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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Polymer Clay Cane Workshop with FGCPCG

FGCPCG2014

Thank you Kim and Sydney for the photo. The always fun group at Florida Gulf Coast Polymer Clay, thank you all for having me.

Well everyone’s smiling, that’s always a good thing I think. I know I had a great time and was so excited to see the canes everyone made. The exciting thing is that there is going to be a part two to this workshop.

I’m going back in June and we’ll explore how to turn all those canes into wall art, objects and more. So everyone has homework hehehe.

I also shared my new Stroppel Cane #2 with this group. It’s a little different and fun. I’m going to film it today and post it tomorrow so you can play with your scraps tomorrow if you like the way it comes out.

Alice Stroppel cane workshop

Here’s a picture of some of the Premo blends and the canes we worked on in this workshop. I have to send a big shout out to Iris Weiss and Polyform. they generously donated all the Premo clay for this workshop. Everyone went home with clay to “do their homework”. Thank you so very much Polyform and Iris.

I’ve always used Premo polymer clay. I wasn’t interested in putting forth the effort to condition the harder clays and I was so invested in Premo by the time the others came out with a softer clay that I just never switched. I love many of the Premo colors. I make my face canes with Premo and they are more complicated for sure, so Premo works for me with my more complex canes.

 

My approach to caning is a bit different than the norm. I don’t worry too much about everything being perfect, I don’t mind if my canes are a bit wonky so my caning style may make some want to look away.

Some caners are producing more than just a few pieces for sale. Either in their online shops, in galleries, at festival, or they are wholesaling to stores. Others are doing precise design work and have refined their caning skills.

I don’t sell that many finished pieces, so I never make very large canes. There a several more reason why my canes tend to be small to tiny. I don’t want to surround them with translucent, I don’t want to have to reduce then very much and I want to create a new design each time I make something from the canes.

Example: I could have made a large cane for this cat bracelet but I used lots of smaller canes. There will never be another one exactly like this one, I like that. I call my process  Cane Mapping but you could say it was like mosaic work without the grout.

Cheshire Cat's Cousin

 

This fish is made the same way

Fish MosaicAs are all my wall pieces.

Explorations - Alice Stroppel

Explorations – Alice Stroppel

I have a very laid back approach to cane making. there truly are NO mistakes with my canes. It kind of takes the stress off of building canes, at least it does for me.

The artists that can be exact and create those fabulous intricate designs have my complete admiration, their work is stunning, I just can’t do it so I don’t try.

There are lots of you out there that are just like me, I know it. You want to cane but are afraid, you don’t want to waste all that clay, it makes you nervous to even think about it, you don’t think you’re good at it.

By starting with a bit of freedom attached to you caning, you can learn without stress and then later if you want to evolve, move on, learn to make the more complex canes. Or stay here with me, it’s all good.

Online right now is a great group on Facebook led by Rian Sanderse called 52 Weekly Cane Projects. It’s a fantastic way to practice canes with any pressure and it’s free. It’s a pretty wonderful thing Rian is doing for the pc community.  This last week she featured my Stroppel Cane and Ronit Golan’s scrap cane. go join, you’ll have fun.

If you or  your group is interested in taking my canes and/or cane mapping workshop/s please leave me a message on the comment page or on Facebook. I’d love to come met you all if I could.

 

Polymer Clay Cane Class at Beads, F.O.B. – Sarasota

I’ve been busy this week making slices to exchange at a retreat I’m going to in September. Very excited about it and I’ll tell you more about it another day.

Bead class BEADS, F.O.B.

I’ve also been making a zillion, yes that many, skinner blends for a fun new workshop I’ll be teaching in Sarasota, FL at Beads, F.O.B., Inc. on Saturday, August 20th – 10am – 4pm and Sunday the 21st from 10am – 1pm.

Marty Montague is the owner of Beads, F.O.B., Inc and she and Karen Johnson is manager, designer and teacher at the shop.  They both attended my pen and ink class last month and we all had such a good time Marty asked me to teach a cane/bead class for her. I’m delighted.

