Elegant and durable products made from cold porcelain look like ordinary porcelain, but in practice they have little in common. Despite the fact that the Japanese have been familiar with it for more than five thousand years, it has recently spread throughout Europe. Properly prepared porcelain looks fragile and translucent, but in fact it makes very durable things. In addition, it is completely safe and easy to use.
Preparing the material at home is as easy as shelling pears, and even a child can handle the modeling. We invite you to take our master class “How to make cold porcelain.”
Tools
To master the craft you do not need any special tools. If you are not planning to become a professional sculptor, make do with the means at hand.
Use rulers, knitting needles, and nail files as stacks. Attach the bead to a toothpick: this simple device is convenient for rolling out the material to the desired thickness.
To sculpt some things you need texture molds. Unexpected things can play their role. For example, real plants and flowers will help you create a beautiful petal or leaf.
Cooking recipes
Homemade cold porcelain can be made in several ways, using ingredients you probably have at home.
No recipe is complete without starch. It is best to use corn: the material will be more elastic, weightless and transparent. Potato will give a grayish tint and visual heaviness. Suitable for sculpting jewelry and figurines.
Cooking without heat treatment
Place two tablespoons of starch and a tablespoon of Vaseline oil into a container and mix. Add a little Vaseline oil and a pinch of regular soda. Pour in two tablespoons of PVA glue and mix well.
With heat treatment
Mix a glass of starch, one tablespoon each of baby cream, petroleum jelly and petroleum jelly in a bowl. Pour in a teaspoon of citric acid and 100 (a little more if necessary) milliliters of PVA glue. Cook the “dough” over low heat until you get a dense lump.
Alternative recipe
Mix 150 milliliters of PVA glue, a teaspoon of glycerin and fatty hand cream in a bowl, pour in 100 milliliters of water. Start cooking cold porcelain.
Bring the “dough” until smooth over low heat. Add 200 grams of starch. Stir constantly during cooking. When the mixture begins to form a lump, remove it from the heat. The second part of the preparation is the same for all recipes.
Moisten the towel and place the future porcelain on it. After waiting for it to cool partially, start kneading. At this stage, you can add various dyes. Both food and synthetic ones are suitable, the main thing is that they do not cause allergies.
Wrap the elastic mass in plastic and put it in the refrigerator. Start creating the next day: the porcelain should rest. Without delay, start washing the pan before any remaining material dries on the walls.
Cooking errors
Good cold porcelain will be elastic and easy to sculpt. An error in the dosage of starch, in particular its excess, will lead to excessive rigidity of the material. It will be inconvenient to pinch off pieces from such a mass.
If you see inclusions of starch in the “dough”, do not rush to throw it away: add a little PVA and knead the material again. Having achieved the desired elasticity, wrap the “dough” in plastic and put it in the refrigerator for a day.
If the material turns out to be sticky, difficult to hold its shape, and not flexible, liquid glue (you may have used stationery PVA) or an insufficient amount of plasticizer are to blame. You can try to cook the porcelain until the required qualities appear. If this does not help, you will have to repeat the preparation with better glue.
The quality of the glue is largely a fundamental factor in the final result. Because of this, the finished product may crack. Construction adhesive with a plasticizer is best.
Properly prepared cold porcelain does not stick to hands and surfaces. If even after thorough kneading the mass does not want to take the required shape, it hardly lags behind the film, it means that there is not enough glycerin or petroleum jelly in it. They are responsible for getting rid of excess moisture and the plasticity of the material.
Does the material lose its shape and tend to fall? Add a little starch to thicken the “dough”.
Speed up the drying time of the craft by using a hairdryer or microwave. A low oven will also help. If you are not in a hurry, just turn the product over occasionally so that it dries on all sides.
Coloring crafts
At the mixing stage, add pigment or water-soluble paint to the mixture: tempera, gouache, acrylic.
Powdered dyes (including food dyes) will help to color the sculpted part. Apply them to the craft and hold over the steam, allowing the color to absorb.
