Schemes for flowers from polymer clay. How to make flowers from polymer clay (plastic modeling). Making flowers from clay

Looking at these artificial flowers, you never get tired of being amazed - they are just like living ones! What is the secret? How can you create such beauty? It turns out that polymer clay is capable of such miracles. But the material is not everything in order to achieve such a result.

If you want to fashion beautiful flowers from polymer clay yourself, you need to consider the following points.

Which clay is best?

There are several types of polymer clay, and not all of them are suitable for creating flowers. That is, of course, you can fashion them from any clay, but the effect, the quality will be different. Not only flowers are made from polymer clay, but also dolls, decorative figurines, jewelry. Each case is best suited to its own clay.

Polymer clay flowers are indistinguishable from real ones!

To create naturalistic colors, light self-hardening clays are used (they do not need to be baked, they themselves harden in air). By their plastic properties, they resemble marshmallows: they stretch easily and roll thinly. The most famous self-hardening clay for creating flowers is ClayCraft Deco made in Japan. It is especially recommended for beginners in sculpting. It has cellulose in its composition - that's why the flowers from it are the lightest, matte and thin, like paper. You can not wash them - only clean with a dry brush.

Especially for the manufacture of flowers, cold porcelain (one of the types of self-hardening polymer clay) was developed. With his appearance, such a direction of creativity as ceramic floristry was formed. Flowers from this material are so naturalistic that they can hardly be distinguished from the real ones in the photograph.

Ceramic floristry is a separate area of creativity

You can buy ready-made cold porcelain - for example, Modena, Modern or Fluer brands. And you can prepare clay for sculpting flowers yourself: it's very simple. Here is one of the recipes.
We will need:

corn or potato starch
PVA glue
baking soda
petrolatum

Starch (two tablespoons) must be ground with a teaspoon of petroleum jelly (it is most convenient to do this in ceramic plate or shallow bowl). Add a good pinch of soda to the resulting mixture, mix. Now we begin to gradually introduce glue until the “dough” becomes elastic enough, but not too thick or tight. When "brute force" dilute it with glue. We knead the lump, lubricating our hands with Vaseline. The porcelain is ready to use. After sculpting from it, no additional processing is required - you just need to let it dry. Finished products are covered with acrylic paints.

Ready-made self-hardening clays are only available in white, gray or terracotta. But baked polymer clay (plastic) has a wide range of colors. In addition, it may include sequins, filler that imitates metal or stone, be translucent or fluorescent colors. Figures molded from it must be baked in the oven (but by no means in the microwave!) Or simply boiled like dumplings to give them hardness. Finished products are very strong, and thin parts are flexible, easily restoring their original shape after deformation. So, for example, a petal no thicker than a millimeter, bent almost in half, will not break, but will return to its original position. Valuable quality for polymer clay jewelry. But such a result is obtained only with its proper firing.

Rules for baking plastics

If you chose baked polymer clay as your modeling material, you can only welcome your decision. Plastic products do not lose their shape, are not afraid of water and do not fade over time. They can be polished, varnished, covered with acrylic paints. The plastic itself is very easy to use. It is just as easy to sculpt from it as from plasticine, it can be rolled out, baked and cut out details and figures with scissors or a knife.

The only difficulty is the baking process. It is worth underexposing or overexposing - and all the work is in vain. But if you strictly follow the instructions, and this is not a problem.

Before being sent to the oven, the figurines are placed on ceramic tiles, old earthenware or a metal baking sheet covered with baking paper.

For better "baking" flowers (or other products) need to be planted on toothpicks or pins and stuck in a wad of foil.

Strict adherence to the temperature regime is the main condition for the successful "baking" of thermoplastics. It is necessary to adhere to exactly the level indicated by the manufacturer. In one case it can be 110 degrees, in the other - 130.

At a temperature lower than required, flowers and other polymer clay crafts are fragile and very fragile, and at a higher temperature they darken and become glossy. A significant excess of temperature leads to complete deformation of the product, it spreads and begins to release toxic gas.

It is important not only to blind beautifully, but also to bake correctly!

An oven thermometer will help you keep track of the correct temperature.

It’s okay if you keep the product in the oven a little longer than it is at the required temperature, but if you don’t finish it, it may begin to crumble over time. A timer will help you stick to the time frame accurately.

When firing clay, take precautions: take the children out of the kitchen and open the window for ventilation, put all food in the refrigerator or under plastic wrap, do not “bake” clay with food. After firing, thoroughly wash the oven, wash your hands with soap, wipe off the clay adhering to your palms with a sponge soaped with dishwashing detergent (after that, it must be thrown away). In its "raw" form, thermoplastic is not toxic, but when heated, everything changes.

How to sculpt flowers from polymer clay

In addition to the material, to make flowers from polymer clay, you also need to have:

Latex gloves or fingertips. It is not always convenient to work in them, but fingerprints will not remain on the products, spoiling their appearance. Gloves should be your size - they fit snugly on the fingers and interfere less with work.

Knives. For cutting petals and other parts of the flower, it is better to use a sharp clerical knife, a blade is also suitable. They allow you to avoid deformation of the product when cutting.
Stacks. To draw veins on the petals and leaves of a flower, you will need toothpicks, knitting needles or special metal stacks, which can be found in the Everything for Drawing stores.

Rolling pin. Clay can be rolled glass bottle or a special glass rolling pin.

To sculpt beautiful flowers and flower arrangements, you do not need to have special artistic abilities, but perseverance, patience and skill will come in very handy.

You can start with the simplest - sculpting clay roses for jewelry.

You will need: baked pink polymer clay and rubber gloves.

Helpful Hints

Polymer clay - a relatively new and very popular material, which is very malleable and allows you to make unique products. We have already talked about what interesting flowers are obtained from polymer clay, and today I would like to talk about another very popular product: decorations.

Polymer clay do-it-yourself decorations. Sausages made of polymer clay

Sausages made of polymer clay- these are blanks for future jewelry, including beads, from which thin plates-drawings. "Sausages" also called "canes" or "Kane"(English) cane).

We offer you a master class on making a very beautiful black and white sausage, which can be used to create stylish and very original jewelry.

