I’ve looking forward to another great gathering of my fellow artists, Laurie Prophater, Julie Eakes, Meisha Barbee and Dayle Doroshow.
I hope you can stop by Studio 215 on Sat. Jan. 21, 2017. 10am -3pm
New Workshops at Studio 215
It’s been a busy summer and I’ve loved adding to my online school, but I’m ready to start my live workshops at Studio 215 in Sebring, FL I started by offering two ornament workshops over the last two weekends. The santa workshop was very sucessful so I’m going to offer it one more time on Nov. 26.
You can always find updates in the list to the right on the home page. and if you sign up for post notifications, you’ll be the first to know when I post a new workshop here.
If you see something that you and a few of your friends would like to take, leave a message here or on my facebook page, and we can set a date.
Here’s what I’ve listed today.
Download workshop applications here
Santa Ornaments
$85
10am – 4:30pm
Nov. 26, 2016
Everything included
Make one or two
Come make your own Santa Ornaments using the easy molds from Maureen Carlson. You’ll love how they turn out. I’ll have everything you need, just bring your lunch and your smile.
The Dots Have it
everything included
Thursday Dec. 1. 2016
10am – 4pm
$90 everything included
In this easy for beginners workshop you’ll learn how to make a couple of simple “cane” and my favorite dot -dot-dot cane. We’ll cover a bracelet and make a pendant.
Not sure what a “cane” is? Watch this short video explaining the process.
Beginner’s Cane Workshop
Friday Dec. 2, and on Sat. Dec 10, and Fri. Jan. 6, 2017
9pm – 4:00pm
$75
you provide the clay
Or
$90 clay provided
In this class you will learn caning basics. Skinner Blends, plugs, canes and how to slice cane for application.
You’ll leave the workshop with at least one finished piece.
Not sure what a “cane” is? Watch this short video explaining the process.
Cane Mapping Furniture
3 days
Friday – Sunday
Jan. 11-13, 2017
Limited to 6 students
$250.00
$100 deposit required
Learn how to cane map on a large scale. We’ll be covering a small table (you provide) with colorful polymer canes.
Tables should not be larger than 20” in any direction. You should have your table completely ready to accept your artwork. Sanded, painted etc. If you are painting it yourself, don’t paint the surface where your artwork will be attached.
Bring your favorite canes and create your person piece of art-furniture. You’ll be supplying your own clay.
Once you learn how to cane map for furniture, you’ll be able to apply that knowledge to large wall pieces and other items.
Day one – plan your design, make skinner blends and canes.
Day two – begin mapping your design.
Day three – Continue with your design and do final prep to your table. Apply finished art to your table.
This is a little cart saved by my sister Sheryl. Her neighbor was throwing it out. A bit of paint and some polymer and it’s taken on a new life.
This table is special to me, it was our first telephone table in our first apartment. I won’t be teaching faces canes in this workshop, but you could bring your own.
Here’s another thrift store find. But there is no reason why you can’t start with a new table.
Santa Workshop
I’m using Maureen Carlson’s Santa face mold in my workshop tomorrow.
If you’re in the area, I still have room for a couple more students.
These guys are so much fun to make.
Ornament Workshops at Studio 215
Download workshop application here.
Ornaments
Use canes from my stash
$85
10am – 4:30pm
Saturday – Nov. 5, 2016
Everything included
Make one or two
This is the first time I have offered a workshop using canes from my inventory. I’ve been teaching so much and making canes for each workshop so I have an overflow. I decided it would be great fun to see what you might do with slices from them .
I’ll have some ornaments, but if you want to being your own you can. Any color and a medium to small size or one large.
Bring your lunch and your sense of humor.
Santa Ornaments
$80
10am – 4:30pm
Nov. 12, 2016
Everything included
Make one or two
Come make your own Santa ornaments using the easy molds from Maureen Carlson. You’ll love how they turn out. I’ll have everything you need, just bring your lunch and your smile.
Polymer Cane Mapping Now Live
I’m so happy to tell you that I have uploaded two new workshops to my online school. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you’ll see Cane Mapping and Extrusions.
The extrusion workshop consists of thirteen videos that equal over an hour of instruction.
This workshop will show you how to make small unique canes from extruded polymer clay. You can use these canes to make everything from buttons beads and pendants to cane mapped pieces.
It’s only about the techinque used in making the canes, not the finished pieces.
It’s all part of building your cane inventory so that when you are ready to begin a project you have many canes to choose from.
I use lots of extruded cane in my cane mapping pieces.
The butterfly on the left is made with both extruded canes and traditional canes. The one on the right is all extrusions.
If you love mosaics, color and polymer clay, if you love the look of complex canes but simply don’t want to create a giant complex cane, if you love one of a kind pieces, and if you have tons of left over canes, this is the can mapping workshop for you!
This is the workshop I teach at my Sebring Studio and around the country at polymer clay guilds and retreats. The difference is you can rewind and watch each step over and over if you want.
In almost 2 hours of videos you’ll learn the basics by cane mapping this fish portrait and the butterfly on the left above. I’ll show you a few unexpected canes and different slices that you can incorporate into your designs.
