardrop Blend technique! Also discover how you can take your blends to a whole new level by learning a simple, yet oh so effective technique for shifting the colors into any shade or color way of your choice. Now it is easier than ever to let your inner artist run free!

Video-035-4 Birdhouse Beads: Nature inspired jewelry is hotter than ever… especially all things related to birds! So this is the perfect time to create some cool artistic Birdhouse Beads for your jewelry making projects. Who knew something this cute, could be this easy?

Also included in this Volume-035 back issue package, are the A-Series recipe cards from the Foxglove Palette.

To read feedback from members who have already benefited from the videos and recipes in this Vol-035 back issue package, click here: Lilac Beads | Copper Foil Tape | Teardrop Blend Shift | Birdhouse Beads

And, Sneak Peak Preview Clips are available for viewing here: Polymer Clay Tutorials [Videos]

If anyone else would like to add a review for any of the videos or color recipes in Volume-035, I would love to hear from you. Or if you have not yet purchased this back issue and have a question, ask away. In either case, use the comments section below.

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Vid #200: “Cindy, your
Teardrop technique has
brought a wonderful and
sudden change in my way
of working with color
blends.” ~Debbie-G

I’ve got something very exciting to share today… about a quick and easy way to shift the colors in your Teardrop Blends (or Skinner Blends), like you’ve probably never seen before.

It will have more than a few of you doing that forehead smack thing… just like what happened when I first announced my super simple Teardrop Method way back in February 2009.

Cindy, you are a genius! It’s like one of those “why didn’t I think of that” moments when you smack your head and say “duh.” As soon as I saw the pictures in your article of the teardrops is was so clear! You rock! ~Lindsay-W

Yes! Quick and Easy Skinner blends! And small Skinner Blend trial sizes!! Brilliant! My hands have been in polymer clay for 8 years. Your Teardrop technique has brought a wonderful and sudden change in my way of working with color blends. Thank you so much for sharing! ~Debbie-G

Hi Cindy, Have really been impressed with many of your new techniques… THE LIETZ TEARDROP BLEND IS AWESOME! Believe you should refer to the method as such. YOU HAVE EARNED THE RECOGNITION!!! ~MJ

I’ve come to realize over the years of working with different art mediums, that sometimes the most revolutionary ideas come in the simplest forms. In fact some ideas are so simple, the only reason they were not discovered earlier, is that us humans tend to over complicate things. Especially artists!

Have you ever tried to read one of those color theory text books with the templates and the formulas… only to have your eyes glaze over in confusion? I know I have… and I’m absolutely passionate about color.

As most of you know by now, my personal approach is to always keep things as simple as possible. Judith Skinner did that when she invented the Skinner Blend in the first place. Up until she came along, artists had been separately mixing up increments of color, and then placing those mixes side by side to create gradient sheets of clay. It was painstakingly tedious work. Judith tapped into her scientific brain to simplify the process by using triangles of clay that resulted in smoother, faster blends. Simply Brilliant!

The Lietz Teardrop Method for blending colors, is still based on the triangle principles that Judith originally identified and built upon. But my approach simplifies the process even more by eliminating all of the measuring and cutting that is required when making traditional Skinner Blends.

I actually came up with the Teardrop Blend, purely by accident. It was one of those head slapping moments like Lindsay-W described above, when you say Duh and can’t believe it was that easy. (The phrase “Duh… Winning!” comes to mind right now, but that’s a whole ‘nother story! LOL)

Anyway, the thing is, I recently had another one of those ‘Aha Moments’ with another technique that I’ll refer to as a Teardrop Blend Shift. It is so simple that I didn’t even realize the value of it at first. I mean, shouldn’t making an unlimited number of shades and color ways from a single color blend, be a complicated process? The end result sure looks complicated.

And heck, if it really is that simple, then surely someone else would have already thought of it!? Who knows, maybe they already have. But I’ve certainly not seen anyone talking about it. I guess it takes a simple mind to come up with such simple ideas. Aren’t you glad I am so simple minded!? :-)

With a polymer clay idea this versatile… this cool… and this easy… every polymer clay artist and crafter really should know how to do it. In fact, for many of my upcoming cane making videos, it will be a prerequisite technique you’ll need to know how to do.