What you will need:

- White and black polymer clay

- Knife or metal plate with a blade

- Ruler

- Extrusion press

Let's get to work:

Take two identical pieces of white and black clay and roll them into two squares. 8 by 8 centimeters about 0.5 centimeters.

Place one layer on top of the other and then divide them into two equal parts. Do this procedure again. You should get something like this striped sandwich.

Shrink the resulting rectangle so that you get elongated round sausage.

Then twist the sausage with the palm of your hand to get spiral. Simply pressing the sausage against the table with your palm, roll it in one direction. Do this very carefully so as not to damage the pattern.

If you cut the resulting product in half, inside should be here is a drawing:

Put the sausage inside clay extrusion press and squeeze out a thin long sausage.

In cross section, it will look like this:

Thinly slice the sausage drawing up:

As a result, you can use the pattern for a variety of original decorations:

The simplest polymer clay sausages master class (video lesson):

Polymer clay beads

Multicolored beads, which can be used to make a wide variety of jewelry, can be made from multi-colored polymer clay. If you do not know the peculiarities of their manufacture, it seems as if the drawing was applied to these products with the help of paint, but only multi-colored clay was used.

See for yourself.

What you will need:

- Self-hardening polymer clay in 5 colors (in this case, white, gray, green, brown and yellow, but any others are possible)

- Knife or metal ruler with a blade

- Rolling pin and board for clay

- Rubber gloves to avoid fingerprints

Let's get to work:

In order to get a drawing in the form of a camomile, first you need to "compose it" from clay of different colors. Take white clay and roll it into a sausage about 8 centimeters and diameter 4 centimeters.

Roll out the gray clay into a sheet approx. 2 millimeters.

Wrap the gray platinum about halfway around the white cylinder, cut off the excess knife or ruler.

Take green clay, roll it into a plate and also wrap the first part over the gray layer. Trim the resulting sausage, remove the excess on the sides.

Using a ruler, make cuts on the white part of the part, as shown in the figure. First in the middle, then two more cuts on the sides, so that between them there is approximately same distance.

Then insert the cut out rectangular pieces of the gray plate into the cuts.

Squeeze the resulting sausage, but not too much so that all the parts stick together between them the air layer is gone. With your hands you can form the shape of the future petal. The photo turned out to be a petal in the form truncated triangle. The whole sausage stretched out in length approximately 30 centimeters.

The length of the sausage depends on how many petals you wish to receive. For example, for this flower, the author of the master class is going to make 9 petals, so the length was 32 centimeters, i.e 3.5 centimeters for one petal. Divide the sausage into 9 parts.

Let's start making the middle of chamomile. Take yellow clay and roll out a sausage from it 5 centimeters and dimeter 2 centimeters.

From brown clay, roll out a plate with a width of about 6 millimeters and completely wrap it around the yellow sausage.

You should get something like this chamomile:

Fill in the empty spaces between the petals pieces of green clay:

Wrap the chamomile completely with the rolled out green plate.

Squeeze chamomile sausage so as to release all the air between the parts.

Then you can start cutting. If you have a piece of chamomile sausage left, save it for future products, wrapped in film without air access. Cover a ball of clay with daisies cut from sausages, then smooth.

You can make several options beads:

Polymer clay decoration master class. Beads (video lesson):

Hairpins made of polymer clay

Very simple hair clips can be made using invisible and polymer clay. Here is one option:

What you will need:

- Polymer clay of desired color

- Invisible Hairpin

- Glue

Let's get to work

Roll from a piece of clay small ball, and then crush it with your fingers into a round plate.

Pinch the edges to get petal. Make as many petals as you like.

Connect all the petals together. If you have fired clay, bake the flower to harden the clay. Then you can stick it on the invisibility with with a piece of thick cloth.

With this simple technique, you can make a variety of hairpins-invisible:

By the way, hairpins can be made using ready-made flowers and base accessories. You can use the master classes from the article Polymer Clay Flowers.

Here are some examples:

Polymer clay earrings

Very simple earrings can be made from clay, foil and wire. They are perfect for winter outfits.

What you will need:

- Self-hardening polymer clay (white and pearlescent)

- Knife

- Accessories for earrings (wire, rings, hooks)

- Foil

- Molds

- Sequins

- Pliers

Let's get to work

Roll out the clay into a plate of the desired thickness (approx. 3 mm). Divide the white piece into three parts. The fourth will be pearl color. Of them you will cut mugs for details. Lay foil on one sheet.

Using round molds with a diameter of approx. 5 millimeters cut out circles from each sheet.

Cut the wire into lengths of approximately 7 centimeters. Put each circle on a wire. Do this very carefully so as not to make a hole through the circle in an unnecessary place.

Wrap the shiny circle again foil.

Roll part of the white circles in sequins.

Make as many details as you like. The author of this master class used 13 details for each earring. Let the clay dry and harden.

The tip of the wire on each piece bend into a loop with the help of pliers.

Shorten on some details wire.

Connect the parts in pairs different colors and different lengths(one part is left without a pair).

Connect the parts of one earring with wire ring.

Attach accessories for earrings.

Original polymer clay earrings (video tutorial):

Pendant made of polymer clay

What you will need:

- Self-hardening polymer clay (black)

- 2 sheets of aluminum foil (gold and silver)

- Drop shape

- Cutting blade for working with clay

- Shilo

- Pasta machine or rolling pin with a board for rolling out a thin layer

Let's get to work

Roll up the foil in tight ball. This will be the centerpiece of our pendant. Such a core will allow the product not to be too heavy. You can also make a center out of clay, but if you wear such a pendant for a long time, it will remain on your neck. chain imprint.

Use a pasta machine or roll out by hand thin layer of clay and cut out an even circle. Wrap it around a foil ball. Remove excess clay.

Once the balloon is ready, pierce it pin for jewelry through.

Roll out a sheet of black clay about 3 mm, cover it with a layer of very thin gold foil and extrude using the teardrop shape.

Then start attaching drops one at a time to round base future bump. Don't worry if the thin layer of gold cracks, it will add a special style to your piece.

Cover with drops all over bump to the very end.

If you are using baked clay, bake the product at recommended temperature. Once it cools down, attach the chain.

