• Scatter Technique: This is very simple and can produce striking results. Simply sprinkle the powders on a sheet of waxed paper and wiggle the paper around until you get a look you like. Any clumps of the powder will result in "craters" in the clay if you are working with very soft clay. The waxed paper method allows for more control than sprinkling it directly on the clay.
  You can use one color, contrasting colors, or shades of a color. You can then roll the bead on the waxed paper or gently press the slab onto the powder. You can then blow off the excess, leave it on until after baking, or gently rub the surface with your finger for a feathered or streaked look.
  
  
• Texturing and Powders: You use four different approaches to powders and texturing. All of these will work on beads or slabs. You can cover the entire depth of the texture (I'll call this total because it covers both the high and the low areas), you can cover only the indentations (crevice treatment), you can apply it only to the raised portion (highlighting), or you can use crevice embossing with a light or weak powder and then use highlighting with a stronger or more vivid powder (dual embossing). Each will give you a different look. And then there is distortion embossing which can only be used for slab work.
  
  
• Total Embossing: Texture the object you are working on. You may want to use a stamping (a leather punch, a piece of coral, lace, button, etc.) or you may want to incise the piece with a tool such as toothpick. Then apply the powder to the entire area. I find a small brush works very well. Let the powder fall down into all the crevices.
  You can also cover the entire piece, or area, and then texture it. This method works best if there is not a lot of contrast between the clay and the powder.
  
  
• Crevice Embossing: There are two different methods you can use. The first is to apply the powder to the object you are using to create the texture. This works well, but requires cleaning the tool between colors. And some tools just don't clean well. I wouldn't want to try getting powders out of a piece of coral! But it is simple. Dip the tool in the powder, tap off the excess and press against the clay.
  The other method is to texture the object and then use a small brush to apply the powder to the crevices. After the object is baked you can sand and buff the raised areas (if you want) which will be free of powder. A small piece of fine steel wool will work well if you don't want to sand your piece and you want sharpen the lines of demarcation or eliminate a stray splotch of color.
  
  
• Highlight Embossing: Texture the object and then gently rub or brush the raised portions with the powder. I find my fingertip works best for flat pieces and the palms of my hands for beads. Brushes and sponges tend to produce a fallout that lands in the crevices of the embossing.
  
  
• Dual Embossing: This one of my favorites. Simply use the crevice embossing concept with a weaker powder and then the highlighting embossing with a stronger one.
  
  
• Distortion Embossing: This is an interesting technique for slab work. Emboss a slab of clay and start distorting it. You can use the powders before embossing, after embossing but before distorting or after distorting. You can hand roll, pull or run the clay through the pasta machine. Using waxed paper on the powdered side of the piece will save you a lot of clean up. You can emboss and powder one piece and then cut it up and do two different distortions and combine those as elements of one finished piece.
  
  
• Transfers: This is the by-product of the Distortion Embossing. Often the powders will be heavy enough to leave a strong image on the waxed paper you were using to protect your work surface. Don't trash it. Rub that onto another piece of clay.
  
  
• Mold Release: Use the powder instead of cornstarch or talcum powder as a mold release. The only caution is that you will need to clean the mold between colors of powder or dedicate the mold to that color (or tone). Just lightly brush the inside of the mold with the powder and then press in your clay. You can even get fancy and use different colors in different parts of the mold.
  
  
• Solid treatment: Just brush or rub it on. Really simple.
  
  
• Applique: Just like the solid treatment, but applied to a piece of clay that you will then add to the finished piece. Flat back pieces are the easiest to work with. You can cover snakes but it tends to be a pain and I would suggest gluing after baking.
  
  
• Inlay: Brush or rub it onto a very thin slab of clay. Bake it and then cut to use for inlay in another piece.
  
  
• Stenciling: Good old copier/printer paper is the best stencil material I have found for both ease of cutting and stenciling. Press it just enough that it will stick to the clay, do not embed it. Always rub or brush the powder from the paper edge to the center. Brushes work best for small areas, brushes or fingertips for larger areas. You can also temporarily cover portions of the stencil and work with different colors of powder.
  
  
• Mokume Kane: This is the Japanese wood grain technique which is normally done with different colors of clay or leafing. I have done it using powders and the 00 translucent clay. I make the layers slightly thicker than I want them to end up and brush/rub each layer with powder. Just be sure to end with a layer of clay without the powder and to really press the layers together very tightly before you start slicing. The scrap from the mokume can be muted into a marbled or solid lump and used that way.
  
  
• Painting: This normally is done on baked pieces, but there is no reason not to do on the unbaked. The water based sealer made by Ederhard Faber says that it can be baked. Use a paint tray or bottle cap and mix a small amount of the powder with the sealer you normally use. Now you have metallic paint. Paint.

Nancy Banks
Based on an article published in The PolyInformer