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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 Mary, Andree, Sue, Lori, Earnestine, Alice, Niki, not shown, Ruby and Audrey I was so excited to welcome some of the members from the South East Florida Polymer Clay Guild to my studio. We spent two days playing with clay and enjoying each other’s company. Thank you all for coming……
I’m sorry to say that I did not take any pictures on the first day and Ruby and Audrey had already left by the time I remembered my camera. This time I was lucky to get in the picture because my husband happened to drift through the studio and I enlisted his help, a bit blurry, but hey!
Oh and our wonder dog Ceasar is shown at the bottom of the picture, okay, “kind of ” shown, really blurry…but he was so happy for the company.
We made face canes and then we made Flamingos. Not everyone wanted to make bracelets, so we have Lori’s punk candle ring and Andree’s sculpt to go on a mirror frame. Lori’s needs some feathers and Andree’s needs some skinny legs, they’ll finish up at home. Everyone else is going to be sporting a funky new bracelet. I think everyone did a fabulous job and enjoyed working with Ultralight.
Thanks so much to Mary Marzano for all the time she put into organizing the weekend. I’m not sure who had more fun, me or everyone else, I think maybe me!
To find out more about this guild, when they meet and where, visit the SEGPCG website or join them on Facebook.
The group came on a great weekend. It was downtown Sebring’s second Friday event and my good friend Janet King was the featured artist at Highlands Art League’s Yellow House reception. So we all met at the hotel and went to Janet’s reception then back to the hotel for dinner. There was Jazz on the circle and all the shops were open downtown. The next day was the Roaring 20’s craft show downtown, but we were busy in my studio with clay.
 Janet F. King Janet’s work is incredibly beautiful and I’m lucky to own a piece or two. Once you see her work, you’ll want to own a painting of her’s too.
If you’re in Sebring, be sure to take the time to visit the Yellow House, if not, visit Janet on her website at Janet King Watercolors. com
A grand peacock came to live in my studio today. I’m telling you I really like the way this process is working for me. Making bracelets this way is a blast.
This peacock is quite big and showy. I haven’t wore him out yet, he wasn’t finished when I went to dinner last night. I did wear the toucan though and everyone noticed it. It makes me happy to be able to share my polymer clay creations with people. They are always so amazed at what polymer clay can do, if they even know what it is to begin with. I feel like an ambassador for PC.
It allows for so many interesting shapes and spur of the moment design decisions that result in some pretty amazing results.The peacock just asked to be wrapped around onto itself. It is an interesting design that doesn’t really have an uninteresting side. I took many more pictures of it just because you can’t fully see it from just a couple of shots.
On this side, you can’t really tell what it might be, just a colorful something.
Still having fun here! Today, I think I’ll try a fish using this method. Just can’t stay away from them.
I’ve been working with Ultralight a lot lately, using it as a core for many of my larger bracelets and beads. I used it as a core for my Woman in the Moon and she’s easy to wear.
I didn’t use it as a core for this flamingo, I was experimenting with Super Sculpey as the core as it’s a bit easier to sculpt with than the very soft Ultralight. It’s heavier for sure and I won’t use it again as the core for bracelets this thick.
I’ve started a series of bangles using this method and I’m really jazzed about them. Right now I’m working on streamlining the process and learning the tricks of working successfully with the softer clay. It’s so much fun and I want to be able to teach others how to create their own characters. There is no limit to what we can come up with, here’s a toucan.
I’ve been working on so many different things and I’ll have more to share another day. For now I wanted to show you my Woman in the Moon. I was so happy to see so many woman heading towards the United State Congress and wanted to honor that in a small way.
So why not a woman in the moon, why does it have to be a man? Or better yet, why not both? Here is my woman in the moon, she’s a framed piece and a bracelet at the same time.
Here she is as a bracelet. I’ve made her out of Ultralight so she’s not so heavy. But she another example of my “out there” brain.
I have been inspired from several sources, but that’s nothing new, the difference is this time I decided to act right away and now send it to my “someday” list. Besides, I’m in a experimental mood.
When I received my beautiful set of Shisha bracelets made by talented women of Samunnat Nepal ( you should order a set  I loved the way they looked. The pattern was tiny and it just laid gently around the face of the bracelet.
Then yesterday on Ornamental Elements, Laurie Prophater posted about Joseph Gatto and his topographic “Environmental” bracelets. The design featured had lots of wonderful color just around the edge. Of course I was making a Stroppel Cane from scraps from the project I was working on. It’s in the oven now, show you tomorrow. And even though it’s a bit different than what I had envisioned, I really enjoyed myself. I also have Laurie to thank for getting me started on this type of bracelet month ago.
The core is made with Ultralight, I’ve been experimenting with it a lot lately. And naturally I couldn’t leave the inside alone.
Over the last year I’ve been making bracelets with sculpted, contoured edges. I still have something like that in mind for these but for now I am happy with this one. Plus it’s the first time I used Ultralight as the core and it really worked out well.
The colors on this one remind me of a 1940 quilt or at least fabric from that time. No I wasn’t around then……but I’ve seen pictures.
I thought my experimental necklace needed some thing to add even more dimension and interest so I add the aluminum coil. Then I added matching beads but I’m thinking they may not be necessary and will probably leave them off.
I’ve added some of what I call my dot – dot – dot cane around the edge. This picture shows you just how dimensional this piece has become.
I truly am having fun moving in this direction. More ‘spirments on the way.
Today I’ve had exactly an hour at my clay table and computer, I had some database work to do for our business and I was watching a tutorial at the same time. shh don’t tell my husband.
Anyway…I have been looking at the beads from yesterday and don’t have the time today to jump into the ideas in my head, but did decide to add a color wash to bring out the valleys. Can you see the difference?
Now I’m going to…shudder….buff them. I’ll be back.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve spent more time at my clay table. The problem is, I don’t have many finished things that I can share.
Most of what I’ve been doing is experimenting with techniques and applications. Some of these experiments haven’t made it past the approval stage. I’ve been trying to apply what I stress in all my workshops, that is, play, experiment, stretch, because what’s the worse that can happen? You have to throw something away? So what? We always learn something along the way.
The beads up above are one of those experiments, working with Ultralight. Only the first stage, I can envision the next steps, lets see how it goes.
I’ve also been making slides to exchange on a retreat that is coming in August. I’ve had so much fun, but I can’t show them to you yet.
I’ve been adding to my cane collection, inventing different canes for my workshops. It’s one of my favorite things to do. So my work space is a mess and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
In the picture above, amoung all my canes are two new tools that I find I’m using more and more. They are from the Clay Lady, Penny Jo. I’m not using them at all like Penny Jo intended, but I knew that before I ordered them. I love tools. You can order your own in her Etsy shop
I’ve also been working towards being able to give classes and workshops right here on my blog, I’m in the middle of the learning curve, so stay tuned. I just keep thinking how much fun this is going to be.
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