Just because summer is over does not mean citrus is unacceptable. Polymer clay can be an easy medium to work with if done right, and this simple cane is a great place to start. I did another polymer clay cane tutorial, which featured a heart. I also did a clay sushi roll, which was a lot of fun. A pro tip for slicing canes is to put the cane in the fridge before slicing to ensure the clay is cooled completely off.
What you will need
- White polymer clay
- Orange Sculpey
- An exacto or tissue blade
- Hands
- Fridge
- Foil
- Oven
- Rolling pin
Clean Workspace
Always start with a pan with fresh tin foil and clean hands. This will prevent your clay from getting dirty and help your creations be the best they can be.
Brief Basics on Clay Cane Slices
Clay canes are an easy way to make flat pieces of anything you want. By layering clay in a pattern, you can make a cool design and slice it off like the heads of your foes. Or lettuce, they have heads too.
Mixing a Light Orange to Prepare to make Cane Slices
Mix a lot of white with a little orange to make the inside of the orange color. It should be light and good enough to eat, but don’t. Sculpey does not taste good, I speak from experience.
Separating the Sculpey into Sections
Break the light orange clay into three even chunks and shape them into triangles. Arrange them to form a half circle. Make them as even as you can for best results.
Flattening the Clay
The white clay is a thing. Roll out some white clay thinly and wrap each of the three pieces in the white clay. Set them back out in the three amigos arrangement and smush them together gently.
Flattening the Dark Orange Clay for the Citrus Cane
Like the white clay, roll out some orange clay slightly thicker and wrap it around the curved part of the citrus like a rind. Admire your brilliance with joy.
Rolling it on
Gently press on the rind to the orange, trimming and pressing the clay all together to make a huge thick orange slice. Smooth everything out and add a little white piece in the middle to keep the shape of the citrus.
Flattening and Stretching the Polymer Clay to Turn into Cane Slices
Gently press and pull on the polymer clay to turn it into a log. Be careful not to maul the shape of the fruit too horribly, as we will need to cut it into slices. Set the cane into the fridge for 15 minutes and then thinly slice with a super sharp blade. Let the clay warm to room temperature before moving on.
Baking
Place all the cane pieces separately on a baking sheet and cook them for about five minutes or less at 275. They are so tiny any longer would burn them to crisps.
Finish
And now you have tiny clay oranges. Perfect for dollhouses or charms or even some slime. Happy crafting!