This is the first of two Studio Tool exercises in the book. We originally had more of them, including a fan deck of Skinner blends, but due to space limitations we had to cut them out. I will try to add instructions for the missing tools at the point in the book where we wanted them to […]
Maggie Maggio
Smashing Color for the 21st Century
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Middle Value Muddle To make this project, we ask you to pick a light value clay and a dark value clay based on colors from your collage. If you are having trouble seeing the values, try making a black and white copy of your collage using a color copier. […]
I began making color collages when I moved into my first out-of-the-house studio in 1996. I finally had lots of wall space and decided to pull out the basket with postcards, greeting cards, clippings, art catalogs, and memorabilia that I had saved over the years and get them up on the wall. At first they went up willy-nilly, but when […]
I am having trouble with my camera but here’s a quick and dirty tutorial on using the watercolor technique to make “torn paper” beads similar to the bead on the lower left. 1. Mix a palette. I always start a project by mixing a set of colors that “hang together.” Make at least one color in each hue […]
This pivot bead strand is up on tricksy_gnome’s Flickr site. A beautiful combination of colors! The idea for the pivot beads came when I started using canes as the underlayer for my watercolor technique. The original watercolor beads were made for the silent auction at the second Ravensdale conference in 1998. Lindly and I were teaching […]
Five Step Value Scale Value is defined as the amount of light reflected by a color. If a color reflects more light than it absorbs it has a high value. If it absorbs more than it reflects, it has a low value. In the book we recommend sorting colors into just five values – colors […]
It looks as if the big box craft stores are having sales just in time to stock up for all the color exercises. My local Jo-Ann’s is having a “buy one get one free” sale on all brands of polymer clay starting today through Monday, and Michael’s has polymer clay on sale at 4 for […]
Lindly Haunani and I are happy to announce that our book, Polymer Clay Color Inspirations, is now available at your local bookstore and that Amazon is shipping them out to everyone who placed a pre-order. Check out my big smile and the beautiful rainbow that appeared the same day the book was officially on the […]
Carol Simmons, one of the original Color Explorers, displays her metallic clay color samples on a magnetic white board. What a great way to see all the color combination possibilities! Carol labels her color samples and then glues magnets to the back to make it easy for her students to pick colors for her new Jeweled Egg […]
Joey and I spent some time tonight posting the third video, Smashing Color Triangles. Then I remembered I need to give you the links for the handouts. Here they are: Color Scales Handout Instinctive Mixing Handout Color Scales Triangle Worksheet The video ends with a suggestion to use the triangle to practice mixing colors instinctively […]
Over the years I’ve tried many different ways to mix the colors in the middle of a three primary triangle. Nothing seemed to work until I came up with what I call “Base Mixing.” Base Mixing is a two part process that starts with mixing a series of purple colors along the bottom of the […]
Laurie Mika’s mixed media pieces are full of color, texture and imagery. Polymer and ceramic tiles, paint, beads, jewelry and more combine to make beautiful mosaic icons, tables, chairs and boxes. I am amazed at how many pieces she gets done and that her confident use of color shows up in every piece. In one […]
Since summer ends this weekend, let’s look at some of the color forecasts for the Fall. Even though I don’t believe that color forecasts are always accurate, it is fun to look at them and find colors that you might like to try in your work. This Fall’s Pantone Colors are a mixture of deep earths, soft earth […]
Lindly Haunani and I often tell the story of how we met. It was at the National Polymer Clay Guild retreat in the spring of ’95. I brought copies of a color mixing chart for Fimo that I was selling as a fundraiser for my daughter’s 6th grade class. The kids made all the mixes as part of a lesson […]
Lindly Haunani has joined the blogging world with a new site called “Lindly – Talking Color.” She will be sharing her top 100 tips in addition to musing about the creative process and showing some of her latest pieces. Lindly and I have taught color workshops together a number of times, starting way back at the first […]
© 2024 Maggie Maggio