Sculpting from polymer clay. Pendant (video lesson):

Polymer clay beads

We invite you to get to know unusual technique creating jewelry using polymer clay, beads and wire in the following example of creating beads. You can make entire sets in the same way: beads, earrings, bracelets, pendants.

What you will need:

- Self-hardening translucent polymer clay (several shades)

- Small rubber balls

- Thin wire

- Scissors

- Accessories for jewelry (pin with eyelet, chain)

- Pasta machine or rolling pin with a board for rolling out a thin layer

- Pin

Let's get to work

1. Inflate the rubber balls desired size. You can make balls of different sizes, as shown in this master class, or the same. The number of balls will determine the size of the product.

2. Twist several segments wire, as shown in the photo, to make a loop.

3. Put a loop on the ball in the place where it is tied node.

4. Wrap the ball with wire to make net.

5. You should get a ball covered wire mesh.

6. 7. Remove excess wire ends with scissors.

8. Roll out very thin sheet Made from translucent polymer clay.

9. Completely wrap the ball with a sheet of clay wire mesh.

10. 11. Pop the balloon inside with a pin and pull it out out through a small hole.

12. Press the clay inward to make a little crumpled sphere. Do this very carefully so as not to damage the thin layer of clay.

Let the clay harden well, and then apply with special paints. desired pattern.

polymer clay video. beads

Polymer clay bracelet

This original bracelet is made using an old glass dish with floral embossed pattern. You might find something similar in your kitchen.

What you will need:

- Baked polymer clay (desired color)

- Metal molds for the bracelet

- Glass saucer with relief

- Nail polish in different colors

- Satin wide ribbon

- Scissors

- Pasta machine or rolling pin with a board for rolling out a thin layer

- Glue

Let's get to work

1. Roll out the clay into a long strip about 0.5 centimeters. Use a saucer to draw a picture. You can use any molds that you have in stock.

2. Use scissors or a clay blade to cut a flat rectangular strip a width that is slightly larger than the width of the metal mold for the bracelet.

3. Wrap clay around the metal mold.

4. Bend clay edges inside. Then bake the product until the clay hardens completely.

5. Optionally, you can paint the product nail polish. To hide the metal shape inside, you can glue satin ribbon.

DIY polymer clay. Bracelet (video lesson)

Polymer clay ring

We offer you a master class on making very simple but original rings made of polymer clay in the shape of a bow.

What you will need:

- Polymer clay (desired color)

- Blade

- Pasta machine or rolling pin with a board for rolling out a thin layer

- Sequins

Let's get to work

Knead the clay in your hands to make it more pliable, and roll out a plate with a thickness of about 0.5 centimeters.

Use a blade or knife to cut bow details: two rectangles (one wider, one narrower). Wrap the edges of the longer one inward, and wrap the other rectangle around the first part.

You should get something like this bow:

Blind from clay ring, then attach a bow to it. To make the ring fit you, you need to wrap it around to start own finger and adjust to the correct size. Do not worry if your fingerprints or bumps remain on the ring. Via sequin this problem will be masked.

cover the ring sequins and let it harden.

Polymer clay for beginners. Ring (video lesson):

Polymer clay rings photo

In the 30s in Germany, they invented a chic material for creating extraordinary products - polymer clay. At first, dolls were made with it, but in the 60s it rapidly gained popularity, after which clay began to be used to create various sculptures and compositions.

Now from this material create original jewelry, souvenirs, flowers. Wedding bouquets are excellently obtained from polymer clay, so clay has become an indispensable material for wedding celebrations.

You, too, can learn how to make chic crafts from this wonderful material. In order to create your first masterpiece, it will be enough for you to familiarize yourself with the material below.

Polymer Clay Sculpting Tools

Surface for work. You can take a flat and perfectly flat board made of glass or plastic, tiles or ceramics.
Knife. Suitable for both stationery and construction. Have spare blades on hand.
Acrylic rolling pin - very handy when rolling clay.
A syringe and various nozzles with which you can make a variety of stripes, floral elements.
Forms for cutting figures (cutters).
Stacks.
Polymer clay.
Lacquer for polymers.
Brushes of different sizes.
Toothpicks.
Napkins.
Fittings.

Before starting work, the clay must be well kneaded.

Useful tips for working with clay

First, wash your hands well, as clay perfectly absorbs various contaminants. Keep your work area clean too. Gather your hair or put a scarf on your head. Apply talcum powder to the clay - this way you will prevent debris from sticking to it. Calculate the amount of clay correctly, because colored clay has a short shelf life. When the clay dries out, do not lose heart, but simply add regular cream to the material for hands, but not much. Be careful with clay products - they are quite fragile. Keep the packaging with the material only when closed. To make the clay serve you for a long time, put a damp cloth there. polymer clay at home

If you do not have the opportunity to purchase ready-made clay in the store, then below is a recipe for home-made clay.

You will need: baby oil, flour (1 teaspoon), plain white glue (1 teaspoon), cornstarch (1 teaspoon).

Combine starch, glue, add flour. Stir until the mixture looks like clay. Next, drip five or six drops of oil so that the clay does not stick to your hands. To make colored clay, take some of this material in your hand, drip some acrylic paint and knead it in your hand.

Polymer clay flowersCalla

For those who are just starting out with polymer clay, calla lilies are the easiest to make. This is a very simple craft and can be done in minutes. And if you decorate the resulting flower with beads and thread a special hook into them, you will get chic earrings.

Take a couple of clay flowers, a toothpick, a utility knife, rubber gloves and beads.

Make sausages from clay pieces, then roll them one around the other. Roll the resulting product into a ball. Do these manipulations until you get a marble color. After that, using a knife, cut the ball into two equal parts.

Make a rounded flat plate and stretch its edge a little, which is pinned with your fingers. Carefully fold the opposite edge (like a paper bag).

Straighten the edges, correct. You should get a drop-down bud. Make small holes with a toothpick and insert an earring and beads into the flower.

Lily is more difficult to make than calla lilies, but the result is worth it!

Take the clay of the color you like, a bottle or a rolling pin, an awl or a large needle, a knife, paints (preferably watercolor), brushes, paper clips.