So… coming up tomorrow (Friday April 15th, 2011) in the Vol-035-3 Teardrop Blend Shift video at the Polymer Clay Library, I will share with you all my tips and tricks for creating this amazingly simple and beautiful color shift technique… which takes blending to a whole new level!

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Please Note: A general prerequisite for all of my weekly tutorials is that you have a good understanding of the polymer clay basics, including: conditioning clay, using a pasta machine, clay blade and other simple tools, making Skinner Blends or Teardrop Blends, baking clay, as well as sanding and finishing. If you need help in these areas, my Polymer Clay Beginners Course will get you up to speed quickly. There is also plenty of free information on this blog. Use the search box at the top of the page to find articles on specific topics.

Supplies & Tools: Video-035-3 Teardrop Blend Shift:

• Conditioned Polymer Clay. You can use this technique to blend and shift any color combination of your choice. For the video I used approximately one section each of the following Premo colors: Red Pearl (or Magenta Pearl), Gold, Green Pearl (or Light Green Pearl), Blue Pearl and a small amount of White.
• Pasta Machine. In theory you can use an acrylic roller, but it will be way more work.
• Clay Blade.
• Additional reading resources if you are interested:
  Lietz Teardrop Blend Articles

The full version of the Vid-035-3 Teardrop Blend Color Shift video, will be posted in the Polymer Clay Members Library on Friday April 15th, 2011. But if you would like to see a sneak peek intro clip right now, scroll down the page a bit to the video player below.

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Here’s That “Link Below” Referred To at End of the Video
>> Polymer Clay Tutorials <<

The full version of the “Teardrop Blend Shift” preview video shown above, is now available for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Volume-035 Back Issue Package.

Customer Feedback About Membership Value:

Wow! I agree with Laurel… Cindy’s a hooker! I mean, her videos hook me in, too! Sorry… just kidding with my choice of words there… :D I can’t imagine ever letting Cindy go… I’m always afraid she’ll leave ME (afraid she’ll wise-up and realize she’s practically giving her video tutes away! LOL) She always has something cool to show us. BUT, even if I only liked 1 of the 4 tutes each month, I’d only be out 3 bucks. That never happens, though – I always love ‘em all. Once in awhile she’ll show a technique I already know… but she puts her own spin on it, and I end up learning a trick or two (or more!) Cindy always finds a way to teach something amazing, and stretch our creativity and imagination. I place a high value on my membership… it’s more than worth the small fee, which I barely miss even on my low income. ~Phaedrakat

Cindy, your tutes are worth a lot more than what you are charging for them. Thanks to you and Doug for all you do for us for so very little. Can’t get this kind of quality tute for this kind of money anywhere else, and we should have to pay more, even here. Many Uuuuggggggggss. ~Peggy-B

To have a resource on tap for all those late night problems is amazing. I only have to refer to the back log of videos and I have the answer. What is even better about this library of video instruction is the price. I can’t believe it is so inexpensive. I would never discontinue this weekly service. Besides Cindy has this uncanny knack of taking a complex technique and simplifying it. Just look at her take on the ‘skinner’ blend! ~Cara-L

The following topics are included in this week’s Polymer Clay Tutor Library, Teardrop Blend Color Shift video tutorial:

• See examples of several Beads and jewelry projects made using a variety of different Lietz Teardrop Shifted Blends.
• Discussion of the tools and materials needed to create your own beautiful Teardrop Blend Shifts.
• Learn how to get that perfect blend quickly and easily, plus learn how to get unlimited variations on your blends with a simple color shifting technique.
• And of course, tips on how to use this technique to get exactly the unique look you want!

The full version of the “Teardrop Blend Shift” preview video shown above, is now available for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Volume-035 Back Issue Package.

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Video Tutorials:
1: Aurora Technique;
2: Metal Bracelet Blanks;
3: Bracelet Blank Add Clay;
4: Mixing Color Recipes:

Well another month has gone by and the Volume-033 Back Issue Videos have now been added to the Polymer Clay Library. If you missed your chance to see these tutorials as they were released each Friday during the month of February, now is your chance to add them to your collection as a convenient bundled package.

