Translucent Flower CaneŠ

Technique Note: the secret to Translucent clay being "see thru" when covering "other color layers" is:
1. thick-ness of the translucent layers (when creating the cane),
2. thin-ness of the opague layers (when creating the cane, and,
3. VERY thin slices of the translucent designs applied OVER the "color layers".
If you create the translucent canes with A LOT of translucent clay and a VERY MINUTE portion of white (or an even MORE MINUTE portion of black)- you'll get the best results. This project only uses white. If you use any black, double the amount of translucent you use or roll the black VERY thin (you can roll to Atlas #7 - where #1 is the thickest setting - with FIMO Classic - only roll to #5 or #6 with the softer clays and use a thicker layer of translucent) on the pasta maker.

Materials Needed:

• 1 block (clear, not colored) translucent polymer clay
• 1/2 block white polymer clay
• 1/4 block yellow translucent polymer clay
• all your normal working tools, including pasta maker and NuBlade kato
  
  NOTE: FIMOŽ Classic is the firmest clay and will give the nicest results upon slicing the cane. However, FIMOŽ Soft and PremoŽ also give satisfactory results as long as the cane is not warm when slicing. A brand-new blade will also assist in creating thin cuts when using your finished Translucent Flower Cane. The graphics in this project were created using Premo.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: We assume you are familiar with a few polymer clay basic caning techniques. If you are not...please contact turkey.mama@usa.net for links which will explain the basics. There are also some very good books out there that illustrate how to condition clay and reduce canes, along with other techniques used in this tutorial.

Condition all clay, either as you need it, or at one time...letting it rest for a few minutes before creating your canes. (Go get a tumbler or mug of your favorite beverage!)

A word to the wise: Read ALL instructions before beginning this project. You'll be glad you did! :)

Jellyroll:

Using white clay - roll to a #5 or #6 setting on the pasta maker and trim to 1" by 3". Using yellow translucent clay - roll to #1 on pasta maker and place on white sheet. Cut to slightly longer than 1" by 3" size. (You COULD double this translucent clay sheet, if you have the clay.) Run this 1" by 3" slab of clay thru the pasta maker with the 1" end going FIRST into the past maker. Create a jelly roll by rolling from the 1" end toward the other 1" end, allowing the white to be fully covered inside the roll with the slightly longer bits you left when cutting the 1" by 3" slab in the creation of the yellow slab. Slightly taper the #1 end as you roll toward it, so that the cut end isn't blunt, using your fingers. This doesn't have to be precise. NOTE: You want the white portion to be fully enclosed - so if any is showing, add a small strip of yellow to cover it up, if any is exposed. You'll probably have more of this jelly roll than you'll need - but you can use it as a separate cane, so it's okay! (VOILA! Two canes from one project!)

Flower Petals: (two options are shown - choose one option per flower cane):

Using a little more than 1/2 of the conditioned translucent clay, create a chunky snake 2" tall by 1" diameter. (see petal end view spot #1)

Boldly cut the chunky snake almost in half... going DOWN the 2" tall length. Insert a 2" by 1/2" slab of white clay rolled to #5 on the pasta maker the length of the snake. (left graphic) ALTERNATE IDEA: Create a white triangle and insert into this cut. (right graphic) You'd only add one of these cuts and skip the other two slices, moving along to the blanket step, if you chose this alternate idea. Close up the cane around the first slice. Boldly cut another opening (slit) by slicing down thru the 2" length again on one side of the first cut, angling OUT from almost the exact spot...creating a "natural" vein (flowers grow from the "center" out...). Fill with another 2" by a little less than ˝" slab and close up the clay around the 2nd slit. Cut another slit on the other side of the first slice going outward, in the other direction, (forms "kind of" an open bottomed "v" surrounding the first cut). Close up.

You should still have a "cane" that is a little bigger in diameter than 1" by now...but should still be 2" tall with little veins of white running the 2" length THRU the cane. Caution: DON'T cut the cane to see if this is true!

Cover the 2" length - all around - with a blanket of white rolled to #5 on the pasta maker.

Reduce this petal cane to 6" long (be sure you don't count the garbage ends in your 6"...) Take care when reducing to be sure the vein slices do NOT roll and twist...some books instruct you to make the white blanket a little short, so you have a small strip of the flower petal which is not covered, to use as a guide in reducing.  Tip: Leave the side of the petal where the white "vein" slices are showing uncovered. This is  logical area to leave without the blanket covering since you could see these "vein slices" while you reduce the cane. This will help you keep the stripes aligned as you reduce the petal cane. Cut into 6 - 1" lengths.

Building the Flower Cane:

Reduce the transparent yellow and white jelly roll to the same diameter as the flower petals. Cut a 1" length of this cane for the center of the flower. The rest of the jellyroll is not going to be used in this project.

Using the yellow jellyroll as the center, add the petals around, making certain that the "slices" of white veins touch the yellow center. If the center and the petals were the same diameter, they will all fit nicely. If the petals do not touch, reduce the center cane down a bit more - cut to a 1" length, then combine again.

Create one 6" long triangle from clear translucent clay, the size of the outter triangle between each petal. This area is the background and is called "negative space" = meaning that there isn't any design in this area. It just needs to be filled with clay. For this project, it's best to use clear translucent clay for the background, rather than add other patterned canes to the negative space. Cut into 6 - 1" lengths and apply to the spot between each petal. This step allows the petals to stay round...leave out this step and you'll get square petals ...not always a bad thing. :) The translucent clay is NOT pink...it just LOOKS that way!

View of cane compacted prior to final translucent layer

• Now, roll a translucent sheet that is 1" wide by long enough to cover the flower cane.
• Cover the flower cane with a blanket of this translucent sheet, making sure you don't overlap the edges...they should just touch. (This covering is important - it keeps the opaque layers thin and inside the cane...rather than letting is "spread" out on your project.)

Reduce to about 2" to 3" long and cut in half - set aside. Leave some of this cane "bigger" so you can use it in another project. Reducing an older cane "warms" them enough to make them usable without the slices cracking...so leave some of each cane "big", which will give you less headaches (and pain)  in two years when you use this beautiful cane again. :) Reduce the other one-half of your cane (you just cut in half) to the size you wish to use in your translucent project. Rule of thumb: reducing the smaller half to less than 1/2" in diameter works well on most translucent projects.

• The thinner the slice, the more you'll see the layers of color under the slice
• The thicker the translucent clay (when constructing the cane). the more you'll see the layers under the slice. Remember...it's the translucent layers which will be "see thru", not the white (or black) opaque clay.
• Partial slices (usually rejected by novices) are nice and give great effects.
• Full cuts are usually thicker and create a cloudy translucent layer.
• Running a cane slice thru the pasta maker will spread the opaque layers, which will not be apparent until the project is baked. Sometimes the effect is striking!
• If you use black, running thicker slices thru the pasta maker will not produce results that are as pleasing on the final project. The translucent black will show up as a thicker black.
• Experiment! And explore!! Then share with the Utah Polymer Clay Guild!!!

COPYRIGHT: All written technique instructions for this project are the original creation of Laurie (turkeymama) (turkey.mama@usa.net). The Utah Polymer Clay Guild is the exclusive owner of this page.
The digitial photography for this project is the "creation" of Sunni/Colleen (sunnisan@hotmail.com). Sunni/Colleen has given the Utah Polymer Clay Guild written permission for the exclusive use of these graphics.

Copyright Utah Polymer Clay Guild 2001

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