Put gloves on your hands, take a piece of clay, roll it thinly, outline the petals. Draw the borders of the petals with a needle. You should have three large and three small petals. Small petals will be in the center of the flower.

Cut out the resulting petals with a knife or scissors. Draw veins on the petals - it looks very beautiful.

Let the resulting components dry, and you yourself will be engaged in the manufacture of the center of the flower, namely the pistil and stamens. Roll out the clay and cut into thin strips. Make the strip for the pestle wider, apply brown color to its tip. With a needle, twist the edges of the petals, which are smaller. Straighten a paper clip and fasten the flower to it, starting with the pistil and stamens. Next, symmetrically attach the petals.

Roses are considered the most sought after flowers, even if they are made from polymer clay. To make this beauty, take polymer clay, put gloves on your hands.

Make a sausage out of a piece of clay, cut it into pieces, from which make balls of various diameters. Nine balls will be enough if the rose is small.

From the balls blind oval petals. To do this, we put a ball on the left palm, on which we press with the thumb of the right hand. We form a petal. We make the edges of the petal thinner, and the base denser. We do this with all the balls. After that, we collect the rose. Make the middle of the flower - twist one petal into a roll. Next, attach the petals to the center from smallest to largest. Make sure that each petal covers the middle of the previous one.

Rose done. It is perfect for decorating various accessories. Would look great as a fridge magnet.

Which clay is best?

Polymer clay flowers are indistinguishable from real ones!

Ceramic floristry is a separate area of creativity

corn or potato starch
PVA glue
baking soda
petrolatum

Starch (two tablespoons) must be ground with a teaspoon of petroleum jelly (it is most convenient to do this in a ceramic plate or a shallow bowl). Add a good pinch of soda to the resulting mixture, mix. Now we begin to gradually introduce glue until the “dough” becomes elastic enough, but not too thick or tight. When "brute force" dilute it with glue. We knead the lump, lubricating our hands with Vaseline. The porcelain is ready to use. After sculpting from it, no additional processing is required - you just need to let it dry. Finished products are covered with acrylic paints.

Rules for baking plastics

The only difficulty is the baking process. It is worth underexposing or overexposing - and all the work is in vain. But if you strictly follow the instructions, and this is not a problem.

Before being sent to the oven, the figurines are placed on ceramic tiles, old earthenware or a metal baking sheet covered with baking paper.

For better "baking" flowers (or other products) need to be planted on toothpicks or pins and stuck in a wad of foil.

It is important not only to blind beautifully, but also to bake correctly!

An oven thermometer will help you keep track of the correct temperature.

How to sculpt flowers from polymer clay

In addition to the material, to make flowers from polymer clay, you also need to have:

Latex gloves or fingertips. It is not always convenient to work in them, but fingerprints will not remain on the products, spoiling their appearance. Gloves should be your size - they fit snugly on the fingers and interfere less with work.

Knives. For cutting petals and other parts of the flower, it is better to use a sharp clerical knife, a blade is also suitable. They allow you to avoid deformation of the product when cutting.
Stacks. To draw veins on the petals and leaves of a flower, you will need toothpicks, knitting needles or special metal stacks, which can be found in the Everything for Drawing stores.

Rolling pin. Clay can be rolled out with a glass bottle or a special glass rolling pin.

To sculpt beautiful flowers and flower arrangements, you do not need to have special artistic abilities, but perseverance, patience and skill will come in very handy.

You can start with the simplest - sculpting clay roses for jewelry.

You will need: baked pink polymer clay and rubber gloves.

Roll a sausage out of clay and cut it into pieces - future petals. Form petals of different sizes from them.

We form flower petals of different sizes

Twist the middle of the flower from the smallest petal, the rest from the smallest to the largest - attach to it in a circle.

Make a hole in the finished flower with a pin or a toothpick, so that later you can attach accessories to it (a chain or a hook for an earring).

"Bake" the product in the oven, observing temperature regime and the firing time indicated by the manufacturer in the instructions on the clay packaging.

When the simplest technique mastered, you can try to make a more realistic flower using various special tools: forms for cutting petals, molds for petals and rose cups, wire for artificial flowers, green tape for stems, a stack with a round tip. With the help of a stack with a ball at the end, the edges of the petals are thinly rolled out, and with the help of a mold they are made similar to the texture of a real rose flower. In this case, the petals are glued with PVA glue to the drop-shaped base of the bud. A five-pointed green clay flower cup, the ends of which are cut with a knife for realism, completes the beautiful picture.

Hello dear readers. Here is the second edition (the third edition is available in PDF) of my very first article on the topic of polymer floristry. Since the day I wrote this article, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. I learned a lot of new things, rethought some important points for me, and even changed my mind to something almost drastically. In this article, I will try to tell you as much as possible of what I know about this fascinating activity - the creation of artificial flowers from cold porcelain, polymer clay, or even ceramics.

Flowers. How much joy they bring us. They are given for the holidays, they are bought just for the soul, they are grown on windowsills. But no matter how beautiful they are, cut flowers fade sooner or later, and potted flowers sometimes require such painstaking care that not every person can handle it. For many years, people have been replacing natural flowers with artificial ones, trying to solve the problem of the fragility of natural flowers. They made them from stone, clay, paper, fabric, leather... And nowadays, flowers from cold porcelain and polymer clays, created specifically for polymer floristry, are becoming the most popular.

Despite the fact that many hear about cold porcelain only for the first time, it appeared in the middle of the last century. Many sources prefer to pay tribute to the first discovery specifically to Argentina, but there is a lot of information that it was “discovered” at about the same time everywhere. After all, cold porcelain itself is an easy-to-make material - it is based on starch and pva glue. And only with time, when florists turned their attention to it, did it begin to be refined and improved in pursuit of softness and elasticity. Why is the composition, which in fact has nothing to do with porcelain (starch + pva) is called cold porcelain? Everything is very simple and without frills. The dried mixture appearance resembles porcelain, and since the material does not require firing and dries out on its own rather quickly, it was given the name "cold porcelain".

