« Web Design Gets Crafty: How to Use Polymer Clay on your Web Site | Main | Oklahomans Interested in a Polymer Clay Guild? »

Pearl Ex Color Strip I love using Pearl Ex powders with my polymer clay projects, and I have several of the Pearl Ex color variety packs. But more than once, I've gotten stuck on a project, staring at all the little bottles and trying to figure out which color would work best.

To fix that problem, I started making color strips for each box of Pearl Ex colors. It's quick to do, and it makes it a little easier to pick the best Pearl Ex color for the job. Here's how to make your own:

  1. Use a pasta machine to roll out a thin strip of white and a thin strip of black clay. It's important to do at least black & white, since some Pearl Ex powders (like "Duo" and "Interference") react differently to different clay colors.
  2. Use a ruler to mark lines in the clay, creating 12 equal sections.
  3. Making the Color StripCover sections 2-12 with a piece of paper to avoid accidentally spreading any pigments in those areas. Use a paintbrush to generously cover section 1 of the black and white clay with the first color in the Pearl Ex set.
  4. Once you're done with the 1st color, move the paper over to hide sections 3-12. No mask is needed for the section you've already done since Pearl Ex acts as a resist (it keeps other colors from adhering where there's already one Pearl Ex color).
  5. Repeat steps until all 12 powders have been applied. Bake.

I make a color strip for each box and keep the strip with the original box. Since I always try to keep my powders in numerical order, I really don't need the sample's name or number on the color strip... But if you wanted them, it'd be easy enough just to print those on a card and affix the color strip to it.

Good luck & happy claying!

TrackBack

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference How to Make a Pearl Ex Color Strip:

» Quick Tip: Organizing Pearl Ex & Embossing Powders from CraftyGoat's Notes
Have trouble finding just the right color of embossing or Pearl Ex powder for your project? Try this quick storage tip & you'll always find the right color at a glance. [Read More]

Comments

Can someone out there tell me how to do a faux raku finish using Pearl Ex powders on clay, please?
Thanks

I haven't tried faux raku, but I do know there's a tutorial for it in this book: Faux Surfaces in Polymer Clay. You might give it a try...

Just noticed there's a faux raku tutorial in the latest Polymer CAFE issue (April 2010) if anyone else is looking for a tutorial. There's also this raku tutorial from Polymer Clay Polyzine.

About this Site

CraftyGoat's Notes is all about sharing polymer clay tips & tricks that have worked for me. (And even a few that haven't!)

Read more about CraftyGoat's Notes...

Buy My Book

Archives

Enter your address to get CraftyGoat's Notes by email:

Delivered by FeedBurner