How to make a polymer clay Klimt cane dolphin

So... this is how to make a polymer clay Klimt cane dolphin. Now, that’s a bit of a mouthful isn’t it?! This process of course, can be used to make anything out of a Klimt cane, not just a dolphin. I’ve followed the instructions of a few different people and combined them based on what works best for me.

The term ‘Klimt cane’ is used because the patterns made look very similar to the style of the artist Gustav Klimt.

You will need:

• Between 5 and 8 colours of polymer clay. I used 5 for this project.
• A tissue blade
• Clay extruder with square disc
• Rolling pin
• Small circular cutter (not essential depending on method used)
• Cutter shapes, like a dolphin (not essential)
  

So first of all, condition your polymer clay (I use Fimo). It needs to be pretty soft to that you can extrude it easily. Then roll out sheets in your chosen colours, about 2mm thick:

(Instead of rolling out flat sheets, you can also roll each colour into a sausage and cut slices off the ends to create the circles, but I find they go a bit squishy.)

Then, using a circular cutter, cut out circles, about 10 of each colour. Exactly how many you need depends on how many colours you’re using and the thickness of your sheets.

Next, make a stack of circles, varying the colours:

Roll this lightly to stick the circles together a little better:

Load the stack into a clay extruder. I use Makin’s green one! And fit the square disc onto the end. Then extrude:

Once your clay is all out, cut it in half with a tissue blade and put the two halves next to each other like so:

These should be the same size. Not sure why they look so different in this picture!

Cut in half again and put together:

Do this a few times until you have a size you’re happy with:

Make sure you check both ends when you cut and put together, as each end will probably have a different pattern. Choose what you think looks best.

Smooth the sides of the cane by lightly going over the edges with your rolling pin. Be careful not to distort the pattern though.

You can stop here if you wish, as your cane is finished. Cut thin slices and cover scrap clay to make pretty much anything! Pendants, earrings, charms, magnets... whatever your imagination comes up with!

To make the dolphin, roll out a sheet of blue clay and lay slices of the cane on top:

Once you have covered enough of the blue clay, lightly go over with a rolling pin to smooth any bumps.

Then, taking a dolphin cutter (or whatever shape you like), press into the clay:

Voila! I think I’ll make this into a hanging decoration with some blue ribbon. I'll list this on Folksy soon, but if you'd like to buy it now, please send me an e-mail: victoria@carefordcreations.co.uk

Here’s something else I made with another Klimt cane: Retro ‘70s magnets!

Hope you find this tutorial useful. I’d love to hear what you make!

My Handmade Birthday!

OK, so it was nearly two weeks ago, but better late than never to tell you about the wonderful handmade birthday I had. I was lucky enough to go on a Folksy shopping spree, courtesy of my family and these are the delights I found...

A busy bee organiser from AskingForTrouble:

Perfect for keeping me organised. I love to make lists! There’s a magnetic strip on the back so it sticks nicely to the metal brackets on my craft shelves. Marceline also sent a postcard of some of her other kawaii designs.

Then there’s these funny face magnets I’ve had my eye on for ages, from Glassprimitif:

I love covering the fridge and freezer in magnets! And these have certainly brightened them up. Jo also sent a cute little notebook.

I also bought this bag from Purpss:

This is just right for summer. It’s a really unusual design and such lovely, bright colours! Also included was a little free bag, which was very thoughtful.

Then, from Ellie’s Treasures I bought this gorgeous Patchy Pockets keepsake wallet:

I fell in love with the little bear; what a cutie! There are two pegs inside as well, to clip little pictures. I love things like that! I’ve got some photos of my children in there already and need to think of some more mementos...

Lastly, I finally bought some wonderful prints and a pocket mirror from HiddenEloise, which arrived in the most delightful envelope:

I’ve wanted to buy something from her for so long, but could never decide what to choose! Eloise included a little personal note, tag and some stickers as well, which was a lovely touch. (By the way, it goes to show that handmade is really best, as the frames I bought for these prints from a well-known supermarket said 7” x 5”, but when I got them home they were actually half an inch smaller both ways!)

So, all in all, a perfect birthday! Finished off with a family BBQ in the evening and a mountain of cupcakes made by my brother’s girlfriend. They were truly delicious! Lemon, strawberry and chocolate – mmm. There must be something about cupcakes at the moment, as these were very similar to my 'Naughty But Nice' cupcake print and also one of the birthday cards a friend sent...

And not quite handmade, but to help me make handmade, I bought a clay extruder. I’m having so much fun with it! These are some retro ‘70s magnets that I’ve made already:

And last night I made some interesting rope twists, which I think I’ll make into earrings. I’ll post a ‘how to’ soon I think.

Anyway, that’s my longest post in a while, so better leave it there!