Brief Update on Tear Away

If you’re just starting out with this process, please read my blog entry to better understand the basic technique called "Tear Away”.  The original “Tear Away Update” on my blog, and you can read it by clicking HERE.

Although it’s a simple technique that yields beautiful results, it can be tricky to master.  The best way to do so is to take a class from someone experienced in it so you can watch it being done and get direct tips for improving your technique.

I teach tear away in most of my classes (you can see my upcoming Home Studio Classes HERE), as do other teachers.  Lisa Cain teaches it in the UK.

Depicted are some of the tools necessary tools for making tear away: pasta machine, copy made on 32lb Gloss paper, copied on my Canon copier, White and Sunshine colors of polymer clay. 

Here’s the news for 2017: 

After much experimentation and testing I find the following to work well for this texture technique:

Fresh Premo polymer clay in a blend of White and Sunshine; 1 to 1, or 2 White to 1 Sunshine.  I don’t use metallics any more because metallic colors lessen the relief of the texture and we’re striving for as much relief as we can get.

Does it have to be these two colors? NO! Experiment for yourself.  Light colors do work best, hence the White, but you can substitute other light colors for the Sunshine if you want.

Why Sunshine?  Because I find Sunshine to be the squishy-ist color.  “Squishy” or “soft” colors have more plasticizer, or that’s the way it seems to me, and they work better i.e. more relief in the texture!

There are lots of other little (or not so little details) for successful tear away texture: 32 lb Gloss paper, copier that uses carbon based toner, etc., and making it in a warm room.  I do all my tear away in the summer; the heat and humidity really help, but using the best polymer clay is a great start.

Also, please go to Lisa Cain’s FaceBook page HERE for important information on her research into using Staples copiers to make your copies (instead of having to dig and hunt for the correct old Canon copier).

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