Today’s video is a collaboration between myself and Teresa Pandora Salgado’s and Valerie Evans’ Unruly Housewife YouTube channels. Our theme, as you may have guessed, is “Exotic Botanicals.” Make sure to check out their videos! (Links at the bottom of this post.)
I started my project by researching exotic botanicals online and was inspired by the colors of the Gloriosa flower. I didn’t try to make mine look exactly like the Gloriosa but I did love its pretty yellow and red stripy design.
The cane I show you in today’s video is a fairly simple one. I think it’s most effective when you use colors that contrast strongly with each other but also blend nicely. One fun thing about this cane is that you can make either color the dominant one in your design.
I really like the way my stripes squiggle and curve in the yellow brooch. This is a result of some not-so-careful reducing. If you want your stripes to remain nice and straight you might consider keeping your blend narrower to begin with. This can be done by placing something such as a dowel onto the rollers of your pasta machine which will keep the blend from growing too wide.
One thing I forgot to mention in the video is that after baking you can pull out the wire that was left there to make a stringing channel by grasping with pliers and then giving a twist. This, by the way, is why I said you want the wire to be nice and straight, because you need to be able to pull it out after baking.
Another thing I didn’t show in the video (because I hadn’t done it yet) was to texture the backing that went over my pin finding with a small ball tool. I think this gives it a nice organic look and it’s a good finish to the backside of the piece.
I hope you have fun with this project and if you make your own version I would love to see photos!
Tools and Materials:
- Polymer clay in green and two colors of your choice. I used Sculpey Soufflé Canary and Premo Sculpey Magenta Pearl
- Pasta machine or acrylic roller
- Clay blade
- Scrap of index card
- Needle tool
- Translucent Liquid Sculpey
- Short ball head pins
- 4mm Swarovski crystal bicone beads
- Bugle beads or other long beads
- Round nose pliers
- Thick floral wire, to use as stringing channel if making a pendant
- Findings to finish your piece, such as pin backs or stringing cord
Enjoy the video and happy creating!
Watch the Exotic Botanicals-Floral Polymer Clay Tutorial at YouTube.
Be sure to check out the other videos in this tutorial collaboration:
Valerie Evans’ Hollow Polymer Clay Jungle Egg.
Teresa Salgado’s Dimensional Millefiori Pandorafied.
Oh, you dialed my number. ‘Scuse me; I’m off to the islands. 😀
They are rather bright and happy, aren’t they? 🙂