Comments on: Managing Color Contrast In Your Polymer Clay Cane Designs http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/managing-color-contrast-in-your-polymer-clay-cane-designs/4836/ "I learned by making mistakes... Now you don't have to." Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:52:00 -0700 hourly 1 By: Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Flower Cane http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/managing-color-contrast-in-your-polymer-clay-cane-designs/4836/#comment-24405 Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Flower Cane Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:02:28 +0000 http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?p=4836#comment-24405 @Jocelyn: Dora is amazing with the canes isn't she! You can sure see her experience just by looking at them. You'll get good at making them too. It just takes a little practice. @Dora: It is so nice to hear your story and your experiences in making polymer clay canes. Sometimes people who are beginning don't understand how important trial and error plus practice goes into getting good at any technique. Just because something seems hard at first, doesn't mean it can't be learned over time. Thank you for sharing your cane knowledge with everyone here. I very much appreciate that! @Silverleaf: There is a bit of a trick to knowing what size works best for you when making canes. I find if I start out fairly small there is less distortion by the time it is reduced. You do have a point about starting too small however. When you start really small, it doesn't take much for the alignment to be off. It is easy to get a design element off kilter a bit when you work small. You are also probably right about no one else being able to notice! :-) @Jocelyn: Dora is amazing with the canes isn't she! You can sure see her experience just by looking at them. You'll get good at making them too. It just takes a little practice.

@Dora: It is so nice to hear your story and your experiences in making polymer clay canes. Sometimes people who are beginning don't understand how important trial and error plus practice goes into getting good at any technique. Just because something seems hard at first, doesn't mean it can't be learned over time. Thank you for sharing your cane knowledge with everyone here. I very much appreciate that!

@Silverleaf: There is a bit of a trick to knowing what size works best for you when making canes. I find if I start out fairly small there is less distortion by the time it is reduced. You do have a point about starting too small however. When you start really small, it doesn't take much for the alignment to be off. It is easy to get a design element off kilter a bit when you work small. You are also probably right about no one else being able to notice! :-)

]]> By: Silverleaf http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/managing-color-contrast-in-your-polymer-clay-cane-designs/4836/#comment-23825 Silverleaf Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:10:57 +0000 http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?p=4836#comment-23825 The problem I had was that I made the canes too small, I think. I couldn't quite get the component cane reduced perfectly evenly , so when I combined it the patterns didn't match up exactly. Less than a mm out, but since I didn't reduce the final cane very much i can tell it's not perfect. Of course, someone else probably wouldn't notice! The problem I had was that I made the canes too small, I think. I couldn't quite get the component cane reduced perfectly evenly , so when I combined it the patterns didn't match up exactly. Less than a mm out, but since I didn't reduce the final cane very much i can tell it's not perfect.

Of course, someone else probably wouldn't notice!

]]> By: Dora http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/managing-color-contrast-in-your-polymer-clay-cane-designs/4836/#comment-23820 Dora Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:31:04 +0000 http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?p=4836#comment-23820 Thanks, Silverleaf ! I'm glad my blog inspired you to try out some kaleidoscope canes. With kaleidoscope canes, even the 'imperfect' ones usually look good, as long as you use contrasting colors, and the pattern isn't reduced too small. Thanks, Silverleaf ! I'm glad my blog inspired you to try out some kaleidoscope canes. With kaleidoscope canes, even the 'imperfect' ones usually look good, as long as you use contrasting colors, and the pattern isn't reduced too small.

]]> By: Silverleaf http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/managing-color-contrast-in-your-polymer-clay-cane-designs/4836/#comment-23665 Silverleaf Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:23:47 +0000 http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?p=4836#comment-23665 Hi Dora, just wanted to say you've inspired me to make some more k'scope canes since yours are so awesome! Mine aren't perfect but I like them anyway. :) Time to practice I think! Hi Dora, just wanted to say you've inspired me to make some more k'scope canes since yours are so awesome!

Mine aren't perfect but I like them anyway. :) Time to practice I think!

]]> By: Jocelyn http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/managing-color-contrast-in-your-polymer-clay-cane-designs/4836/#comment-23589 Jocelyn Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:14:54 +0000 http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?p=4836#comment-23589 Thanks for the encouraging words, love your tutorials at the site as well. Your picture clarity is excellent, and really shows the detail of the process. Someday, we'll be able to download a process into our brains that will automatically allow us to both understand and use our physical abilities to automatically recreate beautiful work like yours. Unfortunately, don't think I'll make that one, lol. Going to give it a real bang this winter though, and I eagerly await the process. Struggle is part of mastery and if I come close, you and Cindy and most of the others here will be the reason. Thank you for sharing. Thanks for the encouraging words, love your tutorials at the site as well. Your picture clarity is excellent, and really shows the detail of the process.