This is an intermediate class and having some Skinner blended canes in your stash will make your designs pop.
Thanks so much for taking a look .
Back to Work, But First…
Have you ever just fell in love with an object? Well it happened to me at a retreat high in the mountains last week. And no I was not light headed even though I found it difficult to breathe from time to time. (flatlander you know)
We were able to see this object a day or two before the auction on the last night of the retreat and that’s when it happened. I know you know that feeling I’m talking about. When you first see something and stars appear all around it and you hear music. That was me when Mari O’dell and Barb Harper first shared their colaboration with the group.
This incredible piece, including the box, were hand crafted by these two talented woman, The inside polymer stucture was made by Barb and sent to Mari. Mari then covered it with a veneer of faux ivory and faux metal. Magic wonder works with polymer clay.
The box was created by Barb including the bee button closures. Barb is a bee keeper and often incorporates bees in her work.
The hand lettering was Mari’s, I continue to wish I could letter like Mari.
When they announced it would be in the auction I knew I had to have it. The bidding was fierce and many tried to appeal to my softer side and sway me by whispering in my ear that one bidder’s 50th wedding anniversary was that weekend and it would mean so much to her. I felt bad for a minute until I realized that I have been married for 47 years and was shy her romantic reason by just a couple of years. Ha, I was not budging.
Another said that it was meant for her home studio, not so said I.
If you should ever visit my Studio 215 in downtown Sebring, FL, you should ask to see this amazing piece. But then again you probably won’t have to ask for it will be front and center.
Mari teaches in her treehouse studio and has lots of beautiful thing to show you on her site. Here’s her Facebook page.
Barb can be found on Facebook
Thanks so much Mari and Barb for creating this beautiful piece and for letting it go home with me.
Coupon Code for Polymer Clay Canes for Beginners
After a couple of months of shooting and editing over 27 videos, my polymer clay school is finally open.
The first workshop consists of 27 video that take you through every step of the way I make my canes. The clay I use, the colors I choose the way I make skiner plugs and why I keep such an inventory of canes and plugs are all important steps to my final creations.
I’ll show you how I make thirteen different canes. Some of them simple and a couple a bit more complicated. You’ll see why following the steps in part 1 of this course make part 2 eazy to accomplish.
This first Workshop, Polymer Clay Canes for Beginners is only the beginning for me too. I hope to add more workshops and show you exactly how I get from A to Z when I’m creating.
Here’s a short welcome video for you to watch.
And for those of you who follow my blog please use this discount code to receive $10 off Polymer Clay Canes for Beginners.
SAVE10
This discount will only be available until the end of the month of Aug. 2016
Here’s the link to Polymer Clay Workshops by Alice Stroppel
And thank you for being part of this incredible polymer community.
Exciting new online Workshops coming soon
I’m so excited to be just days away from launching my new online polymer clay school. All the things I teach here in my studio you’ll be able to learn at your own pace without the travel expense.
I’d rather see you in person, but this is for those of you who live too far away.
These aren’t your average tutorials, these courses are layers of videos that allow you to look over my shoulder as I create my canes and apply my technique to various projects. We go slow so you don’t miss a thing.
My first workshops, Polymer Clay Canes for beginners is exactly that but with my spin on canes, Skinner blends and my loose easy approach to cane constructions.
This course has 26 videos showing you step by step how I go from Skinner blends to the finished canes with some storage and basic tool information too.
If you already are a cane maker then hold on for the next workshops. I’m going to be adding cane mapping, expanded pen and ink, bracelets, weed pots, sculpting and workshops on furniture and large wall pieces.
But if you want to begin caning and have been putting it off or are wondering just where to start, this workshop may be for you.
Plus, I’ll be hosting a live Hangout on Youtube in a week or so, my first guest will be Nancy Ulrich the inventory of the App. ColorMixr™
So sign up now to my newsletter or just sign up to this blog and you’ll get an email with updates. You’ll be the first to know when I launch a new workshop or I have a live interview.
I’m excited! Oh, did I already say that?
Bad News – Good News -Doreen Kassel
This is workshop is now FULL!
Return the application without deposit to be placed on the waiting list
Bad news for those who wanted to attend Doreen’s workshops, ABSTRACT BLOOM AND BUDS and JIGGLY JOINTED DOLLS both filled up within days of my posting them.
Good news for those who would like to take attend a workshop with Doreen, she has agreed to teach the third workshop, PODS on Friday Feb. the 10, 2017. Now that’s exciting.
Follow the link below to find out more and to download the application because this class is already filling up before I can post it. I would be a good idea to leave me a comment here if you are planning on sending in an application. It might fill up before I receive your deposit check. That way I’ll hold a spot for you.
Polymer Journeys
Just a reminder to be sure and check out this gorgeous book.
I’m proud to say that one of my pieces is included in this inaugural issue of an exciting new polymer retrospective, Polymer Journeys. Sage Bray is the mastermind behind this publication along with her exceptional magazine The Polymer Arts.
It’s a beautiful look at some of the worlds most talented polymer artists. A fabulous coffee table book even for those who don’t work in clay.
Thank you again Sage and team.