Polymer Clay Canes for Beginners 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.
Online Workshops with Alice Stroppel
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I was looking forward to my visit to the South East Polymer Clay Guild and I wasn’t dissapointed. The weekend started on a very high note and continued to get better.
I was fortunate to be able to visit with Pamela Carman and her delightful family and spend some time gazing at her bright cheerful birds, fish and all other sorts of other fun polymer clay work. And It’s because of Pamela and Susan Shuraky that I was there…….thank you Pamela and Susan.
The guild is lucky to have such a wonderful place to hold their large get togethers. The Woman’s Club in Davey is just perfect.
What a great group, we created some pen and ink faces and drawings, then got into a bit of caning and contouring. I just love how everyone was able to express their own voice with both techniques. It was so successful and I am tickled with their pieces. I hope to travel back to clay some more with everyone.
Hopefully I’ll remember the tripod so my photos won’t be so blurry.
A big thank you to all the members, you were great and it was so much fun.
Sometimes things appear when you aren’t expecting them. Well, I guess that isn’t entirely true. I wanted to create something new to teach that could incorporate several skills and still have my love of whimsey and pops of color. So I was kind of hoping something would come to me.
I’ve been busy getting ready for my trip to GA to teach at Creative Journey Studios and to have a few things to add to my inventory there when this sunshine piece popped into my mind. I worked on another sun a couple of weeks ago and had thought about teaching that, but it’s complicated and I wanted something I could teach in a day.
The closure on this necklace was a bonus thought that came to me. I was impressed with the closure that Melaine West came up with using magnets. I was having trouble with the closure on my appleman and Jan Montarsi aka Jembox, suggested I use magnets. I haven’t gotten around to playing with them yet and was happy to be able to share in Melaine’s solution on how to use the magnets. She has saved me hours of testing and I think it is so generous of her to share her method. Thanks Melaine, your work is simply stunning.
I thought I might use Melaine’s idea somehow in this necklace that I envisioned, but I hadn’t ordered any magnets so another idea pushed that one right out of my head.
Here’s my answer when you don’t have magnets, not as sophisticated as Melaine’s but this is a different kind of necklace……. cut a channel for your necklace cord to slide into, drill a hole in the back of a small accent piece made from pc and glue in your cord. Easy!
Now, I’d love to teach this class for your guild or group. Complete with a bit of easy to master sculpting… yes you can…..some fun cane work…teaching you to jump out of that box…….(I’ll be working on some new and different canes to include) plus some contouring work. I had so much fun making it that I know it will be a fun class.
Anyway, I’m happy with this guy and wanted to share my new closure with you and show you a bit about how my crazy mind works…jumping from one thing to the next until something just has to spill out.
How one project can lead to another and other artists can spark an idea that ends with an finished product that is my own is an amazing thing and something I hope I never stop doing.
I gather inspiration from everyone and everything, I hope you do too.
I love black and white. I haven’t made any black and white bracelets for sale in awhile and decided I needed to take a minute and create some.
 These are for the Pen and Ink class I’m teaching at the Creative Journey Studios in Buford, GA on the 22nd of this month. I’ll user these to show how I draw my faces directly onto the cured polymer clay.
On the 21st I’m teaching my profile face cane. So I’ve been busy with blending face clay too. Oh and while I was making black and white scraps, I added some colorful scraps and made several Stroppel Canes that have magically turned into pins for the pin exchange during Fandango next month. Still have a bunch to go…but I’ll get there.
I’m just smiling and clayin’…..
I’ve been blending colors and making tons of Skinner blends for my up coming class at Beads F.O.B. in Sarasota, FL. I had such a good time the last time I was there giving a class and I’m delighted to be going back. I’ll be there not this weekend, but next weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 14th and 15th. If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll come join us. And if your not in the area, I hope you get out of the cold and take a trip to FL. Call Beads F.O.B. to sign up and reserve a spot. 941-921-0871
The class will be about canes, canes, canes, and how to make this shaped bracelet. You’ll love this bracelet, I get a million compliments when I wear mine. As a bonus, we’ll be looking at color mixing as well.