To draw details on the finished product, use a thin brush and paints. Please note: when dry, water-soluble ones will fade slightly, while oil-based ones will retain their brightness and richness.
Look at the photos of cold porcelain items: what amazing and stunningly beautiful things you can create with a little effort and imagination!
Drying
Naturally, the craft will dry in 1-7 days. By placing it in a low-heat oven, you will speed up the process.
Don't be alarmed when the product shrinks a little after drying: this is how it should be. Take into account future shrinkage during the sculpting process.
Benefits from work
Surprisingly, it’s true: modeling from cold porcelain will bring into the world not only a beautiful product, but will also have a positive effect on the well-being of bones and joints. It will improve blood and lymph circulation, alleviate seasonal exacerbations of arthritis, arthrosis and gout. Working with small parts will improve fine motor skills and calm the nervous system.
Modeling is a very exciting process that presents no difficulties even for beginners. Let your first work be flowers made of cold porcelain, a bird, an animal, or jewelry. By increasing your skill level, you will be able to perform elements that require more delicate work.
Use our simple instructions for beginners in sculpting from cold porcelain, so that creativity brings only positive emotions!
DIY photo of cold porcelain
Externally, cold porcelain is similar to plasticine or clay, but unlike them, it does not require cooking, firing or baking. It hardens within 2 days and becomes quite dense and durable. You can combine this material with any decor: buttons, lace, shells, and sprinkle the surface with sand, beads, and paint it with any paints and varnishes.
The first such products date back to the 19th century; the exact country of origin is unknown, but it is attributed to the Argentines.
Products made from cold porcelain are extremely beautiful, but require special care. Moisture can soften them, causing them to become limp, and sunlight can discolor them. The influence of high temperatures can lead to drying out, and too low temperatures can lead to destruction.
It is possible to extend the service life of cold porcelain crafts by applying several protective layers of varnish. This will not only protect them from exposure environment, but will also add shine and color.
You can mold anything from cold porcelain at home: from small jewelry to small decorative accessories. Many people use this technology to decorate flower pots and dishes, and the most valuable are decorative garlands in the form of flowers, leaves, greenery and figurines of animals and cartoon characters.
How to make cold porcelain with your own hands?
To do this, you need to acquire the following materials:
- 200 grams of PVA glue;
- Rice starch (if you don’t have it, you can use corn starch) in the amount of 1 cup;
- 2 tbsp. spoons of glycerin;
- Any non-greasy cream.
The ingredients need to be mixed and set aside for 10-20 minutes. The mixture should not be left for a long time; work should begin immediately and, if possible, use all the material. Sometimes citric acid is added to the composition to increase the shelf life of the product.
If you add water, the products will become fragile. To color porcelain, use any food coloring or chalk. It is recommended to refine the surface no earlier than 2 days after the product has dried.
Where to begin?
To work, first of all you will need materials and the following tools:
- Any object that can be used to roll out material;
- Scissors, tweezers and toothpicks;
- Brushes and various paints;
- cutting surface;
- Glue for shaping the craft;
- Gloves and wet wipes;
If you are planning such an activity for the first time, before starting the main work you need to watch the master class and get acquainted with the detailed step by step instructions for beginners, otherwise you risk spoiling the material and not getting the desired result.
You can take the first examples for your masterpieces on the Internet from photographs and videos of crafts using cold porcelain. It's better to start by creating flowers.
Sakura made using cold porcelain technique
Part required material you need to make it white and paint the other pink. Two layers of different shades need to be fastened together and cut into rectangles - blanks for petals.
Using tools, you need to shape the petals so that the base is pink and the edges are white. Using glue, fasten the petals, and in the middle, using a toothpick, make a hole for the wire, which will serve as a stem. After drying, the flowers need to be collected into branches to naturally replicate the structure of a real flower.
Making roses using the cold porcelain technique
To form this flower, a small piece of porcelain is taken and transformed into the shape of a ball, from which it is necessary to obtain a drop-shaped figure.
