Polymer Clay Canes for Beginners

27 videos, step by step, beginner cane workshop beginner Cane Tutorial 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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[caption id="attachment_102" align="aligncenter" width="100" caption="Member IPCA"]Member IPCA[/caption]

Synergy 3 Seeking Higher Ground Challenge – Kathleen Dustin’s Stunning Necklace

Alice Stroppel and Kathleen DustinI can only say that I was delighted to have this picture with Kathleen Dustin wearing her stunning Necklace. She is such an incredibly talented artist and the polymer clay community is  so lucky to have her as one of our polymer divas continually leading the way to excellence.

The entire Synergy 3 – Seeking Higher Ground was about striving for excellence, improving and growing. Becoming the best that you can be.

The piece I’m wearing I’m sad to admit was made at the last minute. I am challenging myself to continue with the design and improve it if I can.

I have a beautiful peacock  shawl given to me as a gift that I wanted to wear wear the night of the banquet. I worked on a couple of designs but wasn’t happy with them.

Even though I say it was a last minute thing, I did try out several ideas before moving on to the one I actually wore.

peacock prototypes

Here are the first three attempts at a pendant. The one on the far right was actually too literal and I wasn’t happy with that. The other two just weren’t coming together. Everything was just too constricted.
Peacock Feather - Alice Stroppel

I liked this one better, but wish I’d started on it weeks before I needed to wear it.

I decided to use my cane mapping technique and add a touch of metallic. It certainly matched my shawl better and I liked the flow. The bad part was not having a fabulous chain to hang it from, even though I wore it just the same. That seems to me to be one of my largest setbacks, making a piece and not thinking about the rest of the story.

It’s why I usually just do pendants and “slides”. I don’t have to think about the rest. I plan to give that part more thought in the future.

So this is my challenge…….plan, plan, plan and Make it Sing

Wish me luck and go spend some time on Kathleen’s webiste if you haven’t been there for awhile.

 

 

 

A Polymer Clay Figure Inspired by Kathleen Dustin’s Class

Flying Mermaid

Flying Mermaid

I have been working all week on my tutorial for the profile face cane, but haven’t finished the editing of the video yet. But the filming and the pdf are finished.

I have been having blogging withdrawals, I haven’t made anything new to post because of the tutorial.

While on breaks,  I have been talking with some people on Facebook about the class we took with Kathleen Dustin. I thought I’d post this flying mermaid that I made after her class. I really enjoyed the techniques she taught us and I would like to try again. I know, just another thing to put on my Wanna Do list.

This mermaid flies above my head when I am working on my computer. Unlike her human friends, she wears her bathing cap when she is flying….it keeps her hair from frizzing in the air.

Flying Mermaid Tail

Flying Mermaid Tail

I had a thing for mermaids back then, and I guess I still do kind of. But back to work on the face cane tutorial.

The Fuller Craft Museum Will Present – Sculpting Color – Works in Polymer Clay

The Fuller Craft Museum will present – Sculpting Color – Works in Polymer Clay – curated by Kathleen Dustin August 8, 2009 – November 8, 2009

Examiner.com has this slide show of work by Boston artist Betsy Baker of Stonehouse Studio and images from the Fuller Craft Museum exhibition, Sculpting Color.

The slide show at Examiner.com also includes the work of a few of the other artists participating in the exhibit,  Steve Ford and David Forlano, Bonnie Bishoff and JM Syron and Kathleen Dustin.

Thank you to Kathleen Dustin for the work she is doing on what we all know will be a tribute to all the incredible artists that have elevated the art of polymer clay.

Polymer Clay Dish After Taking Kathleen Dustin’s Class

 A Dish

A Dish

Bottom of the Dish

Bottom of the Dish

I have so many things that I have made over the years. This is one of my favorite pieces. I made this after taking Kathleen Dustin’s class. At the time I was busy at work and really didn’t continue to make many other things in this style. I love to make canes, but I think now that I have more time, I need to start experimenting again.

I drew that face on my computer in a paint program and applied it to the surface. I continued with what I learned with Kathleen. It you ever have the opportunity to take a class from Kathleen, do it, you will learn so much.,

What I might never be able to do is to sand it as much as it needs. Does anyone know if I can hire that done????

A couple of the canes that I used, actually came from a cane swap I did with I first started with PC. I love that about this kind of work. You can incorporate canes and each one can have a memory or special meaning. Kind of a scrap book of work that you and friends have done.

Most of us would like to make some money from our work, if for no other reason than to support our habit. But we can’t forget the pure enjoyment that we get from making that special piece that we won’t sell no matter what. This dish is one of those pieces for me.