I won't delve into boring history or comparative characteristics. I just want to say that today there are more and more polymer clays, which are similar in composition to cold porcelain, and even surpass it in technical qualities. But if you are just starting to get interested in polymer floristry, and are not sure that you are ready to spend an impressive amount on studying various types of plastic, as well as on buying a solid mountain of tools, then cold porcelain is what you need. Where polymer clays are unlikely to ever beat this simple blend is price. Factory polymer clays sell for relatively large sums of money. For example, at the time of this writing (early 2013), Modena polymer self-hardening clay from the Japanese company Padico in Moscow costs 550 rubles per 250 grams, Sukerukun (Japan) - 900 rubles per 200 grams, Clear (Yaponimya) - 450 rubles per 100g. Thai clays, which I put one step lower in quality, as well as due to the absence or presence of a dubious non-toxic certificate, cost from 300 to 450 rubles. While the material for making porcelain at home will cost you 5-10 times cheaper. It all depends on what materials you buy and what effect you want to achieve. Of course, over time, you will understand that the price problem is solved by buying clay in bulk for a year at once, but only those who decide to sell their products come to this. And even then, the price still remains higher, but you save in another way - the time that you spend on the cooking process and your health, which few people think about, neglecting simple safety measures during the preparation of cold porcelain.

Second no less important quality- elasticity during molding. Qualitatively prepared cold porcelain has an extraordinary elasticity of the material, which is maintained even when the clay begins to dry out a little and only especially expensive clays (for example, Sukerukun, Clear) can compare with it. This is very important, especially in cases where the master has to work with one piece of cold porcelain for a long time due to inexperience or due to the increased complexity of the product being created. Many masters do not pay attention to this point and consider accuracy to be overkill. I'm not going to argue with them. Everyone is free to go the way he likes best. I prefer the path of grace, neatness and tenderness. With each of my new products, I slowly but persistently move along it and do not regret the time spent on all this accuracy. Because I see joy in people's eyes when they receive my flowers and jewelry, and this is the best indicator for me that I am doing everything right.

So, the time for lyrics has passed. I assume that since you started reading this article, you have heard something about polymer clay artificial flowers, cold porcelain flowers, ceramic floristry and the like. And you were wondering how to try to do something like that yourself? What is needed for this? How to start? Where? What for? How!!! Personally, these questions overwhelmed me when I realized that there was not so much information on the resources known to me. No, of course, if you set a goal, you can always find what you are looking for, but how much time was spent in order to isolate what is paramount and what is not so important to start with. I think that many creative people we are familiar with the excitement that overwhelms us when we light up with a new idea. Without really knowing the technique and essence, we go to the store and buy everything related to the topic we have chosen, and only after some time we realize that somewhere around two-thirds of what we bought is either simply not needed, or will not be needed soon. When I started writing this article, I first of all set myself the goal not so much to talk about cold porcelain, polymer clays and polymer floristry in general, but to show what a novice master might need in the first couple. How you can get by with scrap materials and keep costs to a minimum in case your passion passes. After all, not everything we want to try suits us.

I want to say right away that if you plan to follow the path of polymer floristry, then you simply must have unlimited patience in reserve, well-developed finger motor skills, as well as a craving for accuracy. And if you dare to look in the direction of white porcelain ... Then patience, speed and accuracy are necessary for you, like air! The absence of any of the components does not deprive you of the right and opportunity to engage in this work. In no case! But you must understand that realistic flowers are obtained only in the case of the lion's share of patience, accuracy and dexterity of the fingers. Although all three of these qualities are perfectly developed in the process. So, probably, the main thing is still desire. Well, we have plenty!

Polymer and ceramic floristry

Artificial flowers made of porcelain, cold porcelain and polymer clays began to appear in our lives not so long ago. But every day more and more information leaks out and becomes available. I want to start, perhaps, with the fact that at the very beginning, like many other people, I was misled by the fact that cold porcelain, self-hardening polymer clay belong to ceramic floristry. This delusion was instilled in us by the first polymer clay flower sculpting company that appeared in Russia. Why such misinformation and confusion was created, I don't know. Perhaps the people who launched it really wanted to bring ceramic floristry to the CIS countries, but realized that it was even more difficult to spread it to the masses than polymer floristry.

One way or another, remember that ceramic floristry is flowers created from clay, which must be fired. That is, ceramics. The most common material is white porcelain and certain varieties of it, which have very good elasticity. But, due to the high complexity of the modeling technique itself, a small circle of consumers (prices for such compositions reach hundreds of thousands of rubles) and the need to have a kiln at hand, this kind of creativity is very rare, but I dare to assure you - the results are amazing.

With a big, very big stretch, cold porcelain, which as such is not porcelain, can be attributed to ceramic floristry. Although, personally, I attribute it more to polymer floristry, which, in fact, we are talking about when we say “Flowers and decorations from cold porcelain” or “Flowers from self-hardening polymer clay”. Polymer floristry is the creation of flowers from various polymer clays. Be it baked polymer clay or self-hardening. Moreover, the degree of realism of polymer colors depends solely on the polymer clays you have chosen. Well, or, from the recipe of your cold porcelain. Some of them in their properties and durability are not tired of polymer clays. That's just to cook such, at home, I personally would not dare. Yes, and I do not advise you!

Cold porcelain and its analogues - self-hardening polymer clays

During the time that this article was first written, I studied a huge variety of polymer clays and realized that my first conclusion was correct - there is no need to describe a hundred and one polymer clays in this article. But, perhaps, I will still tell about several of them, as about the most memorable for me. In all other cases, if you have a desire, then you can go to search engine and spend a couple of hours / days / weeks studying this material. You can spend money and buy yourself different grades of clay, in practice, finding exactly the material that is most suitable for you. And here and now I will only briefly tell what I consider necessary and what I am sure of.

