Video #232: “Cindy, have you ever thought of doing a landscape cane tutorial? I would love to see how YOU do it!” ~Tina-A
Over the last week or so, most of the communities here on British Columbia’s West Coast, received their first dusting of snow… so it seemed like perfect timing to share my new Snowy Tree Cane tutorial with all of you.
The idea for this project was also inspired by a lovely art card that’s been sitting on my desk for years now. It depicts a fantasy winter scene with snow covered trees, a dark winter sky, ocean waves and a sea turtle… all done in the pointillist style by artist Ron Steven, aka Rogest.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ron a few years back when we hosted an open house showing of my Kidart Spirit Bear Sculpture. Ron attended because he also works with artistic children, and was interested in learning more about our project. He is such an interesting man, who left corporate life years ago, to pursue his love of tropical scuba diving and art.
Using paint mixed with sand to make tiny dots in the pointillist style, much of Roget’s work is inspired by the sea. And many of his paintings have an Australian Aboriginal look to them.
Seeing that art card everyday on my desk… along with the recent snow that blanketed our front yard… and reading the requests from some of you asking me to teach a landscape cane… all contributed to the inspiration for this week’s Snowy Tree Cane Tutorial.
Hi Cindy, I’m relatively new here and am thoroughly enjoying it. I have a request, or maybe you might have it here somewhere. I tried searching but couldn’t find any tutorial or anything on it, but I would love to see a tutorial on landscape canes, like the ocean and clouds and things. Warmly. ~Karen-H
I would be VERY interested in landscape canes! ~Suzanne-C
I’m new here but I am at an intermediate level. Although I am working through your beginners course to break some of my bad habits and learn new skills. I would love to see a landscape cane. I can make them but they are pretty lame! Thanks again. ~Kathleen-C
Also Cindy to your long list of wanted tutes. I saw a beautiful I think they call them landscape canes. Is this something you could offer us someday. Please and Thank you. ~Peggy-B
So… coming up tomorrow (Friday, December 2, 2011) in the Vol-043-1 members video at the Polymer Clay Tutor Library, I’ll be teaching Part 1 of this very cool Pointillist style, Snowy Tree Cane project.
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Please Note: A general prerequisite for all of my weekly tutorials is that you have a good understanding of the polymer clay basics, including: conditioning clay, using a pasta machine, clay blade and other simple tools, making Skinner Blends or Teardrop Blends, baking clay, as well as sanding and finishing. If you need help in these areas, my Polymer Clay Beginners Course will get you up to speed quickly. There is also plenty of free information on this blog. Use the search box at the top of the page to find articles on specific topics.
Supplies & Tools: Video-043-1 Snowy Tree Cane Pt-1:
- 1/2 package each of the following polymer clay colors:
– 5010 Navy Premo Sculpey
– 5001 White Premo Sculpey
– 5505 Turquoise Premo Sculpey
– 5038 Peacock Pearl Premo Accents
- Makins’ Professional Ultimate Clay Extruder
and 2mm round hole die.
- Pasta Machine
.
- Clay Blade
.
- Ruler.
- Knitting Needle, Etch ‘n Pearl Tool
or Round Dowel
The full version of the Vol-043-1 Snowy Tree Cane Pt-1 video will be posted in the Polymer Clay Members Library on Friday December 2, 2011.
The full version of the “Snowy Tree Cane” preview video shown above, is now avail for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Vol-043 Back Issue Pckg.
Customer Feedback About Membership Value:
One thing I really like about all your designs is that we can substitute other colors for different seasons of the year. I am going to try making the Spliced Cane in winter colors. Though about dark reds to simulate a Poinsettia. It would look great in poppy colors too. You have good judgment on how much of any theme to share with us. You also provide us videos on things we cannot find elsewhere. ~Anna-S
Grew up immersed in books… picture books, reference books, how to and craft books, history…you name it. Followed the clay wagon now for 20 years, and in the beginning there were a couple of pamphlets and a great book by Nan Roche. Then Carol DuVal. Then more polymer clay books than I could ever shake a stick at. Same with VHS and CD instructions, and now the web is loaded with tuts and tutors. Would I willingly give back a single one? No way. More for the historical trigger of the memories and skills learned and applied while I read or watched. However, just based on what I have seen hear with my own eyes, this is the best site for the money to improve your polymer skills. Cindy’s videos are edited for all essential information, as is her blog, her tweets, and her emails, lol. She’s a busy lady, and doesn’t inundate you with information, just culls the best. If you master the skills she’s taught so far (and you have to work at it to get the planning, attention to detail and finishing down) your work is marketable. It’s an exceptional deal. Plus you get a great network of folks here who cheer you on and inspire you. ~Jocelyn-C
I want to chime in here and say I think $3 to $4 a month for the extremely high quality videos, the personalized help, the recipe cards, free tuts, the 24/7 access, and the list goes on.. is a bargain! All the work you and Doug do that saves US money is worth way more than that. I’m always singing your praises and telling people this is where I get my information and learn the things I do. ~Tanya-L
The following topics are included in this week’s Polymer Clay Tutor Library, Snowy Tree Cane Part-1 video tutorial:
- See examples of canes, beads, earrings, and several pendants using this unique style of polymer clay cane.
