27 videos, step by step, beginner cane workshop
What people are saying about this tutorial.
jennifer rose
Just finished this first workshop on how to make canes, and I must say I learned so much. This is exactly what I have been looking for, someone who could explain cane making in a step by step that process that I could replicate. I watched the videos, went into my studio and began to create all of the canes Alice showed. I finally have results I can be proud of, and I say thank you so much for doing this workshop. My only question now is when do we get more workshops. If you are only going to take one online class let it be this workshop. Thank you Alice for your hard work, and your dedication to helping others learn the joys of polymer clay.
I’m busy making samples for my classes and drew the faces in the video to go with Barbara McQuire’s stamps. Yesterday I wanted to see they might look on a bracelet.
I decided to show you this new bracelet in a video because it’s hard to capture the look in still photos. The face patterns will be available for purchase next week sometime. I’ll post more about them when I’ve added them to my Etsy Shop.
I’m excited to tell you that I’ll be teaching two 1 day workshops at Mount Dora Center for the Arts in Mount Dora, FL in October 15th, Pen and Ink and November 12th, Cane Mapping, details to come.
This morning I started to do samples of what we are going to be doing in class on Saturday but I ended up drawing a grown up Red Ridding Hood. Grown up you might ask, well the story goes that the wolf died and she lived to grow up right? So here she is, with a silver frame ready for the eye pin and a chain.
Okay so the truth is the hood just showed up by itself and I colored it red. I use photos or pictures as my guides, but I don’t sketch out my work ahead of time. I just dive right in and begin and correct as I go letting the piece create itself.
That’s why I like working with polymer clay as a base and my pen and ink technique, I can easily correct most lines and sometimes colors. I do most of the black work first and add color at the end, then reapply black here and there.
I probably would benefit from more planning including sketching the ideas in my head instead of just making notes, but then I’m not so sure how things like the red hood would ever happen. But it’s something to consider.
International Polymer Clay Association’s Polymergence editor Suzanne Ivester wrote a wonderful article in this month’s newsletter entitled All About Sketching! It’s an interesting read, you’ll enjoy it.
This cat just called to me, no explanations, no excuses. I’m going to post this and get back to my original plan..samples…step by step samples.
I wasn’t able to take Maureen Carlson’s class at Fandango. Everyone was making these fabulous necklaces with What a Character® mold from Maureen. I couldn’t resist and came home with a couple. I’m busy making more Girlfriends Galore bracelets because they are all gone, but I just had to play with the molds……… so what did I make but a bracelet of course.
I usually do my own faces, but I just wanted to play with these. Actually I wanted the little stamps embellishments all around the faces as much as anything. They are really just so cool.
This is a WIP but I just want to let you know I am at my clay table working er …..playing……away. So if you see this Maureen, I’m not finished yet.
My class here in my studio is full and I’m looking forward to a great day. If you are interested in taking a class with me, leave a comment or email me at alice@polymerclayetc.com and let me know. I’m going to be having at least one class a month including my Full Face Cane class the last of July. As I said, I only have room for 8 or 9 so be sure to let me know if you’re interested.
I decided to do a couple more girls on bracelets yesterday. This picture shows each side of one bracelet and on the right side of the picture, all of the side put together to show what it might look like if it were a flat drawing.
I just received an package in the mail containing a large set of markers and couldn’t wait to try them out. In fact, I’ll be doing more experimenting today.
I’ve always been the kind of person that has to have every color of……well…..whatever I’m interested in at the time. I own every color of embroidery floss from years ago, every color of premo, every color of crayon (just because I love the smell) and I’m sure I’ve thrown away more supplies because I bought every color and then didn’t use them before they dried up.
But I’m not a clothes horse, I don’t have a million pair of shoes, but I probably have a million different kinds of supplies. They make me happy, they make me feel like I could at anytime create something wonderful because I have everything I could ever need to create anything. Okay, that’s not really true, I don’t have ALL the supplies in the world, but I’m working on it.
These bracelets are really fun to wear because from the front, when it’s on your wrist, a person can’t really tell what it is. It just looks like an interesting, colorful bracelet. But then they say something about it and you show them the whole drawing, they are amazed. It’s pretty cool actually.
Then when you tell them it’s polymer clay, pen and ink, they want to know more. Mostly they say they can’t draw and could never do it. It’s really not true, everyone can draw something even it it’s just shapes and trust me shapes can be very interesting. But these girls are very basic line drawings.
