Face Cane Designs for Polymer Clay Jewelry Projects and Pendants

Honing Your Design Skills as a Bead or Jewelry Artist… Be Proud of Your Accomplishments:

Today's post is about accepting where you've been and looking forward to where you are going. As a polymer clay artist you have to begin at one level and continue to develop and grow in skills and inspiration before moving on to the next. We all should be happy and proud of that process!

One thing I find hard to do, is to not be too critical of the things I've made in the past. Of course as your skills progress, it is easy to see your previous mistakes and how you would do things differently now that you've learned a few new tricks. That is how you improve. But that doesn't mean what you made before was 'garbage' or that should be 'chucked' or hidden away.

For example, a couple of years ago when I made the face cane pendant as shown in the above photo, I absolutely loved it! The shape, the colors, the quirky pattern, the smooth buttery finish. To me it was the coolest thing ever!

It was my first face cane. I decided to go with a Picasso style. One eye normal, the other completely sideways. The eyebrow and nose were one zig zagged line and the mouth was twisted at an angle. To add to the Picasso look, the face was created in a triangle and wrapped in black.

Now, looking through more experienced eyes, there are things that would be improved if I ever make that cane again.

The background whites of the eyes would be packed more carefully, so as not to lose the round shape of the iris. And the black outline around the eyes would not be overlapped at the tear duct area.

Also a layer of the face color would be wrapped around the eyes and the mouth first, before packing the rest of the face. This way less distortion would happen to the eyes and the lips.

Similarly once the face was packed, a sheet of the same color would completely surround the cane before wrapping in black. This would minimize the wrinkling and puckering that can happen when canes are reduced.

All the polymer clay canes on the pendant would be made better and layered more carefully with my more experienced hands. Though as far as its construction and meticulous wet sanding, it was very well made, and I am still proud of that.

The reason for telling you this story is because I often find myself apologizing for certain pieces… and that is the wrong thing to for any artist!

When my Mom first saw this face cane pendant, she was crazy about it. She told me she wished it were hers. She loved the 'artyness' of it and she could not imagine how I was able to make it with just a few blocks of clay.

When I gave it to her for a Mother's Day gift, she said, "I can't believe I get to have this! I am so lucky! I've always loved it!"

She still wears it today. So when I look at it with overly critical eyes, it could be perceived as an insult to her taste and also to my past. I'm always learning that it's better to just accept the praise graciously.

Do you ever find yourself apologizing for beads and polymer clay pendants that you have made? Or undervalue your jewelry because you know you could do better? It would be great to get a discussion going on this topic in the comment section below!