Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Last Friday I shared my first buttons in polymer clay.   This week I’m sharing my first bird cane in polymer clay. For those of you who do not know what a ‘cane’ is in polymer clay, it is a long roll of clay that has other colors and patterns in it.   When you make slices from the end, the same pattern appears with each cut.   Look at last Friday’s post for better pictures. I decided to make a bird we have locally, the Black-headed Grosbeak who lives in our pine-oak forests.     I had those colors of clay and I like him.   He has a short stout beak for seed cracking and is butterscotch and black with some white.   I traced a picture of the bird, made a copy to put under my glass workspace and found my clay colors – butterscotch, black, white and tan.   The limb is copper and gray.   The body was first, then the head and last the wings.   I put green around and all this sounds so much easier than it was and took longer too!    I made a short cane and ended up with 3 somewhat

If you’ve been following me, you know I like to work in many mediums and learn new techniques.   So when I bought Donna Kato’s book, The Polymer Clay Millefiore Techniques, I knew I’d be making canes! http://www.amazon.com/The-Polymer-Clay-Millefiori-Techniques/dp/0823099180/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340064070&sr=1-1&keywords=Donna+Kato .   I also took several classes online with craftclass.   www.craftclass.com   One day I was playing around on Facebook and joined a group of polymer clay addicts!   ‘Just Polymer Clay Tutorials’ where artists post tutorials about polymer clay for free and for pay.   I’ve downloaded several, watched a few and was sure I could do any of it!   I understood the concept. A friend and I took a trip to a quilt shop. She quilts – I don’t!   I wore my new brass/polymer bangles https://www.etsy.com/listing/102355695/classy-bangles and that got me some attention and started a conversation!   The owner showed me the polymer clay butto

Some of my canes Books are my passion – well at least one of my passions.   When I saw Donna Kato’s book The Art of Polymer Clay Millefiori Techniques I just had to have it.   In fact, I took it to the hospital when Peter was getting his biopsy and read it cover to cover.   It is beautifully illustrated with great explanations and it made me want to try millefiori!   Millefiori is one of those words that just feel good in my mouth when I say it.   I tend to jump into new learning experiences with both feet and do a big project rather than starting small and working big.   It has always been a problem for me.   I did one needlepoint tapestry, drew my own pattern, and 10 years later finished it.   Never did another one.   My philosophy is: If I still like it after a big project, I’ll keep doing it.     The upcoming Easter holiday gave me the idea to use one of my empty ostrich eggs and cover it with polymer clay canes.   I have several of these eggshells as they are one of