Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Fish, fishing, finding the right fish

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!