First of all, it is worth noting that all clay (let’s also call cold porcelain in the future as one of the “brands” of polymer clay, although this is not so, it’s easier to tell, and this does not contradict generally accepted concepts) can divided into soft and hard, porous and smooth. There are many more various classifications but they don't work for me. As I have already noticed, according to the modeling technique, people like to work either with very soft, elastic clay, or with a harder, rubbery one. My personal opinion is that elastic, soft clay allows you to make more realistic compositions that are close to natural flowers. My mind goes haywire when I come across a clumsy rubber material that can be used to make decorative flowers, but nothing like real ones. Someone may disagree with me, but this entire article is my personal conclusions and reasoning, which do not claim to be tutorial and common truths. I make my experience and my opinion. How to use it and what to learn from all this for yourself is up to you. So, it is for this reason that almost 80% of polymer clays are immediately screened out. I did not buy all the clays in a row. I read reviews about them, looked at the work done from them, looked through available videos. I just want to point out one thing. When buying clay, remember that almost all (or even all) of them are afraid of freezing. For this reason, do not buy clay by mail during the winter. If you want to try clay for the first time, buy it during the warm season or buy it directly from the store. Clay will not die in a bag for a couple of hours in the cold. Frozen clay, after thawing, loses its elastic properties and becomes "oak" or "rubber". Some of them can be reanimated by mixing in water or glycerin cream, but in both cases the result will be, frankly, ... a hundred times worse than the worst cold porcelain. Perhaps I'm exaggerating a little, but one way or another, flowers molded from clay reanimated after freezing do not look so “fresh”.

But back to our properties. The second attribute that is not unimportant for me is the texture of the material itself. I love it when the clay has a smooth texture, reminiscent of Fimo polymer clays for firing/baking. That is, in fact, like a very soft and elastic plasticine. For this reason, I immediately discarded two popular brands for ceramic floristry Claycraft by Deco and Hearty by Padico. These clays are more porous than I would like, although I do have the Hearty range which I use for special occasions where roughness and paperiness is needed. In addition, Claycraft is too fragile, and if you really have to choose between it and cold porcelain, then the second one is both cheaper and stronger. Although, if choosing between smooth polymer clays and cold porcelain, I will choose the former. Why? Because recently I think that the polymer base is more flexible and durable. But if your main question is the price at the initial stages, then I see no reason for you to chase after a well-known brand that you can replace with something that you can cook yourself cheaper? The main thing - do not forget about safety!

Of all the polymer clays I've bought to date, my favorites are Modena by Padico and Sukerukun. The second clay is just a dream! However, its price significantly reduces the excitement. The advantage of both clays over cold porcelain is that, after drying, these clays become waterproof and flexible, which cannot be said about cold porcelain, although flexibility can still be achieved by adding rare types of PVA glue or elasticizers to the mixture. Modena clay is inferior in elasticity during modeling to cold porcelain and Thai polymer clays such as Thai Clay, Modern Clay, etc. But, in my personal opinion, no clay can surpass the elasticity of Sukerukun. Perhaps this alone justifies its cost. Although, it seems to me that the price, which is almost twice as high as that of Modena, is due to the dubious transparency of the clay. Yes, it is undoubtedly the most transparent, but do not expect to get currants or grapes from it. Unreal. That is why, because of such different properties of clays, I use combinations of different types in my compositions.

For jewelry, I always use only waterproof and flexible clays. The main clay for jewelry is Modena. In cases where this clay does not cope with its elasticity, I use Sukerukun. I use the well-known waterproof clay Luna Clay in cases where I need, on the contrary, a rigid construction in decoration or compositions.

For floral compositions, I use Thai clays, or rather one - Modern Clay Blue. It is softer and more elastic than Modern Clay Green, which can be obtained from blue by "weathering".

When I started sculpting, my arsenal was limited to Modena Clay. I want to honestly tell you that even now I can safely manage only with her. But here only curiosity and a desire to experiment, to learn something new are already in use, and therefore now in my box with clay there is a whole heap of various packages of “all colors of the rainbow”. I'm even scared to think how much money it took ...

So. Well, now the main question! Where can I buy! It is already clear that cold porcelain can be welded on its own. Fortunately, the network has an infinite number of recipes. The main thing here is not just to find a recipe, but also to see what comes out of it. Be careful and make sure that the posted photos in the recipe are made by the author from cold porcelain, cooked according to this particular recipe, and not collected from all over the Internet, which is prettier. For example, now my tulips from Modern Clay Blue are walking around the network, which show how the result of modeling from cold porcelain without boiling. I very much doubt that something close to similar can happen there ...

Self-hardening polymer clays can also be purchased at the store. The best place to search is our native and unique Internet. Just enter the name of the brand of clay you are looking for and the word "buy", and you will find many useful results. If you push yourself hard, you can search on Japanese and Thai sites. Clay is much cheaper there. But shipping will pay off only if you order a large batch. So, just a year ahead.

By the way, earlier in this article there was information about Fleur clay, which, as they say, is nee the same Modern Clay. I still remain of the opinion that Fleur is inferior in quality to Modern Clay. And I don't plan to change it. At least until frozen or old clay with broken package seals stops appearing on the shelves. Of course, other sellers can be found defective goods, but Fleur is found in our country (at least in Moscow) so far more often than other polymer clays. I'm not talking about the fact that its price is twice as high as Modern Clay ... In general, just be careful when buying clay, even in dense packaging it should be well squeezed under your fingers. And Modena even more - completely flattened at the corner. However, I am by no means saying that directly "fresh" Fleur is bad material. It's just very hard to find it. Even if you buy directly from the store of this company.

But regardless of the firm and freshness of the clay, it must be stored in an airtight condition. Cling film allows air to pass through, so in addition to it, it is best to wrap the clay in plastic wrap. Then even tinted pieces will last long enough.

Secondary materials and tools

The purpose of this subsection is not to list you all the options for tools and materials, but to tell you what will come in handy at the very beginning, and what can be replaced with it.

Paints

The most basic of the secondary materials, which is difficult to refuse, are paints. Paints are painted on top of the finished product, they are also added directly to the clay, giving it the desired color. Professionals use oil paints, as they, unlike acrylic paints, do not contain water and do not dry out so quickly, and therefore do not accelerate the hardening process of the clay, and they do not need to be fiddled with much, like with pastels, after which everything around is covered with a thin layer of colored dust. Also, when tinting with oil paints, you can make beautiful and smooth transitions that cannot be obtained when working with acrylic.

