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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In April of 2010, I was experimenting with a different kind of face cane and made 13 bracelets from it. I’ve sold several of them and have but a few left. I started photographing this one to put in my etsy Shop to sell. It has a flower that looks like a poinsettia so I thought it would be perfect for the season and I’d better get it posted.
When I looked through the lens, what did I see but a Stroppel cane that I used for a collar and a hat band. I started to laugh because my memory is so bad. At least about dates and when I did what. I knew I’d been making Stroppel canes for quite awhile, but didn’t realize it’s been almost 2 years.
 If you look close at the bottom of the bracelet, you can see the date. Now I’m thinking I’ll keep this one, I have another one that is even more Christmasy. I hope this made you laugh, it sure made me glad that I date things.
I did list another pen and ink face bracelet that I finished last week. It’s in my Etsy Shop.
I had to share this trade with you. Julie and I met for the first time a couple of months ago and we decided to trade our creations.
This pendant is an amazing piece of art. Not only did Julie make this incredible face cane she constructed the kaleidoscope canes she’s used for the frame. I’m thrilled to have this wonderful piece but also to have gotten to know Julie and see her work on this piece. You can see more of Julie’s work on her blog Julie Eakes. Her most recent cane is a beautiful portrait of her grandmother.
This is my part of the trade, the picture shows all side of the bracelet. Once again I think I got the better part of the trade. Thank you Julie
I was working on several things this weekend, more girlfriend slides in my Etsy shop and several of my new bracelets.
Two of the new bracelets were for the International Polymer Clay Associations competition Progress and Possibilities. I have never entered any competitions with my clay work except in a monthly Viola polymeristas once or twice. I hadn’t planned on sending anything to this competition until my friend Suzanne Ivester asked me why not. I told her , “I don’t know, I don’t know what I would send? She kind of wagged her email finger at me and made me think it was time to see if I could come up with a design.
I’ve been working hard to make my work as professional as I can, as smoothly finished and well made as possible. Now it’s time to take the next step and start pushing those other buttons like others approval, how will it measure up, and just plain ol’ fright.
Yep fright! You might think that is totally crazy coming from someone who blogs all the time, exposes my work to thousands of readers everyday, makes videos of my techniques and shows myself in these videos from time to time!
But it’s true, asking someone else to judge your work is totally different than just sharing it with those who want to take a look or actually buy something you’ve made.
But I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way, so I’m going to pass on my challenge from Suzanne to you, make something and enter it in Progress and Possibilities 2011. There are three categories – Art Jewelry, Functional Objects and Sculptural Objects with three levels of expertise – Beginners, Intermediate and Professional. So you see, even if you are a beginner there is a place for you. If you are Intermediate like me, then I double dog dare you. If you’re professional…..well enough said.
I double dog dare you!
In the meantime, I’m still sending girlfriends to Etsy. I’ll show pictures of my new bracelets another day.
I’ve just posted this new girlfriend bracelet in my Etsy Shop. She’s the third one I made and I can tell you the truth, I’m having a blast. Each bracelet uses a bunch of clay and canes, but it’s worth it in the end because these bracelet just make everyone smile.
On another note………
I want you know that I continue to be amazed at all the incredible polymer pieces that are being created by artists around the world using the Stroppel cane. From France to Romania the Stroppel cane has taken many shapes and been including in many designs. I’ve have been gathering each one as they come to my attention and “pinning” them to my Pinterest page.
If you make something using a Stroppel cane, please let me know and I’ll added it to my Pinterest board.
If you want to watch the video it’s just to the right at the top of this page.
When Randee Ketzel sent me two of her Stroppel cane bracelets, well I was blown away by her thoughtfulness. I will always treasure them. I wanted to send Randee something in return so I decided to make a girlfriend wearing something well…..Stroppel! If you want to see her in her Stroppel cane sweater, she’s on Randee’s flickr site.
I sat down to make more girlfriend slides and thought why not do a series of Stroppel Sweater Girls. So now I’m just laughing and making sweater girls. I figured you can wear one or two or even three. You could collect as many as your neck will hold. lol… Okay now I’m just being silly.
Both of these girls are for sale in my Etsy shop and there will be more to come. Thanks Randee for the inspiration.
I just want to take the time to thank Cynthia Tinapple from Polymer Clay Daily once again for another feature about the Stroppel cane. This morning she linked to several polymer clay artists that have been experimenting with the technique and I have to say that I am truly delighted by the results. Thanks to everyone who is playing and posting about the Stroppel cane, it’s been so much fun!
Now on to what I’ve been playing with……new profile face bangles.
I’ve been working on these new bangles in between having so much fun with the Stroppel cane. In fact the one on the bottom of the pile is one I was working on while on retreat and it has some Stroppel cane on it. But in my head I saw this style bracelet made with my face canes and a couple of other ways I haven’t been able to out of my head and into clay yet.