Next, the end of the toothpick is dipped in PVA glue, then the drop with the wide side is placed on the end moistened with glue. For the convenience of further work, it is worth fixing the toothpicks on a piece of sponge or foam rubber. It is better to make the pistils in advance so that they have time to dry by the time the bud is combined.
To make petals, you need to prepare the balls again and form drops. Using your fingers, flatten the drops and get the finished petals.
Using glue, we fix the resulting petals in a circle with an overlap, as if hugging the core, and bend them a little to create a natural effect.
From these flowers you can make a whole topiarium, which will decorate the room and delight you with its unusual appearance.
conclusions
Cold porcelain can be used to make not only flowers, but also various souvenirs that can be presented to loved ones - keychains, personalized hand-decorated cups, figurines, panels and entire paintings. Such a gift will not leave anyone indifferent.
Photos of cold porcelain crafts
Photo frame with white lilies made of polymer clay
In this master class for decoration photo frames we will combine baked polymer clay with self-hardening floral clay. But you can make lilies, like leaves, also from floral clay, the manufacturing principle will be the same as shown here, only you will need to use latex glue to glue the lily elements together. If you are a beginner and it is still difficult for you to navigate various types clay, read our articles or.Photo frame decoration. Materials and tools:
- baked polymer clay of white, translucent, cherry color;
- green self-hardening floral clay;
- dry pastel in light green, red and mustard colors;
- thin wire;
- mold with the texture of a lily petal (We recommend reading)
- universal mold for leaves;
- breadboard knife;
- stack;
- toothpicks;
- scissors;
- soft round brush;
- flat small brush;
- quick-drying glue;
- cotton wool;
- alcohol;
- photo frame;
- latex gloves
1. Knead white polymer clay and sculpt 12 identical petals for a lily from it, in this case the length of the petals is 4 cm.
2. Press each petal onto a mold with the texture of lily petals.
3. Bend the petal lengthwise and bend it slightly in an arc, so that it is not even, but slightly curved upward. We process all the other petals in the same way.
4. Form a “donut” of a suitable size from cotton wool. Place three petals on it so that their lower ends converge in the center of the “donut” and touch each other. Press the center of where the petals meet with the stack so they stick together. Then place three more petals on top, placing them in the spaces between the lower petals. Also press the stack into the center so that the petals stick together. Use the same method to collect the second lily.
5. Let's continue the "polymer clay" master class. Crush a piece of light green pastel crayon into powder and paint the name with a round soft brush into the center of the lilies.
6. Take a piece of translucent clay and mix it with a very small amount of light green pastel to give the clay a slight greenish tint. If you are using transparent rather than translucent clay for this, then it is advisable to first mix it with a piece of white clay.
7. Cut a piece of wire 3cm long. Place a ball of freshly prepared translucent greenish clay on it and form a pestle, expanding at the top and tapering downwards. On the top side of the pestle, use a toothpick to make indentations dividing it into three identical parts.
8. Pinch the edge of each of the three parts a little with your fingers.
9. Tint the top of the pestle with mustard-colored pastels. Make a second pestle of the same type for the second lily from polymer clay.
10. Add a piece of translucent clay to the remaining clay from making the pestle to make it a lighter color.
11. Place this clay on a thin wire and begin to roll it between your fingers and stretch it in opposite directions so that the clay covers the wire with an even thin layer.
12. Now cut this wire 12 into pieces 3cm long.
13. To make stamen anthers, shape ovals the size of a grain of rice from cherry clay. On the surface of each grain reverse side use a knife to press a longitudinal groove.
14. Poke a blind hole at the bottom of each anther with a toothpick.
15. Place the anthers on top of the stamen stalks.
16. Now stick 6 stamens to the pistil.
17. Turn the pestle with the stamens upside down and place them on the cardboard on which you will bake them.
18. From white clay, form an oblong bud with a sharp tip. The length of the bud should be slightly less than the length of the petals of polymer clay lilies. Place the bud on a toothpick and use a knife to press three vertical indentations on its surface. Make 6 buds.