You can use both the cheapest oil art paints and expensive ones. The only difference is that cheap paints can sometimes have an unexpected effect on clay. For example, many are faced with the fact, and I also experienced it, that the blue colors of Sonnet and Master Class, when added to samovar cold porcelain, lead to a very unpleasant odor in the clay. This smell disappears after drying, but working with such material is unpleasant. Or, for example, a sonnet contains such an amount of linseed oil that it simply pours out of a tube instead of paint. You have to constantly control the process, and this is not always possible. One recommended firm is Winsor & Newton. The oil of this company can be bought in almost any art store. These are the colors I use. I have a rather large palette of colors, since I paint pictures with the same paints. To get started, you can buy an inexpensive, small set of Sonnet oil paints in 12 colors. It doesn’t cost much, and if you don’t like polymer floristry, and you don’t find another use for the oil, then you won’t be so sorry for the money spent.

I also use Winsor & Newton Water Soluble Oil, but only for toning and texturing already dry pieces. This allows me to avoid the use of solvents and thinners, which then cause such a terrible headache. Adding such oil to clay shortens its elasticity time. Even in an airtight bag, clay begins to lose it over time. But the addition of conventional oil paints, on the contrary, increases elasticity. After you add a little color and mix the clay well until a uniform shade, wrap it in cling film and let it lie for about five minutes. You can even warm up a little in your hands. Then mix the clay again, and you will see how elastic it has become.

Please note that there are two types of white in oil paints. Zinc and titanium. In polymer floristry, zinc white is mainly used. They retain porcelain in clay and even transparency in small portions. Titanium white completely kills transparency, and also makes the clay look like plastic, in addition, such clay loses its elasticity very quickly during modeling and often even begins to crumble. But sometimes you still need titanium white.

Glue

Almost all flowers are made in parts, and these parts then need to be connected somehow. Usually, the most common PVA glue is used for these purposes. However, it is worth remembering that PVA glue perfectly connects raw material with raw material or dried, but two dried pieces of clay are very likely not to be connected with PVA. And then you need something more reliable. The simplest solution is super glue for a second or a moment. Attaches quickly and firmly. Especially fingers with clay ... Usually, both PVA and super glue are in every home, and if they are not there, then it is not a problem to get them.

Many florists use latex glue instead of PVA. Outwardly, it looks like PVA glue, when it dries it becomes transparent, it is specially designed for working with plastic. Although, like PVA, it is difficult to connect two dried parts from cold porcelain or polymer clay. Personally, I do not see much point in buying this glue in the early stages. If you decide to sell your work, then you should look for a similar glue. I buy a big bottle and pour myself a little. Since latex glue tends to dry out, it becomes tighter or even completely dry. Since you always forget to close the jar of glue while sculpting.

Wire

Most colors are based on a wire frame. Depending on the size of the flower, the wire can be either very thin or as thick as a pencil lead. Perhaps this is the tool that is difficult to replace with something and which you will need sooner or later. And usually sooner rather than later. Therefore, if you are planning to get into polymer floristry, then you definitely need to probe the soil of your city on where you can buy wire. You can buy it at the construction markets and in craft stores (I bought my first wire in a beading store) ... I think that you can find many more places if you try hard. In specialized stores for floristry, wire is sold in a winding. Usually in green or white. To be honest, there is no sense for us from this winding. More inconvenience, rather. But such a wire looks prettier and more pleasant to work with, although sometimes the winding has a habit of shaggy and unwinding at the ends, and it has to be glued, which, of course, is a little annoying. Personally, I prefer unwrapped wire. I really like the dyed wire that they sell in bead shops. Moreover, such a wire is also cheaper.

Tape Tape

This tricky tape is not sold in every city. A few years ago, even in Moscow it was difficult to find her. Is that only in rare specialized floristry stores. Now things are easier. In polymer floristry, teip-tape is needed in order to connect parts to the frame if they are mounted on a wire. Double-sided adhesive tape pulls all the wires together very well, turning them into a neat stem, which can then, if desired, be rolled in with clay. But even without running in, such stems already look good enough. Without teip tape, you will have a hard time. If you have no way to buy teip tape ... well ... then you have to improvise. You can try using construction paper tape. This, of course, is still that substitute, but it’s better with it than without anything at all. Most importantly, do not forget to run the stem around later, otherwise such a flower will not look very beautiful.

Tape tape comes in a variety of colors. We will need green ribbon the most, but you can also get brown if you find it or any other if you don’t find the colors you need. Better with tape than without!

Cling film and modeling mat

I believe that it is not worth explaining the necessity and essence of these two subjects. You can do without them, but the film will help keep your clay for a long time, and the rug will organize your workspace and keep it clean while you work. If you really disperse, you can buy a paper cutting mat (they are usually green with centimeter separators) and an airtight container for polymer clay wrapped in cling film. This will give extra protection against drying out and will organize dozens of colorful pieces that you will accumulate over time.

Scissors, nippers, side cutters, etc.

It will be difficult for you to work without small scissors. In the beginning, ordinary nail scissors will do for you, but in the future, I strongly advise you to find and buy small scissors with straight and long, thin blades. The thinner and longer the steel, the better. I had to spend several weeks before I was able to find the scissors I needed at a reasonable price in the next store.

You will also need to:

- round nose pliers - if you are going to make jewelry using fittings
- tweezers - sometimes the details are so small that the fingers begin to seem thick and clumsy, and you can also quickly make loops on a thin wire with tweezers
- side cutters - for cutting thick wire
- pliers - for aligning and bending thick wire

Most tools can easily be found in any home. And if you don’t have them, then, in my opinion, it’s time to get them!

Stacks

The last series of important tools are stacks. Unfortunately, most sculpting stacks won't work. Here you need your own specific stacks. But over time, perhaps you will buy something from the usual sculpting stacks, depending on your desires and needs. Our two main stacks look like this:

In the form of a spoke

In the form of a stick with balls at the ends

If you have the opportunity, it is better to immediately buy such stacks. Various sizes and more! If you have a sane person in your head, then it’s better to understand what stacks you need to start with.