These are just the prototypes, still working on perfecting the process. But I’ll have some up for sale on Etsy before the week is out. I’m working on more ideas, so be sure to check back and see what mischief I’ve been up to.
I just noticed how much purple is in each of these, well, I like purple and I guess it shows. And lime green……….
This is a view of the backs. These bracelets really make a wonderful canvas for just about anything you want to create. I’m having fun again, but when don’t I have fun when clay is involved?
Thanks to Laurie Prophater and her inspiration bracelet that I’m so lucky to own from our trade. It was the shape that just made my head start to whirl. It was the first time I’d held one like it in my hands and had the free time to ponder. Retreats are a very good thing, gets your imagination jumping.
Laurie’s blog is Ornamental Elements or you can visit Laurie’s Etsy site.
Have you ever had that “slap your forehead” moment, you know the one, the one where you say to yourself “why didn’t I think of this sooner?”
Well that was me yesterday, here is the result……….girlfriend slides. And why not I ask you, why not slides to go with the bracelets or instead of a bracelet? I know pins are good too but I love the necklace idea.
Sorry I know it sounds bad to say you love something you just did, but hey…..I would not be playing with clay if I didn’t kind of love what I was doing right?
So I’m off now to list these plus a fish slide in my Etsy shop. Dancing girl la la la girlfriend queen da da la la \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
 More to come of these I’m telling you, just watch!
I sold the last of my girlfriend galore bracelets at Fandango and needed to make more and here’s the new gaggle of girlfriends.
I was honored to be asked to donated something to the International Polymer Clay Association retreat this year and I’m sending one of these cuffs. I only wish I could go this year. I would love to meet all the other wonderful clayers that are going to be there. Maybe next time.
I’ve also made the largest GG bracelet yet, showing in the photo above are all sides of this 1 1/2″ wide cuff. It really looks great on a large girl like me. This bracelet is listed in myEtsy Shop.
It’s hard for me to decide which size I like the best, I like them all I guess. Someday I have to save one for myself. Maybe it’s one of these because I’ve used the last of at least one of my face canes and so these really represent my faces over the last few years. Kind of a road map of my journey.
The next group of bracelets will be welcoming some new faces because I’ll be making more this month. I can’t wait to see the new personalities that show up. That’s really how I feel about my face canes, each one kind of decides who they are going to be and sometimes I don’t have alot of say in the matter. Kind of fun.
I had this portrait idea in my head for awhile now and thanks to an idea nudge from a flickr friend I finished this girl last night. It’s a portrait mirror, I just covered the mirror part because of the reflection.
I’ve been having fun trading with new friends on ficker. I traded with Doreen Bell, an amazing Mosaic Artist, you can see her work here on Flickr. I traded several of my girls for a project she wanted to work on involving a mirror and the Seven Dwarfs of menopause. Here’s the crazy funky wonderful “Libby the Librarian” a hand held mirror Doreen created to make me laugh.
And you just gotta laugh at this girl. She’s even reading Alice in Wonderland.
Anyway, my girls on a mirror, I thought hmmmm sounds interesting, so I borrowed her mirror idea, thanks Doreen, and created the girl above. We Never Stop Blooming.
The other fabulous mosaic artist that I traded with is Laura Pattison in Spain. She wanted a crazy business card holder and I wanted one of her famous rainbow mosaics. I think we are both happy, I know I’m more than thrilled. You need to check out Laura’s work here on flickr
So that’s what I’ve been up to, plus a hundred other things, *g*. Have a great week-end.
Leila Bidler from Polymer Clay Italia hosted an international inchies swap and these are the inchies I sent in to trade. Queen of Hearts, lots of them.
It was a Valentine’s Day Swap and we had to make our inchies with a Valentine flair. So these crazy Queen of Hearts were my contribution.
Leila said that my return set of 20 inchies have been mailed, so I’m waiting as calmly as I can. It took almost a month for my queens to reach Leleila, in fact I was getting worried that they had decided to tour the world on their way to Italy. I hope it doesn’t take that long for her package to reach me.
For those of you who haven’t ever heard of inchies, it’s like ATCs (artist trading card) business size cards that are traded between artists and rarely ever sold. Inchies are the clay and mosaic artists version, altho there have been many ACT made from clay.
Inchies are 1″ x 1″ little works of art. I sent in 20 inchies and I will get 20 different one back from artists around the world. A swap takes a willing hostess to have everything shipped to them and then they have to sort and sent all the packages back out again. It takes a lot of work and I send my thanks to Leleila for giving me the opportunity to be in touch with so many others that love polymer clay.
You can take a look at a slide show of this years swap here or go to the Flickr site here.
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