I am going to expand on the canes I’ll be teaching and this class is for new and relatively new caners. I have been collecting inspirational photos for years and will be spending the next week constructing canes.
Just tapping into the world of geometrics provides a unlimited amount of ideas for canes.
Looking at colorful graphics is enough to get my brain spinning. It doesn’t mean that once I sit down to actually make a new cane that it will end up looking anything like these. Photos of all kinds are just a jumping off point for me, with color, shape and shading.
Just do a google search for say…..circles. click on the “image” link at the top lefthand side of the page and tada…….all the inspiration for circles you could ask for. You can to the same for any shape, color or subject. Just don’t get lost and forget about your clay.
Of course I can’t make Skinner blends without making scraps and scraps always lead to a Stroppel cane. I make this one with orange and blue as my separator colors and the rest of the scraps are just waiting their turn. Naturally, we’ll be making Stroppel canes in this class too.
 Come on…join me in beautiful Sarasota, I’ll love to meet you.
You might be wondering if you are in the right place. This happy girlfriend place has not gone over to the dark side, not in the least. This is the time of year to get out there are buy yourself a skull to use as a guide when you are building a foil base for your polymer clay heads.
I’m teaching a sculpting class after the first of the year and I have a very large skull I bought years ago that has the bones showing on one side and with the skin covering the bones on the other side. But it was not cheap, so for my class I’m suggesting that they buy an inexpensive plastic skull for my class and to have for future reference. This skull is about 4″ x 4″. Or you could go large and buy a scarier big one.
Next thing is to always be on the look out for anatomy books at garage sales or used book stores. I have some really fabulous books I’ve picked up along the way and they help me a great deal.
So if you want to try your hand at sculpting some day, get out there before the serious Halloween party animals and get yourself a plastic skull.
I just have to tell you …. I love teaching …. and …….. I love teaching new caners. The smiles and looks on the faces of the ladies in my class this weekend at Beads F.O.B. in Sarasota just put me in a good mood for the next month at least.
Thanks to Karen at Beads F. O. B. for keeping all the paperwork straight and Marty for all her work and for letting me come join the fun. Looks like I’ll be going back to teach again soon so check back to see when you might be able to come join us.
We made so many canes and turned some of them into beads and some into pendants, I’m only showing the pendants here.
Joan was having a great time and already had plans for a volunteer project and began working on it before class was over.
 Marlene I heard this high little yell from Marlene and wondered what was wrong. It was all excitement at her table, she had just successfully reduced that little leaf cane and was tickled with herself. It reminded me of the first time I reduced a cane and all the possibilities that were running through my head.
 Marty Marty made earrings and enjoyed the whole creative process. She is one fun polymer clayer.
 Lois I looked up one time to see the biggest grin on Lois’ face. She had just made several successful canes in a great combo of colors and I could see the wheels turning behind those smiling bright eyes.
 Christine Christine said she couldn’t go to sleep the first night and couldn’t wait to get back to work on her canes on Sunday. Her enthusiasm shows in her work.
 Cathe Cathe’s work is big and bold. Her color combinations are bright and work so well together.
I’m so sorry that Marina had to leave early and I didn’t get a picture of her work.
(two days later, update) Marina sent me a picture of her work, I’m so happy to be able to include it. I just didn’t feel right for her pieces to be missing. Thanks Marina!
 Marina Montagut I love how everyone created their own colors and Marina loves to do mini piece. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with.
I also didn’t take a class picture. We ran over time, we were having so much fun, and people started to leave before I remembered the group photo. Thanks to all my student, I really appreciate how easy you made it to show you what I know, it was great fun.
I’ve been spending some time developing a class for beginners, beginner caners that is. I know so many clayer that haven’t made a cane or weren’t very successful at caning and just gave up. I also know many people that are interested in learning more about polymer clay, but don’t know where to start.
