Premo Green - too intense for me - help

Hello I am a newbie to polymer clay. I started this year. My main
focus has always been creating jewelry with beads. Some how or
another I got side tracked from that when I discovered polymer clay.
Previously, I never given the clay a second thought. I just wasn't
interested and quite honestly I never thought I would be. Someone
gave me some they no longer wanted and I decided to play with it.
Things have changed. Right now it is my excuse for taking a vacation
from making jewelry.

The past two days I have been playing with color. I made a base of
50-50 Premo pearl and silver for a metallic base. I goth this recipe
from the Glass Attic and it was credited to a Mike Buesseler. I used
this metallic base and added it to Premo Green. I did not know that
Premo green was so saturated with color! I have a pretty metallic
green that looks almost florescent. Help! What do I do to make it
look a little less neon? I plan to use the metallic base with Premo
Ultramarine Blue and then try my first Skinner blend with the two
colors. Any suggestions for changing the green? What would you do?
I am interested in hearing any ideas from darker, to muted, to
lighter etc. I just do not have a clue

I have looked at "The Glass Attic for some ideas". I would, however,
like to know how others have fared with the Premo Green. It is a
rather intense color.

Thank you,
Betty

Hiya Betty!
The colors in Premo are just like oil paint pigments--same names, makes it
easier for mixing recipes consistantly too. Many of the colors aretoo bright
for me, so I "sadden" them (thats the Victorian paint term) by adding some
black. Try taking a small pinch of the green and adding black. Also you can get
a better range of greens that are leafy by adding some ochre or yellow and
brown--same thing! Also, try mixing it with the gold metallic as a base instead
of the pearl. You can also add a little orange or red to help tone it down
into a browner sort of green. For jade type colors, try the teaniest pinch each
of green and black added to a larger chunk of translucent.
have fun!
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

Another way to mute a color is to add its complement--to neutralize green,
add red.

Georgia
www.bead-designs.com/html/PolymerClay.htm

----- Original Message -----
From: "Betty"
Newsgroups: rec.crafts.polymer-clay
Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2004 4:00 AM
Subject: Premo Green - too intense for me - help

this metallic base and added it to Premo Green. I did not know that
Premo green was so saturated with color! I have a pretty metallic
green that looks almost florescent. Help! What do I do to make it
look a little less neon? I plan to use the metallic base with Premo
Ultramarine Blue and then try my first Skinner blend with the two
colors. Any suggestions for changing the green? What would you do?
I am interested in hearing any ideas from darker, to muted, to
lighter etc. I just do not have a clue

I have looked at "The Glass Attic for some ideas". I would, however,
like to know how others have fared with the Premo Green. It is a
rather intense color.

Thank you,
Betty

Hello Sarajane,
Thank you for the info. I did not know that premo was like the oil
paint pigments. This may make it easier for me since it is a medium
my husband uses and he has the color wheels.

I had no idea that custom blending was so important. I was just using
what was available. Recently I started getting the idea that I needed
more education on colors and mixing.

Thank you,
Betty

atspam (Sjpolyclay) wrote in message ...
Hiya Betty!
The colors in Premo are just like oil paint pigments--same names, makes it
easier for mixing recipes consistantly too. Many of the colors aretoo bright
for me, so I "sadden" them (thats the Victorian paint term) by adding some
black. Try taking a small pinch of the green and adding black. Also you can get
a better range of greens that are leafy by adding some ochre or yellow and
brown--same thing! Also, try mixing it with the gold metallic as a base instead
of the pearl. You can also add a little orange or red to help tone it down
into a browner sort of green. For jade type colors, try the teaniest pinch each
of green and black added to a larger chunk of translucent.
have fun!
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

Hello Georgia, Thank you for the info. It seems like I am back to
basics and having to relearn the whole color wheel thing. At my age
it won't be so easy. Ha!
Betty


"Georgia" wrote in message news:1%LTc.295071$JR4.135399@attbi_s54...
Another way to mute a color is to add its complement--to neutralize green,
add red.

Georgia
www.bead-designs.com/html/PolymerClay.htm

I probably should emphasize that you should start with only a small bit of
whatever you're adding; sometimes it doesn't take much to get the effect you
want.

good luck!

Georgia

"Betty" wrote in message
m...
Hello Georgia, Thank you for the info. It seems like I am back to
basics and having to relearn the whole color wheel thing. At my age
it won't be so easy. Ha!
Betty


"Georgia" wrote in message
news:1%LTc.295071$JR4.135399@attbi_s54...
Another way to mute a color is to add its complement--to neutralize
green,
add red.

Georgia
www.bead-designs.com/html/PolymerClay.htm

I had no idea that custom blending was so important. I was just using
what was available.

for me, thats almost the best part!!! The only colors I use straight from the
block are black and white, and occassionally the gold---but I mix with it as a
base frequently, and sometimes even add a little yellow to the white, so black
is really the only one I don't consistantly fiddle with ! Have fun,

Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

I like to add a pinch of purple. Take a pinch of the green, then a
pinch of the purple. See what they look like together. Then add more and
more green to the mix.

But then, I'm a glutton for punishment. I like mixing colors almost as
much as the claying itself.

Kim

Barbara McGuire has the most wonderful color pallete...it is all premo mica
colors.

I have seen it on line as well as in one of the polymer clay books she wrote
with several other artisits.
From Glass Attic"Barbara McGuire's various mixes with Pearl and the
blue/green/red Pearls"
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/proj...olormixing.htm


Irene Dean has some great suggestions in the color section of Glass Attic.
When I'm not using the metallics I use her suggestions.

Finally, there was a wonderful color class listed in Glass Attic. Glass
Attic listing: "Diana Crick's Color School . . .lesson pages on all kinds of
things about mixing colors (plus how to divide clay to get the fractions you
want)
http://members.shaw.ca/clayquilt/colorwebsite2/ . .
..http://www.webhaven.com/crick/colorwebsite2/index.html (old site)

I took the time to mix all of the colors. It was time well spent. I did it
in both Premo and Fimo...and then with the printing colors of magenta, cyan,
and yellow.

You may say I have too much time on my hands...but with a full time job my
time for clay is very valuable and I was tired of wasting my clay and time
with colors that don't work together.

Laurie