Today’s photo shows thumbnail images for the 4 videos included in this Vol-033 Package:

Video-033-1 Aurora Technique: Well I am beside myself with excitement to be able to share with you another of my Cindy Lietz Exclusives. In this tutorial I demonstrate how to do an amazingly awesome, yet surprisingly simple polymer clay technique. It is named after the stunning natural phenomenon known as Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights, which this technique mimics so beautifully.

Video-033-2 Hammered Metal Bracelet Blanks: In this tutorial, I teach you how to make Hammered Metal Bracelet Blanks… so easily and so inexpensively. For a few pennies and with just a few simple tools, you can turn any sheet metal into custom designed bracelet blanks… in any size you desire… whenever you need them for a project!

Video-033-3 Bracelet Blank – Adding Clay: In the previous tutorial, you learned how to make your own hammered metal bracelet blanks in any size and with any metal. Now in this tutorial, you will learn how to add polymer clay to the blanks, so that you not only have a cool looking bracelet or cuff. But you also have a piece of art jewelry that will be durable enough to enjoy for many years to come!

Video-033-4 Mixing Color Recipes: Many clayers have difficulties when it comes to creating custom colors. Each brand of clay has its own color lines. Some of them are very complex and they don’t always mix how you might expect. So… I have made things easy by creating designer recipes and color palettes you can use in all of your polymer clay projects. This video will show you how to measure out the parts of clay required for the recipes. I also provide valuable tips and tricks for getting the most value out of my recipe card system.

Also included in this Volume-033 back issue package, are the A-Series recipe cards from the Blushing Pansy Palette.

To read feedback from members who have already benefited from the videos and recipes in this Vol-033 back issue package, click here: Aurora Technique | Metal Bracelet Blanks | Bracelet Blanks Adding Clay | Mixing Color Recipes

And, Sneak Peak Preview Clips are available for viewing here: Polymer Clay Tutorials [Videos]

If anyone else would like to add a review for any of the videos or color recipes in Volume-033, I would love to hear from you. Or if you have not yet purchased this back issue and have a question, ask away. In either case, use the comments section below.

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Vid #193: “Can you say
MUD!!? I’ve had my fair
share of mixing the wrong
colors together but thanks to
your color recipes I’m doing a
lot better now!” ~Katina-K

One of the great things about polymer clay is the many wonderful colors that come already pre-mixed and packaged by the various clay manufacturers. However, since there are also millions of other colors out in the world to inspire us all, it is important to be able to mix up custom recipes as well.

Color mixing is an art form in itself, that can sometimes be tricky. Each brand of polymer clay has its own color formula. Some of the colors are very complex and don’t always mix how you would expect. One of the reasons I have always liked Premo Clay, is because it uses many of the artist based colors which tend to yield more predictable results. If you have ever worked with acrylic or oil paints, you will know what I am talking about.

But… if you don’t have an artists’ background… or if color mixing just doesn’t come naturally for you… than you may experience some difficulty in being able to create your own custom palettes. In fact, often times you will end up with a whole lot of mud before arriving at the color you desire.

Can you say MUD!!? I have had my fair share of mixing the wrong colors together. I have never had a course in color theory and learned pretty quickly that is difficult to always get the desired result. But thanks to your color recipes I’m doing a lot better now! ~Katina-K

One would think anything would work with pearl / silver / white / black, but you would be surprised at how many of my colour combinations that seemed logical have ended up looking like mud or baby poo! ~Suzanne-C

As a teacher I completely understand the challenges many of you may be facing with the color mixing process. That is why I have created my color recipe card series. They provide you with two new and original designer palettes per month, based on inspirational photos from nature, flowers, landscapes and even architectural shots.

All that’s required is to mix up the recipes as presented, and you will end up with beautiful color palettes every time.

The A-Series Recipes are available to paid subscribers. And I also have monthly B-series Palettes for anyone and everyone who is subscribed to my free weekly email newsletter. The recipe cards can be downloaded to your computer and printed out for use as a valuable resource right in your own studio.

Now one of the most common questions that comes up about my color palettes, is in regards to measuring out the parts or proportions for each of the clay recipes.