- Find out how simple it is to create the components for this complicated pattern, by just following along to the step by step instructional video.
- Learn the reasons why color contrast is so important to a cane design of this kind.
- Plus, with some creativity and ingenuity, there are many ways to come up with other unique designs of your own.
The full version of the “Snowy Tree Cane” preview video shown above, is now avail for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Vol-043 Back Issue Pckg.
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Love all your examples of this look – this will have to be another of my favorites.
Wow ! Another great tute!!! can’t wait to see this one. Love this look and can see other designs with this technique.
Really looking forward to this one. Oh, the possibilities! That cane is beautiful Cindy.
Looking forward to this cane tutorial, Cindy! Love landscape canes and this looks like a fun tute and perfect for this season!
Can’t wait to see this one. Those are stunning. Looking forward to tomorrow. Thanks Cindy.
This is intriguing !!! Just a glimpes of this – and I am in awe. Another original Cindy Cane. The idea is really thought provoking ,,,,,,,,,,,,,hmmmmmmmmm. Hurry Friday ;D
Fascinating: to arouse the interest or curiosity of…
the word that 1st came to me as I sat w/ my mouth open watching this preview
dictionary.com for those times you leave me speechless :)
Just wanted to let everyone know Joanns is having a sale on polymer clay Sculpey and Fimo at a dollar each. Looking forward to the tutorial this friday. Cindy dont kow how you come up with a new idea every Friday. Thanks
Barb
OT _ After reading about Ron Steven and his amazing paintings, I was doubly glad I did. He know Daniel Jean-Baptist ( be sure and go on his site). Another unusual painter – on silk, that I have read about. Cindy, you lead us on such interesting adventures. Thank you !
As an Acrylic painter, you know how to tantalize us…………yeah!
I think I’m going to love this cane!! It’s gorgeous!
Thank you Cindy!!!
Clay On,
~Lisa :) xo
Well, I had no idea I wanted to learn how to do clay landscapes! This looks very interesting!
This is gorgeous! Can’t wait to learn how to do it! Thanks Cindy.
Oh I am sooo excited! I have been waiting for a landscape tutorial for a long time. I was also trying to come up with my yearly Christmas necklace and couldn’t come up with a design. Well, Cindy and Doug, as always, you have come to the rescue!
Thank you!
When visiting the land of OZ I fell in love with Aboriginal art but never knew it was called the pointillist style.(Thought it was dot to dot) ha ha.
You are a mine of information Cindy. How cool to take a peek at Rogest,s site. His paintings remind me of tiny jewelled beads, they sparkle and take me to the depths of the ocean. I’ve become a mermaid again.
Now Cindy is taking us into the snowy forest, what an amazing adventure!!
I love the colours you have chosen for this cane and can see me making the four seasons, shades of delicate greens for spring,. Stronger greens and with a touch of purple and yellow for the dappled sun and shades of summer.
The fall/autumn colours will be all the hues of reds and oranges. So really looking forward to learning how to make this very different cane. Thankyou dear tutor,( It’s good to be back!!)
Now going to hug a tree……..toodles..xx
Elaine -your mind is running free ! I,too, thought about different colors and seasons. Wouldn’t it be fun to do some wild things ? There are lots of possibilities in this type of cane. I WAS not a cane person, BUT slowly I’m becoming one………..teehee. What a wonderful world polymer clay is !!!! Next Friday can’t come soon enough. Thanks to the Lietz Team, again and again and again……………………
Just watched the Christmas Tree Cane and am very excited to try this. It is just amazing Cindy how you put these all together. The artist’s style reminds me of the embroidered french knot pictures that were so popular years ago. I remember the one I did of JFK and it was all french knots, many hundreds of them. I love the idea of creating landscapes with clay. Can’t wait to get started on this one. I just finished up making the Snowmen but on mine I added a little clay black Hat to go on their heads and it turned out so cute!
