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 sometimes wonder how I ever get through anything. I decided to stop thinking of things to do, filing them away in my head and never ever bringing them back out again, and do something about the ideas right then.
Do you do this? I know you do! We all have those minutes when we are right in the middle of creating something we think is wonderful (or not) and another wonderful (and once again, at least we think it’s wonderful) idea jumps into our brain. We don’t usually stop what we’re working on to do the new thing. At least that’s what I used to do.
The other day I decide to just follow where I am being led at any given time. I have spent most of my adult life doing what I thought would “sell”, or what others might like. I have given some of that up for doing exactly what I want to do and exactly when the idea comes along.
I was making new canes for my new face cane bracelet series and some of the canes and some of the process looked like great necklace material. So I took the fork in the road and ended up with the necklace above. I’d ordered some buna cord awhile back and that’s what I used to finish it off. I also used some silver finding for the clasp.
I’m on my way back to the bracelets now, see I wasn’t gone long and I’ve made something I really like and will wear. I just wanted to share this with you. I had fun, and that’s my job!
I’ve received such positive feed back about these bracelets that I decided that this was a great way to use this face cane. I have cut up and used all of the cane for these bracelets. I have prepared the faces on the bracelet so that they are all ready for hair, hats and blouses.
I’ve sold one locally, am keeping the first one, and the rest will be posted on Etsy and sent to the galleries that exhibit my work. I’ve done the basic work and now I can really use my imagination to make each one of these truly unique.
It’s the way I can produce many items that are the same while creating a one of a kind finished product. It’s kind of like an artist producing a limited addition of prints of an original work of art. Only these are all individual and unique. Each one took thought and manipulation of the eyes, lips and the addition of a neck. Moving forward, choices will be made for the other canes that will be added.
I will produce 13 bracelets and one pendant from this cane, so I would say that it is a collection with limited additions. Anyone purchasing one of these bracelets will know that this face will never be reproduced again. (I couldn’t if I wanted to) So it adds value to the purchase.
But wait, there could be more pieces coming from this cane yet……
Leftover eyes
As these were my best eyes to date, I just can’t throw these away, so they will continue to stare at me until I figure out what to do with them. I thought about putting them all on a bracelet, but that kind of creeped me out. Well, I’ll keep staring at these baby blues until I create something everyone will want to ogle.
Another bracelet today using the newest face cane. I made lips for this face cane that I wasn’t happy with and didn’t use. But I still have them and decided to alter them to make the blouse and the hat.
Blouse
You can see I’m still using the leaf cane I made several days ago. The outline on the blouse is actually the outline of the lips.
Hat
Same thing here, lips and leaves. Hey it works and I already put the effort and time into those lips so I needed to use them.
Another day of experimenting. Mica powers and Barbara McGuire Stamps, found jewelry and a piece of the face cane. Can’t decide if I want to make it a necklace or a large lapel pin. It measures 4 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ so it’s large.
This is one of those that, like Kate from Shibori Girl Blog felt about her latest cuff bracelet, this one is going to have to stay with me.
Somehow it baked too long and turned brown, so I had to add the leaves to the hat and bake again. The face is still to dark, but I’ll wear it or just hang it on my wall. I loved making it because it was so different.
I did add one of the bracelets to my Etsy shop in case anyone thinks they just can’t live without it.
I’m still having fun in the studio after all this time.
My second bracelet made with this face cane. When I was reducing the larger cane to make the altered art piece, I had to cut some of the ends off and had half a face. Staying true to my thought process of “never throwing anything away if I can find a way to use it”, I tried it on a bracelet blank and TA DA!!!! More face cane bracelets. What a surprise from me!
Hatband
I am going to try some other pieces of jewelry even though I have always said I didn’t really want to make lots of jewelry, my face just lend themselves to it. I just haven’t had all the right equipment and supplies needed, but I have been slowly adding things for necklaces etc.
My friend Laquita Carter is coming on Friday again for a clay day. She teaches clay classes at Bonita Bead in Bonita Springs. Maybe she’ll show me a trick or two. Laquita, are you listening?
Hat
I used the canes I made the other day from an idea that came to me while I was making this face cane. It was fun using them as hat feathers. The little balls are made with more end scraps I didn’t throw away because …well because I might need them for something like this.
Blouse
I saved all the canes and the little bit a scrap together in a plastic drawer as shown in this video How to Store Polymer Clay Canes. That way I have the canes, the scraps and any left over colored clay so that I could make another cane or just little balls that match.
I didn’t use any old jewelry on this one, It was late and I could decide on a piece. Finally I did decide ….. nothing for this girl, the canes were enough.