Hi, Cindy, I don’t know for sure if you have told us about what the “parts” mean in the color recipes. How would I make parts verses the way the Fimo and the Premo is scored? Thanks. ~Stephanie-J

I know I dislike recipes that will call for a smidge of a color. I guess I am more literal and way to Virgo to be able to accept a smidge. ~Illaya-B

Is there a video that shows how MUCH clay to use for a recipe or a project? I don’t like to condition more than I will use, so is there a way to measure, like using a half block, quarter block or something like that? I mean using Premo of course. However with the Studio Sculpey, it does have those nice little squares. I notice you use just enough in your videos with very little left over. I am totally lost when it comes to measuring clay. The color cards says for instance, 1 part this or 2 parts that. Any tips would be appreciated. ~Ifama-J

Over the last few years, I have streamlined (refined, simplified) the way I mix the palettes. So in tomorrow’s Vol-033 video tutorial (Friday February 25 at the Polymer Clay Tutor Library), I figured it would be a good time to share my tips and tricks for mixing, cataloging and storing the color recipes. Even if you have already been successfully mixing these recipes for a while now, I think you will still find this lesson to be useful and handy.

Please Note: A general prerequisite for all of my weekly tutorials is that you have a good understanding of the polymer clay basics, including: conditioning clay, using a pasta machine, clay blade and other simple tools, making Skinner Blends or Teardrop Blends, baking clay, as well as sanding and finishing. If you need help in these areas, my Polymer Clay Beginners Course will get you up to speed quickly. There is also plenty of free information on this blog. Use the search box at the top of the page to find articles on specific topics.

Supplies & Tools: Video-033-4 Mixing Color Recipes:

• Color Recipes. You will need to be signed up on the Guest List to receive my free weekly newsletter containing the links to the recipe cards. Each week there are two B-Series recipe cards available for downloading, and one from the A-series. Print out the recipes onto card stock and cut them out.
• A file box or suitable container for storing the recipes cards. I find by printing the recipes at the A-4 size, that they end up fitting nicely into boxes that hold tea bags. But to the longer  photo or CD storage boxes will also be perfect.
• Pasta machine.
• Clay in the colors required for the recipes.
• Square cutters in a variety of sizes.
• Small round cutter for cutting the color chip for the recipe card.
• Clay blade.
• Sheet of paper and a tile for baking on.
• Pencil, glue and scissors.
• Small ziploc bags and a Sharpie (optional).
  

The full version of the Vid-033-4 Mixing Color Recipes video will be posted in the Polymer Clay Members Library on Friday Feb 25th, 2011. But if you would like to see a sneak peek intro clip right now, scroll down the page a bit to the video player below.

***********************************

Here’s That “Link Below” Referred To at End of the Video
>> Polymer Clay Tutorials <<

The full version of the “Mixing Color Recipes” preview video shown above, is now available for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Volume-033 Back Issue Package.

Customer Feedback About Membership Value:

Well Cindy, you know the saying, you can’t please all the people… I still can’t believe in this day of internet commerce that there are that many people who still believe all information on the internet should be free, that was the mentality from when the internet was invented, founded whatever the term is. I guess some people will never change, and it’s not like your charging $10 a video or something like that. In the begining I was a little worried about price but I found a way to get them and BOY AM I GLAD I DID! Those of us in the know truly appreciate EVERYTHING you do for us.
~Ken-H

Absolutely no one should complain about the cost of these tutorials!! The thought of you just trying to rip people off is ridiculous. Thank you for all you and Doug do for us!!
~Laura-Z

I have told so many about your tutes, the low cost and how all of this has stretched me creatively. I am now making things I never thought I could. Thank you and Doug – hugs.
~Patt-W

The following topics are included in this week’s Polymer Clay Tutor Library, Mixing Color Recipes video tutorial:

• See examples of the color recipe cards, the mixed color palettes and how they were used in some polymer clay canes.
• Discussion of the supplies and materials needed to create a fantastic collection of inspirational color recipe cards.
• Learn how simple and quick it really is to create gorgeous colors for all your polymer clay beads, canes and jewelry projects.
• Plus, with some creativity and ingenuity there are many ways to come up with unique palettes of your own.

The full version of the “Mixing Color Recipes” preview video shown above, is now available for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Volume-033 Back Issue Package.