Hi Cindy
I’m so excited by this cane, looking forward to the 2nd part! I envy you your imagination, as I watched this a hundred ideas suddenly popped into my head. We are so lucky to have you as our tutor! I could suddenly see pictures of Monet’s works of art, with all the dots, and other artist’s work which have that ‘dotted’ effect, such as Van Gogh. This opened up a whole range of ideas, and I could see polymer clay pictures framed! All I can say is Wow! It seems the sky’s the limit!
Thank you so much. You’re the best!
Marion
Well who would of ever thought being sick has its perks after all. Shingles are still kicking me in the behind so :( no claying yet for me. This makes waiting for the 2nd. half of the tute not so bad. As some of the rest of you I imagine want to pull your hair out right now because we all know how fantastic this tute is going to end. I know if I could start on this cane today that is exactly what I would be doing. I also imagine there are some of the more talented that won’t be able to wait so for those of you going ahead on your own I wish you the best of luck.
While we all envy Cindy’s imagination and Doug’s creativity with the camera I just want to THANK THEM BOTH for what is almost the end of another fantastic year. WOW Dec is here how sad that is, yet maybe next year will be even better. I know here with Cindy and Doug we get better and more challenging tutes every week. I am grateful for being blessed with all I have learned and will continue to learn here not just from Cindy and Doug but from all the great clay family I have met here. So as sad as it is we have hit the last month of the year I am sure December will end with a terrific BANG!!!
sending many Uuuuggggs to all of you.
I could not have said it better Peggy, It is so cozy here :)
feel better soon hon
AAACK! I missed the “part 1” in the title!! Oh well, something to look forward to for next week :)
The cane looks really sweet!
I missed the “Part One” header as well Sarah but love this cane and will have all those pieces ready for next week.
AAAAaaaaRRRRRRrrrrrGGggg! as Charlie Brown would say ;-)
Hehee! Now I know what to put on my Christmas list (besides more clay)… an extruder!! Can’t wait for the next part of this tute. Thanks!!
Be sure to get the Makins Green Aluminum extruder. The plastic ones do not work well.
What I like about his cane is how dimensional it looks, is actually flat but looks textured. I have subscribed to the tutorials for a couple of years. This week is a prime example of why I continue to subscribe. Cindy tried out a couple of techniques and color combinations before the final demo. I’ve had too many experiences where I have spent a lot of time on a cane only to end up with a final result that looks muddy or does not flow.
i like so so much
and i hope u make maney tutouril like thiis
i coudint wait to the next week to know the next part
but i ll wait
i want to ask if i want to make anather cane not tree i must swear to form parts
i hope u know what i mean
Hi Nwna, Thank you for your nice comment. I understand most of what you said. But I do not know what you mean by ‘i must swear to form parts’. Could you ask your question again, so I can help?
thanks for replay
can u show me anther cane to imagine how the distribution of colors
i want to try anther cane
sorry my english is not good but i hope u understand me
i saw Rogest website >> i saw maney photo it help me
thanks
Wow..great tutorial..can’t wait the second part.
Thank you.
Yes, this is a form of torture waiting 1 more week … : )
I really liked this tutorial and look forward to seeing part 2 next week. I love seeing the different creations that can be made with the extruder and hope there are more extruder projects in the works!
Aaarrrggghhhh….. A polymer clay tutorial cliff hanger! I can’t wait until Dec. 9th. I am going to label this as one of my favorites!
I love this tute! It looks like these are 3D! I can’t wait to get started! I love working with the clay extruder. So, easy and so fun!
Who wood have thought that a load of snakes could make piles of logs that turn into trees??
But it’s not magic ~(or is it?) No it’s our clever, creative, Cindy. Once again captivating us with her capability to make something special for Candlemas. Counting the days till part 2…..
I love the way you talk Elaine! Wish I could hear your English accent along with the cute way you put words together.
Actually with everyone coming from so many different places around the world, I bet there are a ton of fun accents to be heard. Hopefully we can all get together one day. Wouldn’t that be fun? I would love to meet all the members of my our clay family face to face!
Hey Cindy, there is always Skype or one of the other conference call sites, preferably one a majority of members would have access to. Just a thought.
