Flowers made of polymer clay: master class. Polymer clay for beginners

We decided to try making flowers from polymer clay? The master class will help you with this: here are descriptions from simple products to the most complex.

Modeling flowers from polymer clay is probably the most interesting variety working with plastic. A skilled craftswoman's products turn out to be divinely elegant, so fragile in appearance - but strong enough to be worn as a brooch, necklace or bracelet. Souvenir ikebana can be used to decorate the interior. More than once you will hear words of admiration from your guests with a hint of slight disbelief: did you really make such beauty yourself?! But the most chic thing is a wedding bouquet made of polymer clay. Unlike real flowers, it will never wither, which means you can save it as one of your first family heirlooms.

How to make flowers from polymer clay?

Before making flowers from polymer clay, familiarize yourself with general recommendations— nuances also affect the quality of the final result.

Many beginners think that a master class on plastic flowers is extremely difficult. In fact, if you follow the technology, there is nothing complicated in sculpting such products. Always adhere to the following rules:

You only need to sculpt in a cool room, using a glass sheet as a working surface so that the clay does not soften too much from the high temperature.
Flowers are not sanded, so it is better to sculpt with medical rubber gloves (tight-fitting) so as not to leave fingerprints on the clay.
It is imperative to have a set of professional stacks, since almost all the work is done by them.
Under no circumstances should we place unfired flowers on a work or any other surface - we prick them onto a stand (wire, toothpick) and bake them on it.
We try to prevent dust and lint from getting on the work surface and plastic: they can get imprinted on the workpieces, and there is practically no way to remove them from there. Therefore, before making flowers from polymer clay, we vacuum the room, remove pets and woolen clothes, and after sculpting, we immediately take our creative works to the oven, without waiting for something to stick to them.

In addition to clay and stacks, you will need green wire - flower stems are often made from it. You can find it in a craft store: sold in reels and by the meter. Choose a medium thickness: the thinnest is not suitable, as it will bend under the weight of the flower.

Sometimes on thematic resources you come across a recommendation not to bake thin items made from polymer clay, but to boil them. They say it’s faster (flowers only need 5 minutes) and more environmentally friendly (less harmful fumes). Maybe so, but cooking has one huge disadvantage: the boiling point ordinary water 100 o, saturated saline solution 110 o, and the temperature required for hardening of polymer clay is 130 o. As a result, the creative almost certainly remains a little soft and too fragile. Therefore, my choice is baking, which I advise you to do. It would be a shame if a magnificent bouquet was ruined at the final stage. It is advisable to cook plastic if you come across a variety with a solidification temperature of no more than 110 o. Or if you don’t have an oven, but really want to work with polymer clay.

How to cook polymer clay? Pour filtered water into the pan, dissolve salt in it (2 tablespoons for each liter), let it boil and wait 5 minutes. Then set the heat to low and lower the product into the brine. We hold it by the stand so that it does not touch the walls and bottom. Thin items like flowers should be boiled for 4-5 minutes, then taken out and cooled in cold water. The container in which the processing was carried out can no longer be used for cooking.

Master class “Flower”

What you can't do with polymer clay! Master class “Flower” is a small part of its possible use for sculpting plant motifs.

In order not to explain anything on your fingers, here is a detailed photo guide to making different colors:

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I showed how to sculpt roses in.

These are the miracles you can easily sculpt from polymer clay. But the “Flower” master class is not only intended for beginners: I think it’s time to bring in the heavy artillery. I recommend that those who are especially impressionable take a deep breath, as this is truly a masterpiece!

To make the same flowers from polymer clay, read the master class carefully, and if you don’t understand anything, ask questions in the comments. I repeat: this thread Sakura is a highly complex job, and beginners may not be able to sculpt delicate details the first time. Practice and you will learn.

You will need pink, brown and green self-hardening polymer clay, yellow acrylic dye, good glue, fishing line, wire and a real tree branch.

