Tokens ~ Education ~ Making A Flower Cane With Shaded Petals

Making A Flower Cane With

Shaded Petals

written by: Valerie Hollis Without Frames

Part I: Forming the Petals

Step 1

Begin with a Shaded Petal Plug that has been created from a Continuous Skinner Blend. (To learn how to make one of these, please see "How To Make A Shaded Petal Plug.")

Step 2

Compress the plug in your hands to remove air pockets and ensure good contact between the layers.

Step 3

To create an outline around the plug, roll out a sheet of clay in a contrasting color that is long and wide enough to cover the plug. In this case, I chose to outline in black and have rolled the sheet out on a medium setting of the pasta machine (#4 on an Atlas).

Step 4

Trim the uneven edge of the sheet.

Step 5

Place the bottom of the plug slightly off-center on the sheet.

Step 6

Begin rolling it up.

Step 7

Trim the edge of the sheet further-in than where it meets the other end of the sheet...

Step 8

This will create an open strip along the bottom of the cane that we will use as a registration mark later on.

Step 9

Now the plug should look something like this.

Step 10

Reduce this from the center outwards to form a round log.

Step 11

Once rounded, you can roll it on the work surface to further reduce and elongate it.

Step 12

Reduce this so that the usable portion is at least 9 inches in length.

Step 13

Divide into six 1.5 inch sections.

Step 14

Pinch each section to form a petal shape. Pinch the sections so that the lightest part of the blend will form the 'tip' of the petal. If necessary, use the registration mark on the bottom as a guide for pinching the opposite side.

Step 15

Now there should be six sections that will make up the petals for a flower.

Part II: Finding the Center

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