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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 Polymer Clay Bracelets 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.
 Put Your Red Dress On 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.
I’ll put this one on Etsy tomorrow.
 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.
 Polymer Clay Face Cane Bracelet #2 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.
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?
Okay, now I’ve totally lost my focus and plan to stop this and move to Plan B – making another face cane. But before I do, I’ve baked the face then made these flowers, put it all back in the oven again and am waiting for it to cure. I don’t think they go with her at all, not painterly enough, so I might not leave them with her. I don’t think they go with the canvas I painted either. But it’s all about experimenting until I’m happy. Can’t learn if you don’t try.
I am easily distracted today, lots of company this week and last, but it’s been great. Plus I’m going to artists day at the Sebring High School tomorrow. I’ll set up my work beside other local artist and answer questions from the art students. I’m always excited to share what I do with people and the kids are so interested. You should see the work they produce, seriously wonderful. Their teachers deserve a great deal of credit. So I need to gather my things and get ready.
An order from Boston Clay Works came today and included was one of their new eye class cases. I am thinking about what I want to cover it with while I’m still thinking about this face cane. I’m worse than I was when I was a kid and always jumping from one thing to another. so it’s kind of funny that I’m going back to my high school tomorrow.
But the bottom line is…..uh…….I’m sure you don’t want to hear me say I’m having fun one more time…..but I am.
 Polymer Clay Angel on Canvas Part 1 I didn’t have as much time today as I wanted to spend with my face cane. Had to help with some yard work. It felt good to be outside in the wonderful weather. I did have time to paint this canvas and mess around with her neck and blouse. Colors still aren’t right, but I’m just going ahead with her and after she’s baked I’ll shade in under her chin with some wash.
I need to add wings and I want to do some flowers or something. I’m going to cure what I have so far and then add the other elements. I’m finding because I’ve been handling this one so much I need to get it cured.
I have been inspired by several folk artists and am trying to create my own folk angels. One of my favorite artists is Campbell Jane, I just love her work.
Anyway, more to come………..
 First Slice Face Cane - Alice Stroppel I spent hours messing around with this face cane. I finally decided I wanted to move on and start all over again. So I quickly added lips and called it a day. It not exactly what I had in mind. But I learned a lot and will begin experiment #2 on Monday. This is the first slice.
But as usual with my face canes, she has grown on me. So I added hair, a neck and some old pc butterfly wing. Nothing is baked and her shirt is just a piece of skinner blend I threw on there for the picture. With this cane I was trying to get a folk art angel look, it’s almost there, but I’m not finished yet. (that’s funny, I probably will never be finished, what a silly thing to say. )
 Face Cane with Hair - Alice Stroppel Even though I wanted to move on and start another face cane, I couldn’t resist playing around by adding the wings. And possibly tomorrow, a halo. Anyway, I’m good with her, I learned…so on to the next step. Oh by the way, part of the reason what I wanted to achieve didn’t quite happen is she’s just too big. with hair and neck she’s about 7″ long, now that’s big. The next one will start smaller.
 My first face cane - Alice Stroppel I know…you’re wondering why on earth I would post this vase with these kind of scary looking faces on it. Well to tell the truth, they’ve grown on me and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. They remind me of the journey.
I made this first face cane over ten years ago. I didn’t put a date on this vase so I’m guessing. This vase still makes me laugh, in fact the better I get at making face canes, the more I laugh when I see these girls.
I thought they were wonderful. They didn’t turn out anything like I wanted. I wanted this cane to be beautiful, painterly, with gradual color change, but as you can see…………….but it didn’t matter, I actually took colored clay messed around with it and made this face that when I sliced through the cane, I got face after face. I was so excited. Are you kidding me? It was the coolest thing, I was hooked. Even though I was working somewhere else, I continued to work on my face canes.
My friends had to put up with me giving them things with very strange faces on them. My mother who loves beautiful angels was shocked I know, when I gave her a bracelet made of face beads. They were not beautiful angels, but yet another test face cane. But bless her, she smiled and said thank you. So that’s why I made this first “pretty” faced angel for her. I think she’ll like this better and forgive me for giving her the others.
I also didn’t know very much about the clay. The eyes are made with translucent clay and the rest of the face with regular. Today I know it’s better to try to use the same type of clay or a mixture of both.
As you can see by my post from the other day, I’ve been working on another face. Even though I’m very happy with the way I finally figured out to make faces, and I really enjoy sharing the process in my Profile Face Cane Tutorial, I still want to make a face that is painterly, with more color. So I’m experimenting. I haven’t got it right yet, but when I do I’ll post pictures.
I’ll work on it for an hour or two, mixing colors and trying to figure out an easy way to do it so I can make another tutorial, then walk away for awhile.
In the middle of the night I woke up and started thinking about how I could accomplish the look I was trying to achieve and another idea hit me for something not even related to the face. So yesterday I spent time playing with that idea before I forgot it. geez…….
But it’s all good, I’m where I’m suppose to be, doing what I’m suppose to be doing, taking as long as I need, it’s all fun and a great adventure. I ask you, what more could I ask for.
This week is my birthday week, there are parties planned and things to do. I’m thankful! Thank you for stopping by today!
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