First of all, cut the fishing line into pieces about 5 cm long and singe it over the flame so that 2 cm remains with a ball at the end. We will dip these balls in yellow paint. When dry, glue the resulting stamens to the wire using superglue.

Now we start sculpting the petals - perhaps this is the most difficult stage of the work, since they should be thin, thin, almost like real ones. Pinch off a pea-sized piece, knead it, form a long drop, and place it on the curve of your left palm. With the other hand we take the stack and roll out the workpiece. Not too subtle yet. The result is a drop-shaped cake. Now we use a toothpick to press slightly noticeable grooves along it, and one deep one at the tip, in the very center. We remove it, flatten the blunt end a little more with our fingers, and bend the sharp end in two along the deep groove, stretch it out a little and turn it up. This is what the petal should look like:

Carefully glue the petals onto the stems: 3-4 in a row, 3 rows in total. Now all that remains is to attach the sepals, and the flower will be ready. We take green polymer clay, roll it out using a star mold or manually cut out a five-pointed star, put it on a wire and crimp it. It’s better to roll the stem with plastic too, so that our branch looks more realistic.

In the first illustration you can see that there are a lot of flowers on sakura. This is not a job for one evening, or even for a week. The process is labor-intensive, but the result is worth it - so be patient. Approximately 90% of the flowers should be made as identical as possible, and the remaining 10% should be in the form of unopened buds. You don't need stamens for the buds - we just glue about five petals in random order onto a wire stem.

In addition to flowers, there are leaves on a sakura branch. How to sculpt them? We make exactly the same drop-shaped blank as for the petal, also place it on the palm and roll it out in a stack - but only from the edges, leaving the middle thick. We will stick a wire into it. After this, we press the veins with a toothpick and slightly bend the tip.

When there are enough flowers and leaves, we attach them to the branch, and cover the branch itself with a thin layer of brown plastic. You can also tint the base of the sepals with brown paint, and the buds with bright pink paint:

Polymer clay is an ideal material for creating original fakes. It is a plastic mass similar to plasticine, which hardens when heated to +100 C° and above.

The material was invented in Germany back in the 1930s. Initially, clay was used to make dolls. But in the 1960s, it began to gain popularity; it began to be used in the manufacture of various sculptures and entire compositions.

Nowadays, polymer clay is used to create souvenirs, jewelry, flowers, and small wedding bouquets.

Anyone can learn to work with this material. To do this, just prepare all the necessary accessories and follow the step-by-step instructions.

In this article we will look at making 7 flowers from polymer clay that you see in the photo

Tools for working with polymer clay

Before you start work, you need to prepare everything you need:

Polymer clay.
Working surface. It should be a flat, smooth surface. You can use glass, plastic, ceramics.
Small knife. A construction or stationery knife with spare blades will do.
Rolling pin for working with acrylic. You need to choose one that makes it convenient to roll out the clay.
A syringe with special attachments for making curly stripes and floral elements.
Cutters. Molds designed for cutting out shapes.
Stacks. Tools for working with plastic materials (clay, plasticine).
Varnish for coating polymers.
Brushes of different sizes.
Wooden toothpicks.
Napkins.
Accessories.

To avoid difficulties when working with clay, you need to follow simple recommendations:

You need to start working with clean hands, as clay absorbs various contaminants well. It is better to tie your hair up or wear a headscarf. Workplace also needs to be kept clean.
Before creating a product, the material must be kneaded well.
To prevent debris from sticking, talc is applied to the clay.
The clay package must be kept closed. To extend the service life of the material, you can put a damp cloth in the packaging.
It is important to accurately calculate the required amount of clay, since material that has already been used for work is not stored for long.
If the clay dries out, it is stirred with a small amount regular hand cream.

Finished polymer clay fakes are very fragile, so they must be handled with care.

How to make polymer clay with your own hands

If you can’t buy ready-made polymer clay in a store, you can make it yourself at home by following a simple recipe.

Required ingredients:

Flour – 1 tsp.
Children's cosmetic oil.
PVA glue – 1 tsp.
Corn starch – 1 tsp.