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“The Colors Looked Fine When I Started… But then they Reduced Down to This!”

A big mistake many people make when learning about polymer clay canes, is not using colors with enough contrast. Today’s photo shows one of my early canes that illustrates this point very well. It was supposed to be used as a petal in a larger sunflower shape. But when reduced, the two colors blended together visually, to almost become one. Not the desired effect I was going for.

Has this ever happened to you? You take two lovely colors that look good together and plan them into your cane design. You want your cane to be natural looking, and not garish, so you pick shades that are equal in tone. They seem to be different enough to create interest, but once they are next to each other and reduced in size, they merge into one color and the pattern disappears.

It can be very disappointing for a beginner to go to all the work of creating a polymer clay cane, only to have the design fade away into an uninteresting image.

This need for contrast in colors in your polymer clay canes, is especially important if you are reducing your designs to be used for Fimo Nail Art applications. This is where the pattern becomes tiny enough to place slices of the cane onto your fingernails as decorative elements.

If you look at these tiny nail art canes, you’ll see that even though they are only a 1/4 inch across, and the designs are fairly detailed, you can still see the cane images very clearly. This is because of contrast.

Black and white are obvious choices for high contrast, but other colors can work well too. The trick is to be more extreme with your initial color shades than you would think is necessary. In other words, if your colors seem to look fine together during the initial planning stages, that is when you need to lighten your light colors by 2 or 3 more shades.

In my sunflower petal cane above, I could have added white or Ecru to my light yellow to give it more contrast.

Since colors tends to darken and concentrate as they are reduced, I feel it’s easier to “manage” contrast by lightening your lights as opposed to darkening the darks.

Another method for managing contrast is to shift the hue. With my sunflower petal cane, I could have added more red to the darker shade to make it less yellow, and therefore give more contrast to the yellow. But still maintain that orangey feel.

So if you ever end up in a situation where your cane colors don’t seem to be reducing properly, remember that contrast is key.

If you have questions about this article or any other polymer clay cane making topic, I’m here to help. Use the comment section below.

All You Really Need is a Set of Primary Colors to Get Going:

Part of getting started with making your own polymer clay beads, is choosing which colors of clay to purchase first, and which brand. But it can be a little bit daunting to stand in the aisle at your favorite craft store, gazing at all of the packaging… and wondering what’s going to be best for your situation.

How are you supposed to choose? All the labels say polymer clay. So what’s the difference? Will the cheap stuff work to get you up and running (HINT: NO).

Cheap clay is going to cause you to become frustrated, sometimes to the point of actually giving up. I’ve seen this happen way too often. That’s why I put together a comprehensive course for newbie’s starting out with polymer clay.

In the course I advise not to just choose colors all ‘willy nilly’. You will risk having them not go together very well. Instead, I recommend that you buy only a few blocks of primary colors, and learn to mix up your own shades.

Buy only Premo Sculpey Clay to start with. It is a readily available, high quality, polymer clay with good mixing qualities. There are lots of other brands of polymer clay which you can work with later if you choose. But you won’t be disappointed with Premo, so its a great place to start.

A Good Starter Pack of Premo Polymer Clay Colors is:

• 1 pack Black
• 1 pack White
• 1 pack Translucent
• 1 pack Cadmium Yellow Hue
• 1 pack Ultra Marine Blue
• 1 pack Alizarin Crimson

With these colors you can mix some lovely shades of slightly muted colors that will all go together quite nicely.

If you want to see a preview video from my Beginners Course, then click here: Polymer Clay Colors To Start With. The full video in the course provides you with a couple of different starter pack options, depending on whether you like muted tones… versus rich and vibrant.

How To Get the Color Just Right For Your Next Jewelry Making Project:

Mixing polymer clay colors is a common challenge for many beginners… and even more experienced clayers as well. So today since we are well into Spring, I thought that I’d give you a few quick tips on how to work with the color Green.