That is a good idea Lawrence. Doug and I have been discussing ways we can do something like that in the new year. A live classroom setting or workshop or hangout session all online. We need to set aside some time to plan something out. Formal or informal. It would definitely be a great way to connect with one another.
A real face to face would be awesome as well. Happily I have met you, Nettonya and several others from our local guild in a social setting (not as often as I would like, mind you) but it would be nice to meet and hug everyone else here too. Everyone is becoming family and it is important to get some family time every once in awhile!
I love this tute and agree with everyone – you’ve all said it as well or better than I could. Thanks for another fantastic tute, Cindy. Will try to be patient while waiting for the second part :)
Hi Cindy
I love this tut. I use the Walnut Hallow Extruder.. it has the same disks but the crank handle is more confortable…Once I master this tech. I am going to try and use it to make a Menorah that is used for Hannukah or maybe a dreidel..also used for Hannukah….
Happy Holidays to my polymer clay family…. You all have been very supportive to me throughout the year…
Like to remind everone that you can find items to make into stencils in the strangest places…I found a great design on the top of a medical bottle cap..Just get two and you have a back to back design. I will take a picture of on that I made and try to send it to the blg. or where ever its supposed to go.
Natalie
Cindy and Doug
Just finished watching this fab tut with a divorcing and retiring teacher friend. You two have to promise never to stop another video without warning, lol. Both of us were so engrossed, when it stopped, we both moved closer to the screen and really bumped heads. I thought I had a seizure. Ahahaha.
Brilliant idea.
I think you found a new fan. Neither of us could believe how easy it was, and neither of us can figure out how you get to the finished cane, so my socialization is up as she is insisting about coming over next Saturday to view part two.
I showed her how to chose a shaded pic from copyright clip art (the man in the moon), and imagine you could use any image to build the colored snakes on top of to make a shaded cane.
Thank you so much, and we’ll see if I’m on track next week.
OK I think this is the coolest cane I’ve ever seen!
Cindy, I am certainly enjoying my first month as a member! This gorgeous winter scene has me eagerly anticipating the arrival by mail of my Makin’s extruder. With any luck it will arrive before Friday, so I can prepare for Part 2. (Love Maria’s comment about a “cliffhanger”!)
I don’t know if this question is appropriate… I received an email today from a US supplier called the PolymerClaySuperstore.com about a 3-day sale on Premo (Dec 5-7). I rarely mailorder outside Canada, but sometimes the prices make it very tempting. Their site states they ship to Canada, the UK and a few other countries. You can get on their email list with just a first name and email address. Does anyone have experience dealing with this company?
Hi Monique,
I have ordered several times from them. They have good service, great prices on clay and other items.
Thanks Dixie Ann! I may give them a try… hard to beat $1.37/package nowadays!
Hi
I know that Cindy recommended the Makin Extruder but I bought the Wallnut Hallow Extruder at Michaels.( with a coupon of course) .the handle is different its a crank so its a lot easier than the Mankin one. The pieces, I have been told are interchangeable..I forgot his name.he is the only one with a close up picture of himself. When I went to a craft show in Kentucky, one woman said that she also likes the Wallnut Hollow Extruder for the ease on her wrist..which I find so true
Natalie
Hi Cindy! I love your site / tutorials… I have learned so much and look forward to when I can spend more time creating and learning.
I am going to attempt the Snowy Tree Cane in the pointillist style. My problem is that I can’t get ahold of the Peacock Pearl and Turquoise colors. Can you give me some help on mixing my own with what I have (or something similar). I do have a variety of Premo, Fimo and also some Kato Play. (There’s a bunch of Sculpey found in the closet too but that is going to the grandkids for Christmas!LOL)
I also have never actually made jewelry and played with the jump rings, links, chains, etc. Is there a certain set of videos you have that would be good for an inspired beginner?????
Hope to hear from you soon and have a very Merry Christmas and A beautiful New Year.
Thank you,
Carie
Hi Cari, I don’t have recipes to make those particular colors, but you could use any color combination that you like. Just be careful to use clay from the same brand (it makes it easier to bake later) and choose colors that have similar contrast to them. I would make a few small test batches to see how the colors turn out before committing to a whole cane though.
As far as jewelry making tutorials, I have a lot of them that may help you. Just go to the top of the page and click the Categories Tab. Then click Polymer Clay Tutorials. There you will find pictures of all the tutorials I have done, which should give you an idea which one you need. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!