What's the secret to opal yellow?

[laurellanestudios]

Still struggling with this @#$% custom order with a request for a "soft" yellow and green.

I purchased the opal yellow and copper green. (Thanks for the suggestions.) Made a test bead. Yuk!

The yellow turned out yellow in some places but ivory-ish in others. The green has the burned look....the one that people recommend a Coke bath for.

Any suggestions on making either/both of these colors work?

Thanks,
Kathy

[VivianLampwork]

For a soft yellow I love the lighter version of opal yellow & for a soft green you can try pastel uranium yellow which looks like pale green or vetrofond odd green sea pastel which is a light minty green.

[kandice]

The longer you work opal yellow, the yellower it gets. Of course, it often depends on the batch. It works a bit like rubino - it strikes in funny ways. Use a cool flame and lots of time. As for the copper green, once you clean off the silvery coating, it will usually turn a turquoisy green color. Encase it with a pale green transparent, such as Yellow Green, or Pale Emerald and you will have a nice light green color.

[Jude Rose]

That's good advice, Kandice. Putting some encasing on the copper green seems like the easiest way to tame it when under a stressful deadline.

Kathy, opal yellow will become a soft yellow by using a bushy flame with lots of propane. In fact, folks with hotheads have an easier time with it, so if you've ever seen a hothead flame, try to match that. You can kinda see it change in the flame. Pull it out a few times to cool considerably. That will help do the striking that Kandice was referring to. It should work for you, but the challenge is that the high propane flame can bring out a lot of metals in the copper green. That's why it's a good idea to encase it for this job.

So now you're learning the happy truth. Custom orders never make money. I know your pain. Keep swinging! I never do custom anymore-it's o.k. to say no next time if you want.

Good luck!

[LavenderCreek]

>Custom orders never make money<

Isn't that the truth!

But they excel at making headaches, ulcers and steadily declining bank accounts. You'll end up spending so much time just trying to get it right and make your customer happy that you could of made 4 or 5 other sets in the mean time...at least that is how it goes for me.

Sorry, I can't add anything to the colour suggestions, those already suggested are what came to my mind too.

Good luck

[laurellanestudios]

Thanks for all the help. Honestly, I'm ready to BUY beads for this custom order! Your comments are right on, Jude...this is not worth the headache, the money or the anxiety of trying to get it "right." And, personally, I don't even LIKE yellow and green together which makes this even more difficult.

Live and learn!

[Kevan]

Don't be afraid to just say no to a custom order. People expect artists to be a bit tempermental.

I'm also a watercolor painter and for years I have had people ask me to do portraits of their children or dog or something. I just say, thanks for asking, but I paint what I am moved to paint. I don't do custom orders. This does not seem to offend people.

I have people ask me to make beads of a certain color lots of time when there is no glass that color. I have a woman in PA who wants beads in all the Pantone colors for this year's spring fashion. Well, they don't make glass in most of those colors and I am not dicking around for days trying to come up with something that she might say, that's not the color I want, anyway.

[Jude Rose]

Thanks for all the help. Honestly, I'm ready to BUY beads for this custom order! Your comments are right on, Jude...this is not worth the headache, the money or the anxiety of trying to get it "right." And, personally, I don't even LIKE yellow and green together which makes this even more difficult.

Live and learn!

Yup. Live and learn. Better sooner than later, huh? :D

[*MAR*]

I guess this is one of the reasons to love the HH, I get a really good reaction out of opal yellow. I use that colour constantly! I had no idea that OY was more temperamental with the hotter torches.

I feel your pain with the special orders. I have two special orders going right now, each for 3 pairs of earring beads. Add to the hassle of getting their colouring right, getting the beads to pefect size for pairs. I guess it is live and learn. But, I can't really complain, if they don't like the pairs (which hasn't happened yet, as I photograph them and send for approval before I mail), I just put them into stock for one of my upcoming shows. And lord knows, right now, I need more stock!

Good luck with that special order, hope the Gods of Yellow and Green come down and touch your mandrel! : )

[meitali]

i just came to ask a question about these 2 colors, and saw this thread.

any tips on colors i should combine them with to get interesting reactions?

i'm on hh.

thanks! :-)

meital.

[SL Beads]

I was using Oy with EDP/Turquoise twistie side by side on transparent acqua. Most of the time OY turned nicotine brown near the hole. Othewise I like the effect of the twistie. Do you think I am cooking it too long?

[Islandgirl]

I like the red/purple, or the red/brown depending on the batch it's a really nice contrast to both those colours.....

Are the beads round.... I found both those colours do funny things sometimes using bead presses.... Most of my beads end up in my jewellery I got tired of custom orders for 50 beads, then the customer would show up and say I'm broke now, take 20, I'll get the rest later..... Later never comes... they're on to something else, then they wonder why I doubled my per bead price!

Lynne

[SL Beads]

Yes, Lynne, I was using big squeeze press. I just tried putting the twistie on top of the OY instead of side by side. Now the dark brown edges disappeared but OY has become too pale. I guess I have keep experimenting.

[Shawn T]

i just came to ask a question about these 2 colors, and saw this thread.

any tips on colors i should combine them with to get interesting reactions?

i'm on hh.

thanks! :-)

meital.

Try Opal Yellow with a little bit of silver, and then thread on some Dr. Ivory and Intense black. Whiel your working the Opal Yellow as a base color and letting it heat up and cool down as you add on the other colors, your OY will strike beautiful tones of pink, and even lavander and purple.
The trick to OY is heat and cooling the color to get the other neat colors to pop out. At least this is what works for me.
You can try the same combo with Copper Green, another one of my favorite colors.