TECHNIQUE

polymer CLAY

by Wendy Orlowski

T
o embellish my beads in “A Fresh Take on Polymer Bead Construction”
materials (May 2012) I used simple striped canes. These canes are not difficult to
Polymer clay for white/translucent cane:
■■
make, and you can easily store them to use for a multitude of projects
■■ White clay, 1 oz.

■■ Translucent clay, 1 oz. in all different colors. Also try experimenting with different cane styles, to see
■■ Polymer clay for Skinner blend cane:
what effects you can create.
■■ Turquoise clay, ⁄ 2 oz.
1

■■ White clay, ⁄ 2 oz.

1

■■ Black clay, 1 oz.

White/translucent Cane
toolboxes, www.art Using translucent clay with a single color
jewelrymag.com/toolboxes is easy and really makes the color stand
■■ Polymer clay out. To make a white/translucent cane:
See Safety Basics at www.artjewelry 1. Condition translucent polymer clay.
mag.com/howto Set your pasta machine to a medium-
thick setting, and run the clay through
suppliers it to make one long strip.
Polymer clay (Shades of Clay, 2. Condition white clay, and run it
www.shadesofclay.com) through your pasta machine on a
medium-thin setting. Lay the white
clay strip on the translucent strip.
3. Trim the long edges of the layered
strips so that they’re straight and your
strip is about 2 in. (51 mm) wide. Cut
the strip in half lengthwise and stack
the halves, one on top of the other.
4. Run the stack through the pasta
machine set to the thickest setting.
5. Cut the strip in half lengthwise, and
stack the halves. Repeat. The strip should
now be about 3 ⁄8 in. (9.5 mm) high.
6. Follow the same process to make a
black/translucent cane or any two-color
cane. Make sure your colors have
contrast, or they will not show up well
when the cane is cut into slices.

© 2012 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in

any form without permission from the publisher. www.ArtJewelryMag.com 1
 TECHNIQUE
polymer CLAY

Skinner Blend Striped Cane

For more variation in color, you can also make striped canes using a Skinner
blend. Though this technique is a little more tricky, you can get some great
results experimenting with colors and effects. For mine, I alternated stripes
of black clay with a turquoise/white Skinner blend. To make this cane:

1. Using approximately 1 ⁄2 oz. each of
turquoise and white polymer clay, make
a Skinner blend. (If you’ve never done
this, check out the video, “Making a
Skinner Blend,” at www.artjewelrymag.
com/videos.)
2. A Skinner blend is too wide to use
for this technique, so you will need to
narrow the blend by making a plug. Lay
the clay sheet on your work surface so
you have one color on the left and one
on the right. Roll up the sheet from the
bottom to the top, squeezing in on the
sides as you roll. Roll tightly to avoid
trapping air bubbles in the clay.
3. Once you’ve rolled up the entire
sheet, squeeze in on the sides to
compact the plug. Roll it occasionally
to maintain a cylindrical shape. Keep
squeezing and rolling until the plug is
approximately 1 in. (25.5 mm) wide. If
necessary, stand the cylinder upright
and press down on it with the flat of
your hand. Then roll it on its side to
correct the shape.

4. Stand the plug upright on
your work surface so that you
have one color on top and
the other on the bottom.
5. Slowly pinch the plug into a long, thick Skinner
blend strip that is no more than 1 in. (25.5 mm) tall.
It should be about twice as thick as the thickest
setting on your pasta machine.
6. Using an acrylic roller, gently roll over
the strip to smooth it and flatten it
slightly. Don’t roll too hard; you only
want to make sure that the surface is
smooth and even.

www.ArtJewelryMag.com 2
 TECHNIQUE
polymer CLAY
7. Run a sheet of black clay through
the pasta machine on a medium-thin
setting. Place the Skinner blend strip
on top of this. Leave extra black clay
on the two long sides and one short
side of the Skinner blend strip.
10. Cut the strip in half, and stack the halves.
8. Roll both layers of polymer through 9. Trim the black edges and straighten
the pasta machine on the thickest the strip. Cut it in half, stack the halves,
setting, feeding the even edge through and run the stack through the pasta
first. This makes a long, wavy strip. machine on the thickest setting.
11. Repeat step 10. The cane should be a little less than 3 ⁄8 in.
(9.5 mm) high. Trim the rough edges. Slice the cane into thin
slices, and apply them to your grommeted beads or to any
other project. You can also store this cane for later use in an
airtight container.
www.ArtJewelryMag.com 3
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