In the last post I said I was going to sleep really well last night. HA! Not when the wheel of creativity are turning. Here we go again, Fun!
I know when I have something that is about to happen that is going to make me say, “Yes!!!” , I get the feeling that I am creating but not moving forward. I also know that it is not the time to give up.
So I have been playing around with everything, anything and knowing that something will make me happy. And guess what? I’m happy!
I love these new bracelets. I love the craziness of them. I love them, they make me laugh. You see, While I was playing around with “the” face cane, I didn’t want to do another one because I really didn’t know what I would make out of it. The answer was right there in front of me. I was thinking I wanted to do something different, but what could I do that really made sense with the face canes. I like the idea of the mixed media, and I’m going to pursue that avenue too, but cuff bracelets, here I am again. Okay, maybe I’m just slow on the uptake sometimes.
So here is the first of my crazy new girls on cuff bracelets. I’ll still do my old girls, after all I have plenty. But I’m going to add these girls as well. I have tons of old jewelry to recycle and can’t wait to use some of it.
These bracelets are so Me! I can’t wait to wear this one to a meeting I have tomorrow. They’re so hard to show in a photo. You really have to see them up close and on someone’s wrist. Thus the “wonderful” picture of my wrist that should really not be shown “up close”, but the best way to show how much fun these are going to be to wear.
Good night kids, I’m sleeping really well tonight.
When I was cleaning up the other day, I came across this pin I made at the same time I made the bracelet in my post titled, Polymer Clay – Talk About Using It All!! It was in my “to be baked pile”. So today while I was baking a couple of other things, I finished it up. It’s sort of outer spacey looking.
It’s an easy quick way to use something that might have gone into the scrap pile and turn it into something fun to wear instead.
I’ve saved a few more of the end pieces from canes for other projects not thought of yet. That’s what is no longer on my clay table, and I’m looking forward to another interesting afternoon with faces and other bits of clay.
I just couldn’t throw her away and I didn’t have the inspiration to start a new face cane this last week. So today I wanted to continue the canvas and polymer clay ideas that have been running around in my head. I decided that this cane was perfect for my explorations.
This One ?
I love altered art and have collected “things” for years. I do Birthday presents for my friends and cards now and then. I’ve been wanting to mix altered art with polymer clay for quite some time.
Or this one?
I’ve laid everything out on the canvas and I’m pretty happy with the placement of things, but I’m still trying to decide about flower. Flower in her hair? Soft or bright? As an accent? More needed?
Flowers in her Hair?
I’m still toying with the idea of earrings. I like using old jewelry pieces too. The couple dancing is a scanned reproduction of a drawing my Dad did in the 40’s. I’m not sure just when, he didn’t date it, another reason I try to date everything I do.
Or just as an accent?
So that’s what I’m playing with today, and if nothing else comes from it, I am having a blast. Tell me what you think?
I have been doing so many thing with clay this week and not really getting anything finished. I’ve done some pretty cool things, but nothing is ready to post.
Since I’ve been back from Fandango, I had been posting everyday and wanted to keep that up, just a goal I had. But this week I don’t have any finished items. I was feeling kind of bummed, like I wasn’t accomplishing anything.
I always find myself doing all kinds of odd things to distract myself. Looking through my inspiration books, thinking of a million things I want to try. Cleaning and sorting, mixing colors and looking at old canes with new eyes. I always know something wonderful is about to happen when I get like this. Which brought me to this afternoon’s “get out of this, whatever it is” break through.
I’ve been making face canes for the last few weeks, all different kinds, some successful and some not so. But all of them learning experiences. I began to straighten up my face canes and make room for more and realized just how many I had.
I began to look at them from different angles and started to laugh. I’m still laughing, because they’re funny and because I accomplished more than I set out to years ago with my first face cane. Even though I still have more I want to do, I am so delighted to have gotten this far. So I shook my finger in my own face and said, “just create”. It’s hard to remember to just have fun, but that’s the point after all. My “girls” reminded me.
So I’m posting tonight to share a few of my face canes with you. The ones with big lips, little eyes, blue eyes and brown, from the first ones with way too much red or not enough color at all, I hope they make you laugh too.
The Creative Native is a gallery in Tampa, FL that features my polymer clay work. They are getting ready to put on a great event for the benefit of Animals and to give you the opportunity to spend some time with some lovely artwork. If you are in the Tampa Bay area on May the 8th, be sure to stop by. But if you can’t be there on that Saturday, be sure to stop by anytime, the gallery is delightful and full of fabulous art and whimsy. If you have any questions, just follow the links below.
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