Marty Montague and Karen Johnsnon from Beads, F.O.B. in Sarasota, FL attended my pen and ink class last month and saw some of my colorful beads and asked if I would teach a caning class in Sarasota. Polymer clay is the perfect compliment to beads of all kinds. Creating a focal bead from polymer and pairing it with other elements gives the beaded an even greater ownership of a piece. I’ll be truly excited to see what the beaders from Marty’s shop will create after this workshop
I’ll be teaching the two day workshop on Aug. 20th and 21st. Learn more in my class section, or download this pdf for all the information. To register for this workshop call Beads, F.O.B. at 941-921-0871.
These are a few of the samples I’ve been making from to basic Skinner blends that I will be teaching in this workshop. Each new caner will walk away with enough canes to make hundreds of different pieces and because it’s a two day workshop, there will be time to create lots of beads or pendants before we all go home.
Come on a join me, we’re going to have a blast.
I’ve been busy this week making slices to exchange at a retreat I’m going to in September. Very excited about it and I’ll tell you more about it another day.
I’ve also been making a zillion, yes that many, skinner blends for a fun new workshop I’ll be teaching in Sarasota, FL at Beads, F.O.B., Inc. on Saturday, August 20th – 10am – 4pm and Sunday the 21st from 10am – 1pm.
Marty Montague is the owner of Beads, F.O.B., Inc and she and Karen Johnson is manager, designer and teacher at the shop. They both attended my pen and ink class last month and we all had such a good time Marty asked me to teach a cane/bead class for her. I’m delighted.
It’s a two day workshop for people new to polymer clay, don’t worry you won’t have to buy lots of equipment, I have pasta machines to share, but you will be investing in lots of clay. The up side of that is you will be “stocking” your cane pantry with enough colors, blends and canes to make hundreds of beads or pendant with the techniques I’ll show you.
It’s also a workshop for those who have been playing with clay for awhile but have just never tried caning and are ready to take the plunge.
I’ll be showing you how I make reasonable sized to small canes to use all kinds of fun projects. I never make giant canes because I don’t like to have lots of one cane, I’d rather use my clay stock to make hundreds of small interesting canes. It makes it easier on your pocketbook if your just starting out.
I’ll spend some time with skinner blends, I’ve learned a few important things over the years that I’ll share. Plus we’ll be using the skinner blends to make many different canes and beads.
So here’s what you’ll be learning
- Create a Skinner blend
- Make these basic canes: stripe, checker board, jelly roll, bulls eye,
flowers and some fun little accent canes.
- Use tons of tips gleaned from my years of practice. If there is an
easier way, I’m going to do my best to find it.
- Learn several ways to make beads.
- Finish a simple yet striking pendant.
This strand of beads are just a sample of the beads you’ll be able to make from the canes we produce in this workshop.
 I’m still making samples for this class and will be posting them over the next couple of week. To find out more about this class download my pdf, to register call Karen or Marty at 941-921-0871
I’m not sure if their August newsletter is out yet, but it will be shortly. You can download it from the front page of Beads, F.O.B.
The next class in my studio will this month, July 30, 2011. We’ll be using up your old canes and creating some very cool fish.
I’m using fish as the subject, but you could cane map almost anything. I’ll be showing you a couple of other cane mapped items in the next few days. The photo above shows one crazy fantasy fish that I applied to this cute little tea pot. Fun! Here’s a close up. It’s only about 3″ square.
The Class is $55.00 and that will include lunch and Foam core for mounting your finished fish and cording or pin back to finish your small fish. Plus…I’ll add a bit of metal foil to add the pop need to create a fantasy fish.
Click here for all the information. Hope to see you here,
Alice
 Face Patterns These are some of the sample items I made for my class last weekend and I think they are a good mix of styles from the same group of patterns. The face on the bracelet in the middle is the same face that is one the figure in blue surrounded with black and white canes.
If you are a student in my P&I class the patterns in pdf form are emailed to you after class, usually the next day. If you can’t make it to the South East anytime soon, you may want to consider my tutorial and these patterns. Both are for sale in my Etsy shop.
Now that I’ve started coloring on clay, and I kind of feel like I’m 10 and have all these wonderful coloring book pages in front of me and all the colors to go with it. I just can’t stop.
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