19. Tint the top of the buds with red pastel, and tint the lower side and grooves with light green pastel using a flat brush. Then remove the buds from the toothpicks. Now place the buds next to the bunches of pistils and stamens, put the lilies on cotton wool next to them and bake it all in the oven. When you remove the products from the oven, remove the cotton wool from under the lilies.
20. Next we will work with self-hardening floral clay that does not require baking. Cut the wire into 6 pieces 4cm long and roll each piece with a thin layer of green floral clay. Lubricate the tip of the wire in clay with quick-drying glue and immediately put the bud on it. Glue the green stems into the remaining buds in the same way. Place the three buds together and press the undersides of the stems together. They should stick together. If they don't stick together well, you can coat them with glue.
21. Lubricate the underside of the stamens in the pistil with glue and glue them into the polymer clay lily.
22. Photo frame decoration almost ready. Now use cotton wool soaked in alcohol to wipe the frame to degrease it. Apply glue to the underside of the stems of the bunch of buds and glue it to the desired location on the top of the frame. Then glue the second bunch of buds to the underside of the frame.
23. Make an oblong lily leaf from green clay and give it texture using a universal mold.
24. Bend the petal lengthwise, coat its underside with glue and glue it so that it covers the ends of the stems of the buds. Then make a few more leaves and glue them near the buds and in the place where the lilies will be.
25. Grease the underside of the lily with glue and stick a ball of green floral clay.
26. Lubricate the bottom side of the ball with glue and place the lily in the required place of the photo frame, pressing it down. Glue the second lily in the same way.
Polymer clay - master class has come to an end, in conclusion I would like to note:
*you can not glue the elements made from floral clay raw, but simply stick them temporarily on a photo frame, and then, after the clay has hardened, carefully remove them from the frame and then glue them with glue.
So thanks to the charming polymer clay lilies, decorating a photo frame has become unusually delicate and stylish.
Now try experimenting, watch our other master classes on polymer clay and decorate a photo frame with your favorite colors.
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Preparation and coloring of cold porcelain. Master class from LedivsetiMy dear needlewomen! Greetings to everyone who is very interested in cold porcelain, would like to cook it, but can’t start cooking it due to lack of cornstarch. As it turns out, you can also use potato starch, despite the denial of many craftswomen online. My deep gratitude to the author from the Country of Masters, Olga Molchanova, for the inspiration for creativity, for the detailed master class, for revealing all the secrets of cold porcelain, for her wonderful work! Thank you! You can get to know the author better at the link http://stranamasterov.ru/user/248586. Next I post the author's text.
I would like to note that these flowers, the white ones below, are first covered by the author with white primer-enamel from a can (car), and on top, also from a can, with car varnish. That's why they are so snow-white and shiny)
So, we will need:
Starch 250 gram glass (corn or potato)
PVA glue 250 gram glass (Moment is super, I mix it with some simple PVA)
Glycerin 1-2 tablespoons (available in pharmacies)
Hand cream 1 tablespoon (preferably nourishing or velvet)
Citric acid powder 0.5 teaspoon (no slide)
Pour the glue into a glass or Teflon container, add glycerin, cream and citric acid. Mix everything thoroughly until smooth.
Pour the starch into our container and mix thoroughly again.
We get a mass that resembles sour cream in consistency. It bubbles a little - it's citric acid, nothing to worry about.
Place the bowl with our mixture on a small fire or water bath and heat it up, stirring constantly. Lumps of half-cooked mass will soon begin to appear.
Don’t forget to stir all the time, otherwise the glass may burn.
The process is accelerating. The mass is getting thicker. While stirring, do not forget to walk not only along the bottom, but also along the walls of the dish.
As soon as the whole mass comes together and ceases to be liquid, the porcelain is almost ready.
Lubricate the table on which we will knead the mixture with cream.
Place the hot mixture on the table. We immediately soak the dishes in which the porcelain was cooked in water, so that in the future there will be no problems with washing off the glue and there will be no negative impression of the cooking process.
