Autumn Polymer Clay Color Recipes | Fall Crafting Ideas

🍁 If you’d like to skip straight to the color recipes, click here. 🍁

When I decided to make my fall perpetual calendar, I knew I wanted to mix custom colors, especially for that tricky green pumpkin! My first attempt used more complex mixes that took me a little over two hours one late evening (using only primary colors, black, and white). When I realized I wasn’t totally happy with the first calendar, I was hesitant to remake it solely because I didn’t want to spend hours mixing all of those colors again.

First attempt: left. Second attempt: right.

I had set a deadline for myself, and remaking the calendar felt risky, especially since the teal-toned green pumpkin from my first try really wasn’t working for me. In the end, I’m so much happier with the palette for the second calendar. The recipes are much simpler, and even though I nearly ran out of orange clay (thanks to a very empty Michael's shelf), it all came together in time.

Here are the colors in all their glory! And yes, I did include the hex codes (as close as I could get them) for funsies.

A Quick Note Before We Begin!

I’ve seen some people use a clay color wheel cutter for mixing, but I don’t own one. For my first attempt, I made a makeshift four-part version and eyeballed everything… which might be why some shades turned out a little weird.

For these recipes, I kept things simple. When I say “bar,” I mean one of the little pre-scored rectangles from a 2oz brick of Sculpey Premo clay. I’m not sure of the official term, but we’ll go with “bar” here!

To mix colors, you can do it by hand, with an acrylic roller, or with a pasta/clay roller. I used the Sculpey roller because it’s quicker, but whatever method works for you is best. If you need more of a color, mix again in the same parts, that way you don’t waste clay.

This part here!

Polymer clay you'll need for these recipes:

• Burnt Orange

• Orange

• Cadmium Yellow Hue

• Cobalt Blue Hue

• Cadmium Red Hue

• Spanish Olive

• White

• Black

(Note: I’m not affiliated with Sculpey at all, I just use their clay and find it works best for my projects. Links are provided for your convenience.)

Pumpkin Patch (#ff731d)

I used Pumpkin Patch for the big orange pumpkin and the bow around the little white pumpkin topper. It’s the quintessential pumpkin orange: bold, warm, and perfect for fall projects.

• 1 full 2oz brick of Burnt Orange

• 2 bars Orange

Fallen Leaves (#ffa939)

This golden shade was used for the sunflower topper on my second bear. It leans more golden in person than in photos, like the color of crunchy autumn leaves.

• 1 bar Cadmium Yellow Hue

• Little pinches of Pumpkin Patch until desired shade was reached.

  🌻 Tip: Add Pumpkin Patch slowly so it doesn’t overwhelm the yellow.

Cinnamon Latte (#8d432b)

I mixed Cinnamon Latte for the bear itself. It’s a warm, cozy brown that reminds me of cinnamon sticks and hot chocolate.

• 2 bars Cadmium Yellow Hue

• 1/2 bar Cobalt Blue

• 1 & 1/2 bar Cadmium Red Hue

Oh My Gourd! (#606233)

This is the perfect green pumpkin shade - much richer and earthier than my first attempt. It’s also lovely for fall foliage.

• 2 bars Spanish Olive

• Tiniest pinch of red mixed to mute the color.

🌱 Tip: Add more red to mute the color, or a little black to darken it further.

Chill in the Air (#f7f6e0)

A soft, grayish off-white that I used for the white pumpkin topper, the bear’s facial details, and the month/day cubes. It’s gentler than plain white, which felt too stark against the other warm tones.

• 1 bar from 8oz brick White (or 2 bars if 2oz)

• Tiny pinches of Cinnamon Latte

Apple Cider (#6e1d0c)

Apple Cider was used for the apple topper and the red roses on the witch hat. It’s a rich red-brown that feels warm and spiced.

• 1 bar Red Cadmium Hue

• Little pinch Cinnamon Latte

• Tiniest bit of Black

One of the best parts of color mixing is that it doesn’t need to be exact. Clay behaves a little differently each time, and colors can vary depending on your monitor anyway. These recipes are meant to give you a starting point, not lock you into perfection.

When I first got back into polymer clay, I resisted mixing colors — I thought it was too much work. But I’ve learned that mixing is the best way to unlock unique shades and free yourself from the limits of store-bought bricks (especially when your favorite shade is out of stock).

I hope these recipes bring a little autumn magic to your projects. If you try them, I’d love to see what you create! Tag me on Instagram, or pin these graphics to your fall color palette boards on Pinterest so you can save them for later.

xoxo,

Emilie