The first base stack looks very much like a thick spoke. On the one hand, the diameter of the circle is 1.5-2 mm, and on the other, 4-5 mm. Despite its size, I even roll miniature lilacs and forget-me-nots with this stack. I bought later a stack that is smaller and looks like a thin knitting needle and is used by me to create very small flowers, such as heather or miniatures. In general, summing up, I want to say that for a start it is worth trying out some materials at hand, and only then, based on this knowledge, buy yourself a stack. Although among them there is not so much variety. As a substitute, you can use a knitting needle, a Japanese chopstick, or even an awl. For example, I started with sewing.

The second stack of marbles seems indispensable, but it's not. It is enough to find a strong stick (brush, pencil, thick wire) and glue smooth beads of the size you need to it. For example, for a very long time I used a ball of cold porcelain, planted on a wooden stick. Only much later I bought myself a set of stacks of different sizes and, in fact, did not feel much difference. Well, besides the fact that iron tools are still better than a light brush and an equally light ball.

A useful tool, in my opinion, is a roller knife. I remember how I studied it with surprise, not knowing where to apply it, but then it turned out that with such a knife it is very good to cut out the necessary shapes from the rolled out layer of clay or to make depressions in the clay for running the stem. However, you can do fine without this tool, but if you buy it for yourself, then it definitely won’t be superfluous. The main thing is to buy steel immediately, not plastic.

Molds and cutters

This is where you can spend your endless money. Molds and cutters make life a lot easier for a florist, but if you don't have a bottomless bag of gold, then you should think ten times before buying a mold or cutter.

Mold is a texture imprint from a petal or leaf of a living flower that we use to give a realistic likeness when sculpting. It will be difficult to do without molds, but many flowers can still be sculpted without them, so do not rush to buy molds. Firstly, they are expensive, and secondly, they can be made independently.

For this you will need:

- plasticine.

- epoxy or the most common silicone sealant.

- the sheet from which you want to make an impression.

First, roll out a piece of plasticine and attach a leaf to it. This way you will get a print. Around this print, stick more plasticine in the form of bumpers. Pour the prepared epoxy or silicone sealant into the resulting "container" (do not forget to carefully level the sealant so that it fills all the recesses). Let dry and remove plasticine. That's the whole story. You can also order a two-component silicone paste from the USA, which is suitable not only for creating various impressions, but also for making baking molds. So if you are simultaneously engaged in decorating cakes, then you can safely create molds for yourself for this direction. To create such silicone mold, you need to mix the two components and make an impression on the resulting mass, which is very similar to our polymer clay. After a few hours, the silicone will harden completely. And the mold can be used. Also, in summer and spring, you can use just living foliage as molds, but closer to autumn, I advise you to still take care of the stock of necessary molds.

As for the cutters - molds for flowers and foliage, I personally think that they kill the liveliness of the flower, but sometimes you still can’t do without them. Identical, boring petals do not look very natural where nature allows disproportions. If you use boats, do not forget to work on each leaf and petal after that, adding individuality to it, changing the shape a little. Cutters are very expensive, and many craftsmen make them by hand from cans, cutting them into strips and then shaping them into desired shapes. Some cutters are quite useful, but most can still be dispensed with or you can use cardboard patterns that can be applied to a rolled piece of clay and then carefully cut with scissors or a roller knife. You won't need cutters for the first couple, so you can safely forget about them.

pasta machine
I will not tell you which car is better to choose and how to use it. I can only say one thing - most pasta machines are simple machines for rolling out the most common dough of different thicknesses. You won't need a pasta machine for quite some time, but if you want to speed up the process of sculpting flowers whose petals and leaves need to be cut with cutters, then a pasta machine will save you a lot of time. Not only that, it will evenly roll out your layer of clay and, no less important, it will not leave your fingerprints on it. Keep in mind that unlike baked plastic, our polymer clay is very sticky and can wrap around the rollers of the pasta machine. Therefore, it is best to roll the clay in a special film or "file". Both can be bought at any polymer floristry store along with a pasta machine.

Cream
At my master classes, I often come across the fact that always at the very beginning, when I talk about the tools, the question arises ahead of time “why do I need a cream and what kind?”. Firstly, there is an erroneous opinion that clay can be restored with a cream. I must say that I myself believed in this for a long time, until I realized in practice that the main meaning of the cream is completely different - it is used in cases where your clay is too sticky to your hands and tools. It also helps a little, quite a bit, to restore the elasticity of the clay, but not its malleability. These are slightly different concepts. To restore the clay itself, you need to mix into it what it lost when it became hard, namely water. The cream, being a more liquid substance than the clay itself, can partially restore elasticity by replacing water, but in large quantities the cream leads to a violation of the structure of the clay. And great disappointment on the part of the creator.

Which cream is right for us? Yes, absolutely any containing glycerin. I used Velvet Handles for a long time, and then I bought Pond’s, a pleasant smelling cream, which is available in large quantities in polymer floristry stores. Perhaps its main advantage is the wide neck of the jar.

Well then. That's all, perhaps, what I wanted to report about the materials. As you can see, I told very briefly and little, but it seems to me that I said the most important thing:
What clay is best to start with?
What paints are better to buy
- what tools can be useful in the beginning
You will learn the rest yourself, gradually studying techniques, tricks, tricks.

In the next part, I will tell you about .

In the meantime, you should stock up on the materials necessary for it:

In the meantime, you should stock up on the materials necessary for it: Polymer Clay (you can weld it yourself or purchase Modena, Modern Clay, Thai Clay polymer clay)
A set of oil paints "Sonnet" 12 colors small, brushes No. 1, 2, 4 (synthetics or kolinsky, flat or oval are better), N8 (fluffy round brush made of very soft synthetics), thinner
Wire No. 28x12 - 22 pcs (wire for beads of medium thickness is also suitable, it must withstand the weight of the flower and not bend in half from it)
Wire No. 18x12 - 1 pc.
PVA glue (or latex glue)
Tape green or brown
Nail scissors (preferably with straight tips)
The stack is basic (or something that can replace it, like a spoke)
Patience and good mood!

If you have any questions, please ask! If I know the answers to them, I will definitely share the information.

When copying a lesson to other resources, remember that you agree that the lesson should be posted as is. You are also required to indicate the source - that is, to establish a link to this resource.

vakhara