• If you are going for natural Greens such as the ones you would find in leaves, use Yellow to lighten the color and Blue to darken the color.
• If you are going for more of a graphic look to your designs, use White to lighten your Greens and Black to darken them.
• To give your Greens a lovely muted tone like some of the Olive Greens and Dark Mosses, use a small pinch of Red to tone down the color. The more Red you use the more brown the color gets so be careful and add the Red slowly.
• Purples can be used in a similar manner as Reds, to get a dusty look to your greens. Because Purple is a mix of Red and Blue, it will also darken your color as well. Go slow with Purple as well, or you will end up with mud.
• Blue and Yellow don’t always make Green. Some colors are made of many different pigments that may not mix as predictably as you would think. I find Premo colors which are based on artists pigments to be fairly predictable and easier to come up with color recipes. Kato Polyclay is also supposed to be good. Fimo can be trickier and Sculpey III is the worst.

Experimenting with your color mixing is the a good way to learn how to get colors to suit your jewelry making projects. Alternatively, you can also rely on my tried and true color recipes that are available weekly, when you subscribe to the free Polymer Clay Guest List.

If you would like to read some more articles about color palettes and color mixing polymer clay, click the “09:Color Recipes” Navigation Link in the left side bar column of this page. Or here a few direct links to recent color palette photos:

• Polymer Clay Color Recipes | Petunia Flower Blossom
  
• Polymer Clay Color Recipes | The Magnificent Arbutus Tree
  
• Polymer Clay Color Recipes | Beach Sunset Palette

Do Your Cane Designs Get Lost or Blurred When they are Reduced?

Polymer clay color theory has many facets that are fun to learn about. For example, even though several colors may look good together in a large palette, that does not necessarily mean those colors will work in every one of your cane designs. That’s because of what can happen to certain colors or shades when the cane is reduced.

Cindy I do have a problem with picking colors that look good together. I like earthtones and they do not reduce well, and tend to get lost in my designs when reduced. I have been working with polymer clay for quite some years now. Thanks for your help from all of us clayers. ~Lynn

Thanks Lynn for your comment. Here are 3 tips to keep in mind when it comes to color theory and polymer clay canes:

1) Polymer clay colors get more concentrated and darker as they are reduced down. That means you may have to lighten the color a bit if you are making a large cane that will end up getting reduced to a very small size. Try adding white and translucent to some of your deep colors like reds and blues if you don’t want them to look burgundy and navy when they get shrunk down or compressed inside of your cane.

2) Because colors appear darker and more muted as they get smaller in the cane, try using neon type colors when you want strong punches of colors. Colors like florescent yellow or hot pink that would seem too garish when in a larger cane, will become a surprisingly nice tone when reduced.

3) If you find that your colors all seem to blend into each other when they are reduced; and that the detail in your cane design seems to get lost or blurred; try adding thin sheets of black, brown, gray, or white around each color to add definition, separation and contrast.

By the way if you did not already know, my video tutorials in the members library are full of tips like the three I just shared above. These video tips will help you to avoid making mistakes that can often cause frustrations when learning about polymer clay canes. Here are links to a couple of preview clips for the latest cane making videos just posted this month in the library:

• Instructions for Making a Basic Leaf Cane
• How To Make a Veined Leaf Cane

1A – Golden Sunset
2A – Ladybug
3A – Parsley
4A – Bronze Black

Isn’t this the cutest picture of two ladybugs in love!?  My husband caught them cuddling each other in our backyard parsley patch last summer. The image and the colors are so magical. I simply HAD to make a color palette from this photo!

Mixing these particular recipes was a lot trickier than I expected. When the photo was enlarged on my computer screen, the colors became much more complex than just simple orange, red, green and black.

Looking up close, the ladybugs have an almost metallic property to them. The surrounding garden light created a unique sheen that gave the black spots a beautiful bronzed over glaze. The deep red hue of the darker bug appeared to have been polished many times over. While the lighter orange fellow was encased with an enchanting coppery cast.

When I started out mixing, I knew that Cadmium Red would be the base but I thought Burnt Umber or Alizarin Crimson would be the colors to tone down the darker Red, and that Gold would be enough to brighten the Orange.

It took several different mixes before I finally figured out the right combinations of Premo Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Gold, and Red Pearl to arrive at the final Orange and Red shades. And surprisingly, it took even more attempts to get to the point where I was happy with the bronzy Black and the complimentary background parsley Green.

