Blending Polymer Clay

Creating a sheet of clay that blends from one colour to another is a basic technique that has dozens of uses when working with polymer clay.  It is most often used in millefiori canes but a blended sheet can also be used to make a background for a relief picture or divided up to create a range of different coloured beads in a graded necklace.

The two colours of polymer clay can be blended together very effectively using a roller and elbow grease but a designated pasta machine will make light work of the process (remember to keep polymer clay tools separate from food preparation). 

Using two contrasting colours, such as the yellow and blue in the image above, will create a new colour where the colours are blended together.  In this case, the colour has resulted in green. 

A blend of yellow and red would make orange, red and blue a purple, black and white a grey, and so on.  More subtle results are achieved from using a light and darker shade of the same colour, such as in the image below.

Visit the Fact File page Blending Polymer Clay to learn how to achieve a blend by following the step-by-step intructions and photographs, and then progress to Polymer Clay Millefiori Cane Flower to see what you can make once you have mastered the technique of blending the clay.