Someday, we'll be able to download a process into our brains that will automatically allow us to both understand and use our physical abilities to automatically recreate beautiful work like yours. Unfortunately, don't think I'll make that one, lol.

Going to give it a real bang this winter though, and I eagerly await the process. Struggle is part of mastery and if I come close, you and Cindy and most of the others here will be the reason.

Thank you for sharing.

]]> By: Dora http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/managing-color-contrast-in-your-polymer-clay-cane-designs/4836/#comment-23585 Dora Sun, 09 Aug 2009 23:41:01 +0000 http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?p=4836#comment-23585 Thanks,Cindy and Jocelyn, for the compliments ! I've been making canes a long time, almost 13 years. My early cane efforts were quite pathetic, LOL ! But I just kept practicing and experimenting, and over time, I got better. My color choices are certainly better thought out and more deliberate than they were in the past. I think that skill in reduction comes mainly from practice and getting a good 'feel' for the clay. It really helps to watch others who are good at reducing canes, although the techniques vary...some people like to start reducing from the ends of the cane, while others 'choke' the cane in the middle and work towards the ends. It might take time to discover what will work best for you. The softness and consistency of the clay, and and the shape of the cane also affect reduction. The variables go on and on... . Thanks,Cindy and Jocelyn, for the compliments ! I've been making canes a long time, almost 13 years. My early cane efforts were quite pathetic, LOL ! But I just kept practicing and experimenting, and over time, I got better. My color choices are certainly better thought out and more deliberate than they were in the past. I think that skill in reduction comes mainly from practice and getting a good 'feel' for the clay. It really helps to watch others who are good at reducing canes, although the techniques vary…some people like to start reducing from the ends of the cane, while others 'choke' the cane in the middle and work towards the ends. It might take time to discover what will work best for you. The softness and consistency of the clay, and and the shape of the cane also affect reduction. The variables go on and on…
.

]]> By: Jocelyn http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/managing-color-contrast-in-your-polymer-clay-cane-designs/4836/#comment-23573 Jocelyn Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:38:35 +0000 http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?p=4836#comment-23573 OMG! What a picture on the front of your blog! dorasexplorations.wordpress.com/ Dora you are the master of shading and contrast. If I die, I want my casket scattered with all those cane patterns right up to the brim!!! I lust to be able to create such beautiful cane work. You must be a very methodical and patient person to be able to get them to reduce so perfectly. OMG! What a picture on the front of your blog!

dorasexplorations.wordpress.com/

Dora you are the master of shading and contrast. If I die, I want my casket scattered with all those cane patterns right up to the brim!!! I lust to be able to create such beautiful cane work. You must be a very methodical and patient person to be able to get them to reduce so perfectly.

]]> By: Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Library http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/managing-color-contrast-in-your-polymer-clay-cane-designs/4836/#comment-23571 Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Library Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:23:15 +0000 http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?p=4836#comment-23571 Thanks for the comment Dora! I love your cane work. You put so much thought and effort into your intricate cane designs. I bet you have learned many tricks over the years. Adding white to dark colors is a very good suggestion. Thanks for sharing! Thanks for the comment Dora! I love your cane work. You put so much thought and effort into your intricate cane designs. I bet you have learned many tricks over the years. Adding white to dark colors is a very good suggestion. Thanks for sharing!

]]> By: Dora http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/managing-color-contrast-in-your-polymer-clay-cane-designs/4836/#comment-23275 Dora Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:08:10 +0000 http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?p=4836#comment-23275 Excellent suggestions, Cindy !!! You are absolutely right about the need for high contrast in cane designs. Over the years I would watch my intricate cane designs reduce to a barely distinguishable pattern. Finally, after accumulating piles of muddy scrap and 'reject canes' I have learned to use the principle of contrast. I have also learned to compensate for the tendency of clay to darken after baking by adding white to the darker colors. I still make my share of rejects, but not nearly as many ! Excellent suggestions, Cindy !!! You are absolutely right about the need for high contrast in cane designs. Over the years I would watch my intricate cane designs reduce to a barely distinguishable pattern. Finally, after accumulating piles of muddy scrap and 'reject canes' I have learned to use the principle of contrast. I have also learned to compensate for the tendency of clay to darken after baking by adding white to the darker colors. I still make my share of rejects, but not nearly as many !

]]> By: Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Color Recipes - Hawaiian Lily http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/managing-color-contrast-in-your-polymer-clay-cane-designs/4836/#comment-22761 Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Color Recipes - Hawaiian Lily Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:55:02 +0000 http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?p=4836#comment-22761 Usually whatever tint the translucent starts with, gets slightly darker when baked. Usually whatever tint the translucent starts with, gets slightly darker when baked.

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