Making porcelain Cernit colors opaque

I have talked about keeping the Cernit colors porcelain like and looking more like the color you see right out of the package. Now I am going to tackle the method of making the color more Opaque and looking like the raw color out of the package.

We all have to knead our clay no matter what brand or softness to get the best results, this will redistribute the particles evenly throughout the block of clay. I showed you an example of the non-kneaded Cernit here. Clay will settle like a box of cereal will or like the oil in peanut butter will rise to the top when sitting on the shelf. Mixing in additional colors during this process is really no different than kneading your clay up as straight out of the package and not adding color. This color formulation works out to be 1 block (2.2 ounces) of color to 1/8 or 1/16 block of the Opaque white Cernit (029) to make it more opaque and keep it closer to the package color even after the darkening of the baking process. Depending on how much I want it to be opaque, I find that the 1/8 block of Opaque white (029) is the best for millefiori or caning purposes. Even more opaque white than this can be added (maybe 1/6th of a block of Opaque white), it is up to you and it gives another shade of the same color to work with. I keep these formulations pretty basic so that I can easily duplicate the color again if I need it. This is where you would want to make a test chip and write it down in your color journal. To me it is of value to document my progress and process so I can see how far I have come and what I have learned.

With the changes in Polymer Clays by removing the Phthalates, we are going to be dealing with a different animal whether we want to or not, and instead of mourning the loss of what used to be, I am working on dealing with what is, moving on, and how to make it work for me. I am grateful for the chance to be excited again. I am also grateful for the changes that I see in my work and the pieces I love to create.