Polymer Clay How To - exotic bloom kaleidoscope cane

Probably my most favorite technique in polymer clay is sculpting, but every so often I'll do some caning too. I'm all about intricate detail so of course, I love the fine details that can be achieved in caning.

My most favorite cane design I've done so far was a kaleidoscope "Exotic Bloom" cane. I actually first made it a couple years back… I think it was maybe my 4th or 5th cane. Beginner's luck possibly, but I was so thrilled with how it turned out and it ended up fueling so many more cane designs.

So, for your enjoyment today, I'm going to share it again! I hope it inspires you to get out your polymer and try something new!

It all starts with a skinner blend - this one is going to be the bloom's center. The blend is rolled up, reduced and cut into 8 pieces.

The arranged center. This kaleidoscope cane is made up of 8 identical pieces, so I only need to make half of the floral design.

Next I make the bloom petal blend and reduce it.

I roll the reduced blend through the pasta machine to make thin stripes. I wrap them over one side of the center and the bloom is finished.

Now for the leaves - another blend this time in greens and yellow. This is my favorite leaf blend.


I add veins and shape one half of the leaf - remember I only need to make half the design.


Here I've reduced the bloom and leaf so they're the same length.

And now for the brain cane! This one is my first. I have to say it turned out pretty well, but then again a brain cane is a bit hard to get wrong - unless of course you don't like the color arrangement ;-).

A quick run through the pasta machine to put the blend and green together. Then I fold up the cane, reduce it and cut it in thirds.

Fitting the brain around the bloom and leaf.



Almost finished.


One last blend to fill it in.

And now it all goes together - I cut the original "half" cane in half and put the two pieces side by side to form a whole. Then I cut this "whole" cane in fourths and put the pieces together forming a square.

A border of brown completes the cane.

So now you'd probably like to see what I made with the finished cane, right? I actually didn't have any finished creation in mind when I originally made the Exotic Bloom, but at that time I was in a decor making craze (yes, that was before I did lots beadmaking!) so naturally it quickly became a vase:

And then a pen. (Second one on the left.) My brother is a woodworker and convinced me to make some pen blanks for pen turning. We had so much fun creating these together!

And of course, I also eventually made some beads and jewelry.

What new things have created in polymer clay recently?

Easy Winter Tree Cane Tutorial

Winter sunsets are my absolute favorite! There's something so magical about the vivid colors of the sky and clouds traced by the stark black of the leafless trees… it's like nature's own stained glass!


I don't do a whole lot of caning these days, but for today's post I wanted to share one of my own cane designs that I created a few years back inspired by the winter trees.

It starts with a log of translucent clay—you can of course use any color. I trim the ends so it stands straight.

Next I make an off center cut all the way through the log and cover one side with a sheet of black clay. And then I put the log back together—that forms the main part of the tree branch.

To make the twigs on the branch, I make several more cuts through the translucent log, each time inserting a sheet of black clay and putting it back together before the next cut.

Once I get all the twigs I want, I reduce the cane by rolling and stretching.

Here's the branch reduced.

Then I cut my reduced branch cane into six equal lengths.

And then using the black line from the base of the branch as a guide, I give each length a tear drop shape.

I place all the branches side by side and press them together, making sure that the base of each branch is against the table and straight. I then cut that arrangement in half.

The two halves side by side—it's starting to look like a tree!

To the base of each half I add three strips of translucent clay—they will outline the trunk.

I make the trunk with one sheet of black running to the base of the top branches and then on either side of that I add another sheet about 2/3rds of the height to give it some taper.

I add a bit more translucent clay to the base of the trunk. And from there I just pinch and stretch the cane until I get it reduced to the size I want.

The finished cane! I hope you'll give it a try!

Rebekah

treewingsstudio.com