To prepare a plastic material, flour must be combined with starch and glue added. Stir the resulting mass until it becomes clay-like. After this, add five drops of oil so that the mixture does not stick to your hands.

Paint the clay with acrylic paint. Dropping a few drops onto a piece of clay, knead it in your hands until a uniform color is obtained.

Making flowers

Rose

To make beautiful flower, you need clay of three colors: white, pink and light pink. The light pink shade is obtained by mixing white and rich clay pink flowers.

Creating a rose can be divided into several stages:

1. A small pea is rolled out of pink material, from which a thin petal is formed. Petals of three colors are prepared in the same way.
2. The flower core is created by twisting a pink petal into a tube.
3. The next soft pink petals are added in a circle.
4. To give natural look, the edges of the petals can be bent a little, making them slightly wavy.
5. You need to add four white petals from the bottom so that they overlap each other.
6. Excess material that remains with reverse side, cut with a knife or blade.
7. The leaves are formed from green material of different shades. To make veins, use a regular sewing needle or toothpicks.
8. The product is baked in the oven.

Orchid

To create a flower you will need material in white, yellow and pink colors.

To form an orchid you need:

1. Make three back petals. To do this, you need to roll three balls of white clay, then make droplets out of them. Roll out the resulting blanks and form thin petals.
2. The petals are given texture using special molds. To prevent the material from sticking to the molds, they are lightly lubricated with oil.
3. While the finished petals are drying, you need to make the side petals. To do this, roll two white balls and roll them into petals. Using molds, an impression is made that gives the workpiece a natural look.
4. To make the petals slightly rounded, you need to dry them by placing them on a thick round object (marker, thin rocker).
5. The three rear petals must be fastened so that the angle between them is 45-60°.
6. Two side petals are attached on top of the lower petals.
7. The main petal is made of pink clay. The edge is made a little wavy.
8. Material yellow color They make a droplet-core, which is attached to a pink petal - the “lip” of the orchid.
9. The core is wrapped at the base of the petal. The petal is dried on a round object.
10. When all the parts are ready, the orchid is assembled and fastened.

Peony

The peony is made from white and pink material; green clay is used for the leaves.

To create a beautiful peony you need:

1. Place white and pink clay into one layer. Form a rocking chair out of it, the cut of which will have a smooth transition from white to pink.
2. Pinch the pink side of the resulting sausage a little. By cutting it into thin slices, they should be in the shape of a drop.
3. To form a petal, place the workpiece on the palm of your hand and, with a special tool with a ball at the end (stack), pull out the edges and make a depression in the center of the petal. To create a natural flower you need petals of different sizes.
4. Make an oblong droplet from clay and put it on a knitting needle or toothpick. Attach the petals around it overlapping, starting with the smallest ones. You need to try to ensure that each row of petals does not touch the previous one.
5. Roll out the green clay. Form leaves from it. This can be done with a cutter in the shape of a leaf or by cutting it out. You can add texture to the leaves using weiner.
6. Carefully connect the peony with the leaves.
7. Using liquid plastic, create a dew effect on the flower.
8. Bake the product in the oven.

Lilac branch

Making your own lilac branch is not difficult. But compared to other colors, the manufacturing process will take longer.

To create lilacs you need thin wire, purple polymer clay of several tones, as well as yellow and green clay.

To make the work easier, you can follow the instructions:

1. The wire should be cut into pieces about 5 cm long. Make a loop on one side of each piece using pliers.
2. To create buds, clay of two shades is used.
3. You need to form a small droplet from the purple material. Then cut it on four sides using a blade or knife.
4. Each cut part should be shaped into a petal using a toothpick or stack.
5. The finished flower is pierced through with a wire with a loop. The loop should fit tightly and disappear halfway in the middle of the flower.
6. To make a bud, prepare small droplets. Blanks for buds should have a more elongated shape than for flowers. They are cut into four parts, but the petals are not formed.
7. The bud is also pierced with wire. To do this, it is opened and then closed again.
8. Roll a small ball from a yellow material. It is placed in the recess in the middle of the flower. This will be the core. On its surface, directly in the center, you need to press notches with a knife.
9. Leaves are made from green polymer clay using cutting. They can be given a characteristic structure using a weiner. At the base of each leaf you need to attach a wire.
10. Finished flowers and leaves are baked in the oven.
11. When the flowers and buds are ready, wrap the wire at their base with green floral tape.
12. To collect individual flowers into inflorescences, they are connected in several pieces and wrapped with floral tape.
13. Each inflorescence should consist of 4-5 buds, 6-7 full flowers. A full bunch usually contains 5-6 such inflorescences. Leaves are added to the finished bunch. All elements are attached using floral tape.

Lily

Creating a lily is quite a painstaking job, on average it will take 7-8 hours.

To make a flower, material of chocolate, coffee, brown, yellow and green colors is used. The work is divided into stages:

1. Place coffee-colored, yellow, brown, and coffee-colored clay in one layer. So that the colors touch diagonally. Using a plastic machine, make a ribbon whose color will smoothly transition from one to another.
2. Fold the tape like an accordion. Lay 2-3 thin planes of dark brown color on top of each layer. Starting from the transition of yellow to brown, thin strips are not laid.
3. The resulting rectangle is well compacted and pressed together. Then it is cut into two parts.
4. Both halves are connected so that the brown veins are inside.
5. Form a cane, the top of which must be pinched to make it thinner. Then petals are cut from it.
6. Each petal is formed separately. It is thinned, given a boat shape, and made a little wavy along the edge.
7. To collect a flower, you need six petals.
8. The inner row consists of small petals, overlapped one on top of the other (with the wide part).
9. The outer row is made up of larger petals. They are placed under the first row.
10. Leaves are cut out in any shape from rolled green clay. You can add texture to them using a weiner or by rolling them between real, living leaves.
11. The leaves are attached to the lily. The entire product is baked in the oven.
12. Five stamens made of beads or balls on a thin wire are threaded into the middle of the finished flower.

Daisies

To make a chamomile you will need white, yellow and green polymer clay.

It’s easy to create a beautiful daisy:

1. Material white you need to form a cane, about 1 cm thick. In order for it to have a drop-shaped shape when cut, it needs to be slightly flattened on one side.
2. Cut the resulting cane into plates about 3 mm thick.
3. Using a toothpick, give each petal a ribbed texture and form shallow grooves.
4. Make a white flower from 7-8 large petals.
5. Use a special stack with a ball to mold the middle, connecting the petals. Make a small depression in it.
6. Use yellow paint to tint the center of the flower, slightly capturing the petals.
7. The second tier is formed from the top from smaller petals.
8. A depression is made in the center of the flower. The middle and petals are slightly tinted with yellow pastel.
9. From yellow clay you need to mold the middle of a chamomile. To do this, roll a small ball. Using a needle, it is given the desired look.
10. Having placed the core in the center of the flower, use a sharp tool again to give it a loose appearance.
11. Leaves are sculpted from green clay. The veins are pressed out using a weiner or a toothpick.
12. Having put the chamomile and leaves together, they are sent for firing.

Poppy

To create a poppy you need polymer clay in white, red, black and green colors.

It is made as follows:

1. Roll out the white and red material and cut out identical rectangles. Then add them in order: 2 white, 2 red, 3 white.
2. Using the blunt side of a knife, press down the stacked plates. After which they are compacted. Turn over and press again opposite direction. Then it is compacted again.
3. The resulting cane is cut into two parts, joined at the sides and compacted again. They give it a shape so that when cut it looks like a drop.
4. The finished cane is cut into blank plates.
5. Place the petal on the mold and use your fingers to give it the shape and texture of a poppy petal.
6. The bottom row is formed from five large petals. Small indentations are made in the center and at the junction of the petals.
7. The second row of petals is formed from smaller blanks.
8. Both rows are connected in the center, making a recess. The edges of the petals are slightly raised and curved.
9. The bud is made from a drop of red or white color. It is put on a thin wire and wrapped in 5-6 boat-shaped petals.
10. To create the center of the flower, roll up a small droplet of black material. Then it is wrapped twice with a pre-prepared strip of black clay, onto which floral stamens are attached. The finished center is attached to the flower.
11. The leaves are made from green polymer clay.
12. When the entire composition is assembled, it is sent for firing.