Sometimes I forget what it’s like for newbie to mix polymer clay colors and to come up with custom color palettes. Well today I was reminded just how hard color mixing can actually be.

That is why it is so nice if you’re new to polymer clay and want to use colors that are a little more ‘designer’ than the ones which come straight out of the packages… to be able to use the color mixing recipes like the ones I prepare for you.

And since the colors are made in a palette, you know that they will go together nicely. It sure beats wasting a whole bunch of your precious clay, trying to mix them yourself.

So I hope you enjoy this ladybug polymer clay color palette. The following individual recipes will be added to the Polymer Clay Members Library during the month of April, in Volume-011 [A-Series]:

• Golden Sunset (Recipe 011-1A)
• Ladybug (Recipe 011-2A)
• Parsley (Recipe 011-3A)
• Bronze Black (Recipe 011-4A)

‘Golden Sunset’ is the rich golden orange of the lighter colored Ladybug in the photo. ‘Ladybug’ is the deep coppery red of the second lady bug. ‘Parsley’ is the shimmery golden green of the parsley plant in the background. And ‘Bronze Black’ is the rich metallic black of the Ladybug polka dots.

Vid #97-98: Plus… How To Combine Simple Leaf Canes to Form More Complex Designs:

Many of you have been patiently requesting that I start adding polymer cane tutorials to the Beadvideos Library, Well this post marks the first of many more to come. Later this week as a member at the library, you will be able to view Part 1 of a 2 Part series on how to make a basic leaf cane. This is a very popular design that can be used in so many bead and jewelry making projects.

Starting with a color blend using my Lietz Teardrop Method, this cane tutorial will show you from start to finish how to create a shaded leaf cane in a very short period of time. Even if you’ve never made a cane before in your life!

“Cindy you make it seem that creating canes can be so effortless. I love what you do, and how you put into words the instruction for others to follow.” ~Andrea

Leaf canes can be used to make simple cane slice beads. They can also be combined to create more complicated leaf canes; Used to embellish your flower canes; layered onto lentil beads; And are the perfect green accents to flowered background sheets like on this silver spoon polymer clay pendant.

If you have always wanted to learn how to make polymer clay canes, the basic leaf cane is an excellent place to start. You can make them in any color combination for added variety and you’ll find that you can never have too many leaf canes lying around the studio to use!

Part 1 of this two part leaf cane series will be posted in the Members Library later this week as Volume 010-1. And Part 2 will be posted next week as Volume 010-2.

But you can watch a preview clip right now if you like, by scrolling down on this page a bit. Or just click here to go straight to the preview video player.

More information about my Polymer Clay Tutor Library and how to become a member, is posted right below the preview video on this page.

Here’s That “Link Below” Referred To at End of the Video
>> Polymer Clay Tutorials <<

The full version of the “Basic Leaf Cane” preview video shown above, is available for purchase at my Polymer Clay Bead Making Videos Library in the Volume-010 Back Issue Package.

In the “Basic Leaf Cane” video I walk you step by step through the process of making a shaded leaf cane. Here are the specific topics included in Part 1 (Volume 010-1) of this two part mini series:

• Using both conventional colors as well as more creative ones for making your leaf canes.
• Creating a color blended sheet of clay using my Lietz Teardrop Method instead of the traditional Skinner Blend approach.
• How to offset your blend so you end up with pure colors on each end of your color gradient.
• Demonstration on how to keep your color blend from getting too wide for your pasta machine.
• Tips for removing air bubbles from your color blended sheet.
• What you should know about clay consistency when making canes.
• Converting your your color blended sheet into a very long, flat and narrow strip of clay.
• Accordion folding the long narrow strip of color blended clay in order to make a Skinner Plug.
  

Topics covered in Part 2 (Volume 010-2) of this two part mini series include:

• How to mold and cut your Skinner Plug into two equally sized pieces.
• Combining the pieces to form the two halves of your leaf design.
• Reducing your leaf cane by squeezing, pulling, coaxing, pinching, stretching and wiggling it.
• Clay temperature issues.
• Why you should cut off and save parts of your cane at a range of different sizes rather than reducing the entire cane.
• Combining multiple lengths of your simple leaf cane in order to form a more complex leaf can design.
• Ideas for using leaf cane slices on lentil beads.