Strawberry slices and raspberries

I made my first strawberry cane! (the matchstick in the photo is for size reference--I think I shall use a ruler next time) It came out a lot better than I thought it would, especially with the way the cane was looking when I reduced it (all thick ugly white lines). I did end up wasting a lot of clay trying to get the Skinner blend (the graduating red -> white colour effect) right though. I kept getting white streaks in my blends. I had to dig out all the white clay that kept getting caught in my pasta machine after each roll through.

I also made raspberries for the first time ever! I've found a couple of tutorials on the net for making raspberries, but neither worked for me due to the lack of materials. Eventually, I just pressed red microbeads into a small lump of red clay and poked a hole in it to simulate a raspberry. I think it ended up looking quite okay, but if any one has any tips on creating mini raspberries without the use of casting silicone or liquid air dry clay, let me know!

Now, to make a kiwi cane that isn't full of fail like the last one...