And we begin to knead like dough for dumplings. If the portion is small, then the lump quickly begins to cool and is quite tolerable to your hands. If the volume is exceeded by 2-3 times, then you can wait a little until the mass cools down a little, covering it with a damp cloth.
After kneading and cooling, you should get a white, smooth, plastic mass that does not stick to your hands.
Plasticity is checked this way: grab a piece and start pulling. A normal plastic mass of suitable consistency does not tear into pieces, is not rubbery and holds its shape without spreading over the table.
That's it, our cold porcelain is ready!
Take cling film or plastic bag and tightly wrap our treasured piece. Let it sit for a few hours. Although you can sculpt almost immediately. We store it tightly packed at room temperature not because of any harm to health, but so that our porcelain does not lose its qualities and does not dry out before we make something beautiful out of it. Anticipating future questions, I would like to add that you can cook not only on a stove or water bath, but also in the microwave. In this case, the mass is heated in several stages with stirring after each heating. Depending on the amount of mass being prepared and the power of the microwave, first heat it 2-3 times for 20-30 seconds until the mass warms up and begins to thicken. After this, the heating time is reduced to 10 seconds, remembering to stir each time, which will help prepare a homogeneous mass.
So, we will assume that we have successfully coped with the cooking of the mass... Having seen an unusual flower or beautiful picture, we are struck by the idea of creating a unique masterpiece. It was approximately the same with this work, well, I really liked the orchid!
What do we need?
And in the photo - a set of what I use. This acrylic paints, gouache, dry pigments (center), food coloring (pictured above), water-based paint (bottom right), dry pastel (crayons in boxes). I would like to add that the photo does not show some components that I do not use, but which may well be suitable for beginner needlewomen - these are unnecessary, or well, a very beautiful shade of eye shadow and lipstick. Also in the photo there are no oil paints, which are perfect for painting both inside and outside. In general, almost anything that has the slightest bit of color on it will suit us.
For example, we take different dyes not by color, but by consistency. Blue is food coloring (I’ll describe why it’s liquid at the end), yellow is dry pigment, green is water-based paint. So we apply paint to our treasured pieces.
We wrap it inward and begin to crush it.
Knead thoroughly until the mixture is uniformly colored. The end result is an excellent result. We wrap it in film and start sculpting.
I also want to give a couple of examples if you need color transitions in a flower, such as here.
Divide the colored piece into three parts. To one of them we add black porcelain, very little or black pigment.
Mix it thoroughly. As a result, we get the following.
Divide the dark piece into two parts.
We combine one of them with a light piece and knead it.
Here you go. The middle is molded from the darkest one, the middle 2-3 rows of petals are lighter, and the light ones are the outer ones.
Let's reinforce the topic with another example:
The lighting is not very good, but you can take my word for it - it will be red. I will describe why below. We divide it into three parts.
To one of them we add a piece of white porcelain, to the other, dry pigment or a darker shade, the finished mass. Mix each piece thoroughly.
The result of our alchemical experiments! Let's sculpt! Now a few subtle points. For some reason unknown to me, it is most convenient to knead the finished mass not with your fingers, but on your palm. For some reason it doesn’t stick to the palm, but pieces of stuck porcelain remain on the fingers, and it also tries to get under the nails... Therefore, I consider this kneading technique acceptable for myself:
Place a piece on your palm and flatten it into a flat cake with your other palm.
Fold in half.
Flatten it again with your palm. A pad on the palm under the thumb is very suitable for this...
Now wrap it on the other side and repeat the procedure.
Until it turns into a single color.
Well, now all the secrets:
Perhaps the first thing you need to know is that when dried, painted porcelain takes on a more intense color than wet porcelain, so if you are not sure of the result, roll out a drop of painted porcelain and let it dry to make sure
Dry pigments can be purchased at soap makers or nail art stores.
I mainly use pastels for tinting leaves and petals, and not inside the mass. Please note that you need to tint the workpiece while it is still wet.
Dry pastels do not stick to dry porcelain. Water-based paint was also purchased at a nail design store. Just like oil, you need to apply it with caution so as not to overdo it, without diluting it with water.