In the 1930s, Germany invented an amazing 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 of this material create original jewelry, souvenirs, flowers. Wedding bouquets are excellent made from polymer clay, so clay has become an indispensable material for wedding celebrations.

You too can learn how to make gorgeous crafts from this wonderful material. In order to create your first masterpiece, you will only need to familiarize yourself with the material below.

Tools for modeling from polymer clay

Surface to work on. You can take a flat and perfectly smooth board made of glass or plastic, tiles or ceramics.
Knife. Suitable for both stationery and construction. Have spare blades on hand.
An acrylic rolling pin is very convenient for rolling out clay.
A syringe and various attachments with which you can make various stripes and floral elements.
Forms for cutting out shapes (cutters).
Stacks.
Polymer clay.
Varnish for polymers.
Brushes different sizes.
Toothpicks.
Napkins.
Fittings.

Before starting work, the clay needs to be kneaded well.

First, wash your hands well, as clay perfectly absorbs various contaminants. Keep your work area clean too. Tie up your hair or put a scarf on your head.
Apply talc to the clay to 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, don’t lose heart, just add regular hand cream to the material, but not too much.
Be careful with clay products- they are quite fragile.
Store the packaging with the material only when it is closed. So that the clay will serve you through 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 making this material at home.

You will need: baby butter, flour (1 teaspoon), regular white glue (1 teaspoon), cornstarch (1 teaspoon).

Combine starch, glue, add flour. Stir until the mixture resembles clay. Next, add five or six drops of oil to prevent the clay from sticking to your hands. To make colored clay, take some of this material in your hand, drop a little acrylic paint and knead it in your hand.

Polymer clay flowers

Calla lilies

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

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

Make a sausage out of the clay pieces, then roll them around one another. Roll the resulting product into a ball. Do these manipulations until you get a marbled color. After this, use a knife to cut the ball into two equal parts.

Make a rounded flat plate and slightly extend its edge, which you pin with your fingers. Carefully roll up the opposite edge (like a paper bag).

Straighten the edges and straighten them. You should end up with a pop-up bud. Use a toothpick to make small holes and insert the earring and beads into the flower.

Lily

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

Take clay of the color you like, a bottle or 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 thin, outline the petals. Draw the boundaries of the petals with a needle. You should end up with three large and three small petals. Small petals will be in the center of the flower.

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

Let the resulting components dry, and then start making the center of the flower, namely the pistil and stamens. Roll out the clay and cut into thin strips. Make the pestle strip wider and apply it to its tip. Brown color. Using a needle, curl the edges of the smaller petals. Straighten paper clip and attach the flower to it, starting with the pistil and stamens. Next, attach the petals symmetrically.

Rose

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

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

Make oval petals from the balls. For this purpose on left palm put a ball on which we apply pressure with our thumb right hand. Forming a petal. We make the edges of the petal thinner and the base denser. We do this with all the balls. After this we collect the rose. Make the middle of the flower - roll 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.

The rose is done. It is perfect for decorating various accessories. It would look great as a refrigerator magnet.

Orchid

After you have practiced making a rose and calla lilies, you can begin making an exquisite flower - an orchid. To work, take clay, a flat board, gloves, a rolling pin, wire, special form for cutting, knives, brushes, paint, molds, a stick with a rounded tip.

Using a stick, paint a piece of clay and make a small protrusion in the middle. Use a cookie cutter to cut out a cross - this will be the middle of the flower. If there is no shape, then draw the core yourself. We take the resulting part in our hands and bend its upper tip inward. Using a stick, we bend the remaining pieces in the same way.

