Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Ombre

My initial idea was to put one of those clever dictionary definitions of the word Ombre,

om·bre

 noun \ˈäm-bər; ˈäm-brē, ˈəm-, -ˌbrā\


While I can find the pronunciation I can't find the proper definition for my reference.
 But there is Ombre fabric and these days even more common Ombre hair
 and I'm showing you Ombre beads.

My definition is one color/tone softly transitioning in to another,
 often but not always in the same color.
The word "ombre" in French means shadow or shade.
I've been playing with Ombre in my most recent polymer clay work.
Here are some of my Ombre Barrels.


Purples/Reds and Oranges with Gold tones over the top.


Shades of purple.


Color variation here, Raspberry, Ivory and Silver/Gray.

These are a lot of fun to make I just stack the colors
and use my thumb to gently pull the color across both ways then I add texture.
 I think they are very cool!!

Here are some more beautiful Ombre Pieces to inspire you!

Bronze Heart Pendant by TheaElements

A gorgeous example of Ombre on this Bronze Heart Pendant by Lesley Watt!


Hyacinths

These lovely Earrings by Melissa Meman have a very subtle and beautiful Ombre effect.



Recycled Sari silk is often Ombre, like this Emerald Berry Bundle from JMozart


The Ombre in this bead happens from one bead to the next.
Love these little Ceramic Color Shift Beads by Slate Studios Supply.



Super cool painted beach pebbles.
Ombre Blue Dots by Plymouth Rocks!

I hope you enjoyed my tour of Ombre as much as I did!
Thanks for joining us!

Kristi

10 comments :

  1. Kristi!!! I am so inspired right now! Your new ventures in polymer and color are really sending my creative mind a flutter!

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  2. Have you thought of trying Skinner Blends? I understand it is quite easy to do in polymer. I'm experimenting with it in stained porcelain. Anyway, it will give you a much more continuous gradient blend. ("Gradient" - the much less sexier word we designers (in computer-based graphics and illustration, and in traditional airbrush work) have used for decades! Same thing as ombre.)

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    1. I have done skinner blend but that's not the look I wanted for these beads. I want a very distinct variation in color with soft edges.

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  3. Kristi, you can find tutorials on making beautiful Skinner blends all over Youtube, and you can customize it with any combo of base colours you choose. Skinner is a basic method used as a building block for many more advanced techniques. Loved seeing your experiments!

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  4. How neat! I love these new beads Kristi! You're so much braver with color than I am—I tend to stick to neutral tones and then add paint for color. I agree with Kristen—your work is inspiring!!

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  5. Skinner blends are gorgeous and quite easy to make with a pasta machine. Addictive, even! (But if you don't have a pasta machine, all is not lost. I've got a tutorial showing how to make gradients by hand. See my website.) Now you've got me inspired and I want to go play with ombre designs. Hmm...blues, greens, or even a sunset orange to pink to purple?? Thanks for the ideas, Kristi!

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    1. I have done some skinner blends and do have a past machine. But I'd love to see your tutorial, alwyas looking for stuff I've never seen before. Thanks Ginger.

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  6. I love the raspberry/ivory/silver beads. They are so cute!
    ~Kelsy
    http://looseendscraftblog.com

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  7. ombré adjective
    shaded or graduated in tone: said of a color
    Origin: Fr, pp. of ombrer, to shade < L umbrare < umbra, shade
    Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010

    My favs are the same as Kelsy's, but I love them all!

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    1. Thanks Linda, why the heck couldn't I find that. I could only find a card game lol. It seemed so simple :)

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