ORGANIC CANE TUTORIAL

Discover this simple process for creating an organic cane from extrusions using two Skinner blend sheets, along with black and white polymer clay. Lucy Štruncová will guide you step by step through building a pattern that can later be reduced and compressed into different sizes and shapes, creating a variety of different looks.

You can even reuse gradient canes you already have or create new ones in your favorite colors.

TOOLS AND MATERIALS:

• polymer clay in two chosen colors, white, black 

• Czextruder

• Disc No. 51 and 49

• pasta machine

• rigid blade

• working tile

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1.

Prepare two Skinner blend sheets from your chosen colors and white polymer clay. In this case, one gradient goes from dark blue to light blue and the other from yellow to white.

Prepare each Skinner blend on the thickest setting of your machine. Cut each sheet in half so that you have two identical gradients around 5 cm wide, then run them through the pasta machine on the thinnest setting your machine allows.

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2.

Start rolling the first thin sheet from light blue toward dark blue to create a spiral cane. Take the second blue sheet and roll it in the opposite direction, from dark blue toward light blue.

Repeat the same process with the yellow and white gradient.

3.

Using the same process, create all four gradient canes, alternating the direction in which the gradient sheets are rolled. You should now have four spiral gradient canes.

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4.

Prepare your Czextruder with disc No. 51. Reduce each of the four gradient canes until its diameter fits inside the Czextruder barrel. Insert the first cane into the barrel and assemble the extruder.

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5.

Extrude each of the four gradient canes individually through the same disc. You will end up with long gradient strings ready to use in your cane.

6.

Cut all the extruded strings into pieces of approximately the same length, around 5–6 cm.

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7.

Condition black polymer clay and shape it into a log that fits inside the Czextruder barrel.

Insert the black clay into the extruder, use disc No. 49, and extrude it to create thinner black strings.

8.

Condition white polymer clay and roll it into a sheet using a middle setting of your pasta machine, approximately 1.3 mm thick.

Cut the sheet into rectangles of approximately the same size, around 5–6 cm wide and 8–10 cm long.

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9.

Place the first white sheet onto a work tile. Begin arranging the individual gradient and black strings across the sheet, leaving different-sized gaps between them.

Cover the first layer with another sheet of white clay and gently press it down, making sure there are no air pockets trapped between the layers.

10.

Continue layering the white sheets and extruded strings in the same way, changing the placement and composition of the strings as you build the cane.

Then, cut through the final cane to reveal the organic pattern inside.

11.

You can also compress and reduce the cane in different directions so that the strings become flattened. You can even run the cane through a pasta machine to create interesting striped patterns.

There are many possibilities to explore as you continue working with this cane, whether you use it for jewelry or decorations. Enjoy!