It’s a two day workshop for people new to polymer clay, don’t worry you won’t have to buy lots of equipment, I have pasta machines to share, but you will be investing in lots of clay. The up side of that is you will be “stocking” your cane pantry with enough colors, blends and canes to make hundreds of beads or pendant with the techniques I’ll show you.

It’s also a workshop for those who have been playing with clay for awhile but have just never tried caning and are ready to take the plunge.

I’ll be showing you how I make reasonable sized to small canes to use all kinds of fun projects. I never make giant canes because I don’t like to have lots of one cane, I’d rather use my clay stock to make hundreds of small interesting canes. It makes it easier on your pocketbook if your just starting out.

I’ll spend some time with skinner blends, I’ve learned a few important things over the years that I’ll share. Plus we’ll be using the skinner blends to make many different canes and beads.

So here’s what you’ll be learning

  • Create a Skinner blend
  • Make these basic canes: stripe, checker board, jelly roll, bulls eye,
    flowers and some fun little accent canes.
  • Use tons of  tips gleaned from my years of practice. If  there is an
    easier way, I’m going to do my best to find it.
  • Learn several ways to make beads.
  • Finish a simple yet striking pendant.

This strand of beads are just a sample of the beads you’ll be able to make from the canes we produce in this workshop.

Beads for Workshop at Beads F.O.B. - Sarasota, FL I’m still making samples for this class and will be posting them over the next couple of week. To find out more about this class download my pdf, to register call Karen or Marty at 941-921-0871

I’m not sure if their August newsletter is out yet, but it will be shortly. You can download it from the front page of Beads, F.O.B.

One Polymer Clay Cane = Three Leaves and One Pod Thingy

Leaf Cane- four ways - Alice Stroppel

Leaf Cane- four ways

Yesterday I worked on colors, today I blended and cut and shaped polymer clay into one main cane. I cut the large cane in half and then cut that half into three pieces.

The first piece I shaped it into the first leaf and you can see how I shaped the other two pieces. I now have three different leaf shapes to use and all from the same cane.

Then I cut another piece from the original cane and cut and formed the bud/pod thingy. Not happy with the white part, but I’ll fix it later.

I love the way the colors make me feel. As I blend, I can feel myself getting excited about the way things are beginning to look. That’s what keeps me coming back for more, the excitement of what’s just around the crank of the pasta machine.

Now on to making more leaves and things to go with these so I can get excited about putting them all together to create something else. Sweet!!

New Face Cane in Polymer Clay!

Eye Cane for New Face Cane  - Alice Stroppel

Eye Cane for New Face Cane - Alice Stroppel

Okay guys, here’s a peek at what’s on my work table. A new face cane with a new look. I don’t want to show you everything I’ve done yet because I’m still working out colors. I think it looks kind of painterly don’t you?

That’s it for today and I’m going to try to stay away from the net so I can get those colors mixed.

Polymer Clay Class with Sarah Shriver at Orlando Clay Fandango

My items from Sarah Shiver's Class

My first class at Orlando Clay Fandango was with Sarah Shriver. We learned “to mix beautiful colors of polymer clay using Sarah’s in depth Skinner blending techniques”.

Okay, so mine doesn’t look anything like Sarah’s sample bracelet. (third one down on the linked page) But I had to make my shape a little bit different and do another piece with my cane. Plus I didn’t take a very good picture of the bracelet.

I still have miles of cane left and am going to spend some time trying to remember what I’m suppose to do with it. Most of the other students produce beautiful pieces.

If you haven’t taken a class with Sarah, I want you to know that you should. She is such an experienced polymer clay artist that she just naturally is able to explain her process easily. Just her color mixing approach alone is worth seeing.

She has a quick wit and is very entertaining. She moves her class along but has time to spend with anyone that needs it. After class she was right back at her desk to answer questions and help anyone that wanted it. Everyone had time to drill holes in their beads and end up with a finished piece.

Visit  Sarah’s website for more information about her classes, her DVD’s and her Show Schedule.