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’ve finished my Tropical Leaves tutorial and it is now for sale in my Etsy shop. It’s another 40 minute video with 7 full 8 1/2″ by 11″ pages with step by step instructions. Colored drawings clearly show you the way to complete each cane.
Tropical Leaves - 9 canes
You’ll learn how to create all of these canes and yes the “vine” is a cane as well. I reduced them all down a bit to create the frame above. I also added a few other canes and bit of color to complete the overall effect.
I’ll be making a couple of other items with these canes so stop back soon.
I didn’t get the video uploaded, but I still have hopes that my connectivity problems will be solved soon. I’m happy to be able to upload a couple of pictures of another finished bracelet.
Actually, I’ve finished all 13 bracelet made from this face cane. I like this one because of the blue flower. It really stands out when you wear it. I always give my bracelets a test wear, I wore this one yesterday to the bank, grocery store and a neighborhood party.
The woman at the bank noticed it right away and told me how much she liked it. A woman in the grocery store made a comment and several people at the party couldn’t get over the fact that it was all clay and no paint. We all run into that I know.
I’ll be listing several more in my Etsy shop this afternoon. Next week, it’s on to another face cane like this one only better. (saying that with my fingers crossed) I learn from each try and hopefully get better as I go.
I’m working on this group of bracelets while being distracted by my life. I like that though, being able to stop claying and just leave it there until I have the time or the desire to work with it again. It’s a great feeling.
I had fun just arranging these three for a picture. Couldn’t decide which one to use. they almost look like an abstract piece of art when they are together this way.
I’ve listed one in my Etsy shop and there are three more in the oven. These three and the three in the oven are going with me to Tampa to The Creative Native event on Saturday.
There’s also lots to see and do in Tampa this weekend. An art events downtown on Friday evening at the Franklin Street Fine Woodwork Studios, one block away at the Cafe Hey and a Chalkwalk event all three days in the Hyde Park area. there is also an exhibit at Blake High School showcasing works by graduating art students.
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!
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.
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 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.
Here’s the thing, Laquita Carter is a online friend of mine. She’s order many things from me, bracelets, card holders and my Profile Face Cane tutorial. She came to visit with me yesterday and we made face canes. We talked about my blog, we clayed, we talked about the classes she teaches, we clayed, we talked about clay, we clayed, we both finished a profile face cane. Then she went home. I forgot to take a picture of her, of her work, of us together, I forgot to take any pictures at all for my blog.
What?
So this morning, I want to blog about what a great time we had, but all I have is this picture of my new face cane that I took this morning.
Oh well, that won’t happen again. I was just having too much fun and had taken off my blogger hat. So I’ll just say, I had a great time yesterday, thanks Laquita for making the trip and I’ll be posting about a full face class in a day or two.
Now, I need to make some bracelets for a gallery, I’ve received an order of bracelet blanks, I have a new cane and there is no excuse. I’m changing chairs right now, from computer desk to clay table.
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