So I really appreciate people who make canes extremely well, because, frankly, I can't. I mean I can make the simple, everyday canes that EVERYONE can make, but picture canes are really not something that I have the patience for. As well, my hands get really warm, they are very large and there are some other issues that I have to deal with (including lighting) which make my canes less than what I would like.
That being said, I don't give up trying. I can make 'abstract' canes, because of course they are not supposed to look like something identifiable. I have even made some passable complex canes under the tutelage of Jana Roberts Benzon. I know the basics. Every so often I make a stab at trying to construct a cane that is supposed to look like something.
This morning, I began by drawing and coloring a "Poisson Clown" which mostly everyone knows. (If you look very carefully, you can see where I colored over the lines into the white part of the little fish on the right, the one I am going to use for my modèle.)It is not exactly like Nemo, but the type of fish is certainly one that little kids might mistakenly think was Nemo. Not that I want to make Nemo...no. I want to make a clown fish cane, with dimensional fins.
I have spent the last two hours mixing a batch of orangey-colored clay...no I can't take it straight out of the packages. I did write down the "recipe" of the mixture, because, I NEVER make enough of the color I need. So far, I have the eye made, the white 'stripes' and a sort of tail If it comes together the way it is 'supposed' to, I will post a picture here. Fish me luck!