Anyway, this is the face for the second bracelet. They will both be for sale in my Etsy Shop by the end of the day. Thanks for checking in.
It’s been a busy month! Yesterday I sent a large package to Ellen Prophater at Woman Creative in Buford, Georgia. (Scroll down to the bottom of this post and watch this short video I made while I was there earlier this month. ) Barbara McGuire is Education Director and Founder and Ellen is Exhibit Director and Gallery Manager. It’s a beautiful space and a must see if you are anywhere near by.
The Pen and ink bracelet above was one of the items that I sent for my display. ( It’s a composite picture of one bracelet, showing all sides) I created it using the techniques shown in the Pen and Ink on Polymer Clay video that I have for sale. You can purchase it by clicking on the image in the upper left hand corner of this page, or visiting my Esty shop here.
I love making canes and working with the colored clay, but I am thrilled to be able to combine both the drawing and the clay together. Exactly what one of my customers just emailed me about this tutorial.
I started out creating items with black and white with a touch of red, and still love those pieces, but have started to add color to the whole design and really am enjoying the color very much.
All of my items will be for sale in the Woman Creative Gallery along with many other well known artist’s work. Of course this is the place to see Barbara’s work, both current and some of her earlier pieces. Plus there are all kinds of classes you can take, click on this link to Woman Creative website, then on calendar on the right hand side of the page.
I sent all of these girlfriends to Ellen Plus other fun things. Can’t wait to see picture of how she displays them. Ellen has such a wonderful eye for display, she knows just what to do.
I also sent one of the large Girlfriends Galore Bracelets to Charline Ahlgreen for the Orlando Area Polymer Clay Guild’s annual Fandango auction. Plus two of my tutorials. So if you’re there and bidding, bid large..*g*
Don’t worry, I still have some for sale in my Etsy Shop. I am getting low on faces and need to spend a few days making more, so you might not see all of these same faces next time you look.
This is the second of two bracelets I made as samples for a client. She chose the first bracelet and so this one I’m going to keep for myself.
This is another bracelet made with the technique used in my new Pen and Ink tutorial. You can look to the upper left hand side of this page for a link to purchase it or click here.
I finished these Girlfriend Galore bracelets yesterday and popped them in to cure last night. Spent the morning taking pictures and cropping etc., loading two of them on my Etsy site and flickr, and now here. Yikes. It’s 2pm and I’d rather be claying……
But that’s the way it is and I guess I just need to get over it. But I am glad to be using backgrounds instead of cutting each item out in Photoshop. My printer has gotten a bit sad and I’ve just ordered a new laser printer. I’ve wanted one for years and could never justify the expense when I had a perfectly good inkjet sitting right here.
But to tell you the truth, this “free” printer really costs more to operate because of the ink. Anyway, I’m waiting for it now and I can’t wait to print all those background with the laser.
Anyway, back to the “girlfriends”. I’ve listed two of these bracelets in my Etsy shop. The wider one below……
I made one of these to go to the auction at Orlando Area Polymer Clay Guild’s Fandango coming up in May. It’s a super fun event and if your thinking about going…..stop thinking….just go, you’ll love it. Beautiful place, beautiful weather, beautiful people. Check it out on their website here.
What are you working on? Thanks for stopping by today.
I was making inchies for the International swap and fell in love with the little squares. After I finished all my valentine squares for the swap, I couldn’t wait to put some of my girls on the little squares and make some beads. This bracelet is for sale in my Etsy Shop.
And naturally they have to be friends, a blonde………
Another blonde………
And one with black hair…….a twist on my girlfriends bracelets.
And how could I not include a set of big lips???
I used buna cord for stinging. I didn’t want to have to make four more focal beads or a bunch of little ones. It seem to have worked very well. I wore it around the studio all day yesterday and it was very comfortable.
This is a bracelet made from Zentangle canes I made several months ago. I don’t know why I haven’t made more in all this time, too busy making other things I guess. But a tutorial is on my list. I’ve listed this one in my Etsy Shop.
I’ve also listed black and white cuff in the picture below in my Etsy shop. I don’t care how many bracelets I make like this, they still continue to sell well.
They’re fun and bold and really stand out with a pair of black jeans and a crisp white shirt, my favorite look still.
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