At the CHA show in Las Vegas, Feb. 2006, I visited Ranger's both and when I saw their
Perfect Pearls
™ pigment powders in the Aged Patina Kit by Julia Andrus, I really wanted them. The pictures above show one way I enjoyed tinting clay with the Perfect Pearls I had. In addition to the four colors in the aged patina kit,
I also used Perfect Pearl and Forever Red colors of Perfect Pearls
™ in some pieces in the largest picture above.
Look at the pictures above from left to right. 1. I laid a sheet of clay over a 2" aluminum square, then trimmed it to just cover the square with a clay blade. 2. I covered the clay with a sheet of deli paper. Plastic food wrap would also work. 3. I placed the square cutter in Clay Cutter Set 2 over the deli wrap and pressed down hard. The deli wrap prevents the clay from sticking to the cutter and also rounds the edge of the cut clay a bit.
4. Deli wrap removed. 5. Excess clay removed.
Second Row: 6. A cutter is set on clay with just a little pressure to use as a template.
A soft brush was then touched in one of the Perfect Pearls™pigment powders(very lightly) and applied inside the cutter with the cutter still in place. 7. The cutter was moved, and step 6 was repeated with a different color. In steps 8 & 9, Step 7 was repeated to finish coloring the clay with the powders. 10. The cutter was turned upside down and pressed slightly into the clay to indent the
lines of texture, then repeated on two other corners. The 4th corner was imprinted with the dull side of the cutter, but diagonally across that square.
Third Row: 11. The sharp edge of the rectangular shaped cutter in Clay Cutter Set 1 was then used only to impress its shape into the center of the clay. 12: Ready to cure!
13. Pictured are most of the supplies I've used doing this kind of surface technique. The
one important tool NOT pictured, is a soft bristled brush used to apply the pigment powders inside the
cutters. After curing and cooling the tinted geometric shapes, I applied Eberhard Faber's
Fimo Liquid Decorating Gel to the surface, spread it with a brush to be sure it got down into
the texture, then cured the piece again. Although the Perfect Pearls pigment powders contain a resin
that binds to the clay when cured, I chose to add a layer of Fimo Liquid Decorating Gel to the surface
of the clay for added protection, as well as getting an element of dimension. I appreciate the clarity of the decorative gel!
The 2" aluminum squares were very handy!
They were good to work on because I could make a creation, use the powders without them getting on something sitting next to them, then place them in the oven without disturbing the clay. I've decided to offer them for sale since they worked so well.
The clay sticks just a bit, but pops right off after curing, using a clay blade (or x-acto blade)
under one edge. I keep a pair of long nose pliers handy by my oven to transfer the hot squares onto a s
urface where they can cool. The squares are available in our miscellaneous category.
Perfect Pearls™pigment powders are great, and a tiny amount goes far!
I loved layering them or mixing up the colors a bit and only used one soft brush as an applicator.
Anyone wanting to work with the cutters and powders who is willing to take digital images of your work and share them with me would be much appreciated, as I would like to start a customer gallery. Please email me for particulars if you are interested! Sue@Poly-Tools.com
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