I just love surfing and looking for PC artist's galleries.  Frequently I see in the description of a piece that no paints..blah..blah were used.  Now don't get me wrong..I am very impressed with cane work and other work that has a stunning color palette with just using clay but is it considered substandard if you do use paints and powders, etc?  I just love using all that stuff.

not at all! I think a lot of people just write that because other people do and they don't think too hard about it. it also is amazing the things people can accomplish with just the clay itself so I guess they are proud of that (rightfully so).  Really, people love the polymer things I produce and they could not give a rat's you know what if there is powder or ink used to get the cool effects. trust me.

Fenian, as Bee said, I think some cane work is so mind-boggling that's it's hard to believe it was made putting different colored clays together. It isn't meant to diminish paints or powders. Like if you did a copy of the Mona Lisa in cane, it would be amazing, but wouldn't mean the original, done with paint, was any less wonderful.

I'm a huge fan of inks and paints. Good acrylic paint is so luscious I could eat it with a spoon. 

Linelle:

Good acrylic paint is so luscious I could eat it with a spoon

 Lin I think I need just that..."good acrylic paint"....the stuff I use is cheap hence, it's crapapoopoo.  One discovery that I just love is a good set of watercolor pencils....I wouldn't color the entire surface with one...too time consuming but the beautiful blends you can acheive on the base clay...beautiful water color effects.

that is TOO funny that you just posted this because a few minutes ago I tried pencils on baked clay for the first time. I must have cruddy pencils because it didn't look so good. I did come out with a Joan Miro effect and will cover with resin. I agree, the Lumier paints are amazing. Such gorgeous rich metallic colors.  

I think different strokes for different folks.  People who have mastered the use of inks, paints, etc - more power to them as those are skills I don't have.  Yet.  On the other hand, I don't find caning difficult, but some folks do.  It ALL looks good!

I don't think I have any particular skill with paints or inks. I just try techniques and sometimes they turn out okay. It's not like I can actually paint a picture, but I do like colors and textures and patterns, and sometimes ya just get lucky.

Now canes, I'll leave to others. :) 

Hey Fenian, I'd like to hear how you plan to use your watercolor pencils.

Acrylic paint can be expensive. I used to buy the cheapest thing available, figuring my skill didn't deserve anything better.

Then I tried Lumiere and fell in love with good acrylic paint. If you buy their Exciter Pack, you get 8 or 9 really beautiful colors to try out. You'll see and feel the difference right away. I sometimes buy a larger bottle of Lumiere at my local art stop. There's one called Halo Blue, that's a combination of blue and green and gold and even though they're all mixed together, you can see all the separate colors. Awesome!

I'm now a fan of Golden paints. Their iridescent, metallic and interference paints are luscious, plus they have a ton of colors.

Lin and 'bee I use the pencils on cured clay (duh)...say I have a base surface of a orange type color...I will use a red or purple in certain places....I am sure you know after you apply the pencil, wet the area (I use a damp fingertip) and smudge..this is how I get that watercolor wash effect.  Again I think it's all in using the right color combos.  I go to art.com and look at the watercolors (usually abstract pieces) to get color ideas.  Yesterday I used some inks I have had for a long time...I like how you can apply and get a smooth finish...the acrylics I use are too textured or messy is more like it...I guess I apply too much and again they are the cheap brand.