Shades of Clay

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One of the many joys of working with Kato Polyclay is user-friendly and intuitive custom colour mixing since the Spectral Colours are very evenly spaced around the colour wheel. Kato Polyclay colours have been specifically formulated for maximum purity and brilliance which means that resulting blends are also bright and pure; not muddied, grayed or yellowed. Endless possibilities exist for a whole spectrum of unique and brilliant colours all from the basic Spectral Colours.

When you discover a wonderful custom blend, make a small sample chip (similar in size to a paint chip) and record the formula on the back. Then it's simple to reproduce this exact colour whenever you need it. Go one step further and create your own custom signature palettes; taking your creations to a new artistic level with your carefully chosen colours. Above all, have fun exploring the potent effect of colour!

The introduction of a brilliant new product, Kato PolyClay Color Concentrates, opens an even wider range of color opportunities. Color Concentrates are very saturated and intense blocks of clay (a little stiffer than normal due to the high pigment load) which in small quantities are blended into regular KatoClay. With Color Concentrates, you can produce gorgeous tints and jewel tones. Use with metallic clays to introduce color without diminishing the chatoyant effect. Scroll down for some Color Concentrate Recipes. The possibilities are endless!

Have you discovered a special Kato Polyclay colour recipe that inspires you? Perhaps for faux techniques such as bone or jade? Perhaps a rich vibrant tone, a cool dreamy pastel or an eye-popping chatoyant (mica shift) blend? (hint: Kato Metallic Colours can be combined with Spectral and Neutral Colours as well as Color Concentrates; their heavy mica content means that you can blend a whole range of custom metallics). To make conditioning a breeze, follow the tips below.

Here are colour recipes to replicate some other commonplace polymer clay colours. Although they may not be an exact match, they are relatively similar. Special thanks to Donna Kato, Tony Aquino and Van Aken International.

Ecru (Premo) - blend 4 parts Kato White Polyclay with 2 parts Kato Brown Polyclay and 1 1/2 parts Kato Yellow Polyclay

Purple (Premo) - blend 4 parts Kato Violet Polyclay with 1/4 part Kato Red Polyclay

Orange (Premo) - blend 2 1/2 parts Kato Yellow Polyclay and 1 part Kato Orange Polyclay

Cadmium Red (Premo) - blend 2 parts Kato Red Polyclay and 1 part Kato Orange Polyclay

Ultramarine Blue (Premo) - blend 1 part Kato Ultra Blue Polyclay and 1 part Kato Violet Polyclay

Burnt Umber (Premo) - blend 4 parts Kato Brown Polyclay, 1 part Kato Red Polyclay and 1/2 part Kato Black Polyclay

Cobalt Blue (Premo) - blend 4 parts Kato Ultra Blue Polyclay and 1/2 part Kato White Polyclay

Sea Green (Premo) - blend 3 parts Kato Green Polyclay and 1 part Kato Blue Polyclay

Turquoise (Premo) - blend 2 parts Kato Turquoise Polyclay, 1/2 part Kato White Polyclay and 1/2 part Kato Green Polyclay

Sap Green (Premo) - blend 2 parts Kato Translucent, 1 1/2 parts Kato Green, 1 1/4 parts Kato Yellow and 1/4 part Kato Black Polyclay.

Green (Sculpey III) - blend 1 part Kato Blue, 2 1/8 parts Kato Green and 1/8 part Kato Black. (Thanks to Sheila Keay for this recipe)

Navy Blue (Sculpey III) - blend 2 parts Kato Ultra Blue Polyclay, 1/2 part Kato Black Polyclay and 1 part Kato Violet Polyclay

Terra Cotta (Sculpey III) - blend 3 parts Kato Brown Polyclay and 1 part Kato Red Polyclay

Teal (Sculpey III) - blend 5 parts Kato Turquoise Polyclay, 1/2 part Kato Black Polyclay and 1/4 part Kato Violet Polyclay

Mint (Sculpey III) - blend 2 parts Kato White Polyclay, 1 part Kato Green Polyclay and 1/2 part Kato Turquoise Polyclay

Cherry Red (Fimo) - blend 2 parts Kato Magenta Polyclay and 1 part Kato Red Polyclay

Caramel (Fimo) - blend 2 parts Kato Brown Polyclay and 1/2 part Kato Yellow Polyclay

Mandarin (Fimo) - blend 3 parts Kato Yellow Polyclay and 1 part Kato Orange Polyclay

And lastly, one of our personal favourites..... a gentle golden yellow - 1 part Kato Pearl Polyclay, 1/2 part Kato Yellow Polyclay, very small amount each of Kato Magenta and Gold Polyclays. The resulting blend produces a soft but distinct mica shift effect.

For dark colors such as Alizarin Crimson, a good starting point would be:
5 parts Kato Transclucent
1 part Concentrated Red
Small pinch Concentrated Blue

For a Navy color:
5 parts Kato Translucent
1 part Concentrated Blue
1/4 part Concentrated Red
1/4 part Concentrated Yellow

Pastel colors can be created by mixing a small amount of the Concentrated color into Kato White. You can create your own deep metallic colors by using a 50/50 misture of a current Kato metallic color and Kato Translucent, then mix in a small amount of Kato Color Concentrate.

Because these colors have increased amounts of colored pigments, the possibility of hand staining increases. You may consider wearing protective gloves when mixing colors by hand.