Black Cat Scraps: Skull and crossbone Canes

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Skull and crossbone Canes

First off what is a cane?
well a cane is a long roll of baked polymer clay that is rolled out to the thickness of a #2 pencil (on average). Canes normally have a design in them if you look at the flat part of the cane ends or slices.

What do you do this a cane?

When a pre-cane is ready to be rolled out the roll is about the size of a plum (for lack of a better fruit) and can be anywhere between an inch to inches long. It depends on how many canes you want when you are done and what you are comfortable working with. You can make different things from different size circles. You can roll your cane out to the size of buttons and slice them the thickness you want, put in your two or four holes and bake. You can use any size roll, slice and add a hole through the side of the cane to make jewelry flat beads. TRADITIONALLY canes are used in nail art. The pencil size cane is sliced very thin, making really thin circles with cute designs in them. Typically you'll see flowers, fruit and a few others.

The first attempt I made at making Fimo (which is a brand of polymer clay) was a flower, hot pink and black. I used Sculpy III clay and I used about a half package total. They turned out alright. I didn't build up the outer layer color and when I rolled it out parts of the flower became the outer wall. I did however do a really good job on the center. I am really proud of that.

The second attempt was not an attempt because I didn't try I did. So second go was the skull and cross bones. Which for most of the time making it I remembered to that pictures.

So here they are
My skull and crossbones

Add caption

I made a circle and the cut it in half,
pushed in the area where the eyes go
and then added black rolls

The nose I use a thin black roll and then I added to Pink rolls the same size on making a triangle of the three looking down the rolls. I then shaped it into a triangle. Like the triangle shaped pencils but much smaller.I had the black part of the triangle at the bottom. I also made an indent on the skull piece where the nose would go so it would fit.

For the teeth I flattened out some clay with my

pasta machine black and the hot pink. I layered them alternating colors and then cut it the length of my roll and about 1/4 of an inch wide. I fitted the skull in the area I wanted it. I would fill the empty space around the skull with little rolls of black until mu skull fit where I wanted it with no air spaces. Other wise

the air space would collapse when I roll it out and the image would be distorted. I the filled the outer parts until I had a circle. I added a thick layer of hot pink to the outer.

I wish I would have made the crossbones not as thick and I also wish that the clay would be the same color after baking. If the cane is sliced really thin then you get a brighter pink.