Cold porcelain is an accessible, cheap and most pliable material for modeling today. Working with cold porcelain is absolutely safe and does not require any special skills or knowledge; even Small child. You can prepare the material at home, that is, you don’t need to run around the shops and look for something special to make your dreams come true, the joy of touching art to create a unique decoration or piece of furniture with your own hands.
In appearance, cold porcelain resembles clay or plasticine, but after drying it becomes very hard. When sculpting from it, you can use any type of jewelry, any accessories, from small beads and beads, shells, buttons, twigs or dried flowers, to textiles of any structure - threads or rags left over from knitting, embroidery or tailoring. The surface of a product using the cold porcelain technique can be painted, sprinkled with small materials (sand, beads), and varnished.
The history of the creation of cold porcelain
The history of this modeling material dates back to the first years of the 19th century; records about it and the first products date back to that time. According to data, cold porcelain was invented by the Argentines, but there is no exact information about its origin and the history of its invention. Much more information about the Russian master Ivanov Peter, who worked at the imperial porcelain factory and already at the beginning of the 19th century created unique products from special type porcelain. If you believe the archival documents of this St. Petersburg plant, it was Pyotr Ulyanovich who created the first flowers from cold porcelain. They were intended to decorate perfume bottles and eau de parfum, which were supplied to the emperor and his family.
But there is also earlier evidence of the existence of this material. In Chinese treatises on art and sculpture there are many descriptions of modeling from cold porcelain, but it is called differently, but its recipe is absolutely similar to the one used by Peter Ivanov.
Features of cold porcelain products
Products made from this material are extremely beautiful, but no less demanding. They must be stored or installed away from moisture and direct sunlight. You need to understand that cold porcelain is a polymer clay that can absorb moisture and become limp and lose color from exposure to sunlight. Vases with stucco, flowers and other decorations made of cold porcelain cannot be placed on a window or near a water source.
In rooms where objects made of this material are located, the optimal conditions for them must be observed. temperature regime. If the air is colder than 10º C, the structure will collapse, as moisture particles in the composition crystallize. High temperatures Cold porcelain is destroyed in the same way - it simply dries out and crumbles.
You can extend the “life” of cold porcelain products using varnish coatings. They will not only protect against moisture, but also help maintain the shape, color and shine of the surface.
What can be created from cold porcelain
From this material you can sculpt everything - from women's jewelry to small interior items. Hair clips decorated with flowers made from this material look very original. For children, together with children you can sculpt fairy tale characters, characters from their favorite cartoons that will decorate their room.
Many creative housewives decorate pots of indoor plants with cold porcelain moldings, frames, lamps and flowerpots.
A unique interior decoration will be garlands of flowers, greenery, animal or house figurines, and themed compositions made of cold porcelain. In addition, you can make an original and inexpensive gift for friends or loved ones.
How to prepare cold porcelain at home
Preparing polymer clay for modeling is not difficult. The simplest recipe for cold porcelain is rice or corn starch, PVA glue, glycerin and regular baby cream in a ratio of 1:1 (cups of glue and starch) and 2:1 (tablespoons of glycerin and cream).
The ingredients must be thoroughly mixed and left for 10-20 minutes. They will dissolve mutually, and the mass will take on the consistency that is ideal for modeling. Under no circumstances should the prepared material be placed in the refrigerator or stored at room temperature for more than 2 hours. You need to sculpt immediately and it is advisable to use up the entire volume of prepared material.
Some masters add citric acid to the mass. Products made from such porcelain are stored much longer, since the acid creates a preservation effect.
You can find examples of formulations containing water, but such compositions are fragile and not durable. Water under the influence external factors reacts with other ingredients of the polymer clay composition, as a result of which an unpleasant odor may appear, the shape of the product may change, and its strength is significantly reduced.
To change color, food coloring and chalk are most often used. But the surface of souvenirs made of cold porcelain can be painted after it has completely dried, no earlier than a day after the end of modeling.
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