Polymer Clay Vocabulary
Conditioning: making polymer clay more pliable by mixing,
kneading, or rolling.
Coil: rolled out snake of clay.
Slab: rolled out flat piece of polymer.
Cross section: the surface that is exposed by making a
straight cut through the clay or cane.
Millefiori: a thousand flowers. A technique originally used by
glass-makers in which the artist assembles rods of color into
a bundle or “cane,” so that the cross section yields a
pattern.
Stacked: layering sections of polymer clay or canes
on top of others.
Reducing: rolling a cane or slab in order to create a
smaller version of the design.
Skinner Blend: a technique developed by Judith Skinner for
creating polymer clay sheet with smooth gradations of
color.
Resting: putting a project aside to cool when it
becomes too soft to cut.
Curing: baking polymer clay. All materials
combined with polymer clay must be
able to withstand the heat of the oven.