We take the wire and bend it in the form right angle. We put the middle of the flower, coated with glue, on the tip of the wire. Middle part Make the flower sponges from a small piece of clay. To do this, make a grain out of it and cut it a little with a knife. Place it on the wire in the middle of the sponge. Color your flower lip.

After this we make the petals. Roll out a painted clay piece that has a protrusion. Place the blank on the mold and cut off the excess. We attach the wire to the base. We make five more petals in the same way. Draw dots on all petals. Take all the petals, lip, connect. It turned out to be a gorgeous orchid!

Crafts made with polymer clay are gaining popularity every day, and the type of ceramic floristry is developing. They sell well and are highly rated.

It is worth noting that modeling from this type of material is in demand not only among needlewomen. Children are becoming more and more interested in this type of art. This activity is very exciting, with its help your child will actively develop and relax. Children will be very happy to help you make crafts and decorations.

Learn to create masterpieces from polymer clay, and you will discover new world art, with which you can create chic jewelry and even have additional income from your work!

117 photos of color examples

Nowadays original jewelry, souvenirs, and flowers are created from this material. Wedding bouquets are excellent made from polymer clay, so clay has become an indispensable material for wedding celebrations.

You too can learn how to make gorgeous crafts from this wonderful material. In order to create your first masterpiece, you will only need to familiarize yourself with the material below.

Tools for modeling from polymer clay

Surface to work on. You can take a flat and perfectly smooth board made of glass or plastic, tiles or ceramics.
Knife. Suitable for both stationery and construction. Have spare blades on hand.
An acrylic rolling pin is very convenient for rolling out clay.
A syringe and various attachments with which you can make various stripes and floral elements.
Forms for cutting out shapes (cutters).
Stacks.
Polymer clay.
Varnish for polymers.
Brushes of different sizes.
Toothpicks.
Napkins.
Fittings.

Before starting work, the clay needs to be kneaded well.

Helpful tips when 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 talc 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. If the clay dries out, do not lose heart, but simply add regular cream to the material for hands, but not a lot. Be careful with clay products - they are quite fragile. Store the packaging with the material only when it is closed. To ensure that the clay serves you for a long time, place 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 making this material at home.

You will need: baby butter, flour (1 teaspoon), regular white glue (1 teaspoon), cornstarch (1 teaspoon).

Flowers made of polymer clayCallies

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

Make a rounded flat plate and slightly extend its edge, which you pin with your fingers. Carefully roll up the opposite edge (like a paper bag).

Straighten the edges and straighten them. You should end up with a pop-up bud. Use a toothpick to make small holes and insert the earring and beads into the flower.

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

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

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

Let the resulting components dry, and then start making 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 and apply brown color to its tip. Using a needle, curl the edges of the smaller petals. Straighten the paper clip and attach the flower to it, starting with the pistil and stamens. Next, attach the petals symmetrically.

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

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

Make oval petals from the balls. To do this, place a ball on your left palm and apply pressure with the thumb of your right hand. Forming a petal. We make the edges of the petal thinner and the base denser. We do this with all the balls. After this we collect the rose. Make the middle of the flower - roll 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.

The rose is done. It is perfect for decorating various accessories. It would look great as a refrigerator magnet.

Looking at these artificial flowers, you never cease to be amazed - they are absolutely life-like! What's the secret? How can you create such beauty? It turns out that polymer clay is capable of such miracles. But material is not everything to achieve such a result. If you want to sculpt 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 sculpt them from any clay, but the effect and quality will be different. Not only flowers are made from polymer clay, but also dolls, decorative figurines, and jewelry. For every occasion the best way your own clay is suitable.

Flowers made from polymer clay cannot be distinguished from real ones!

To create naturalistic flowers, light self-hardening clays are used (there is no need to bake them, they harden themselves in the air). In terms of their plastic properties, they resemble marshmallows: they stretch easily and roll out 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 contains cellulose, which is why flowers made from it are light, matte and thin, like paper. They cannot be washed - only clean with a dry brush.

Cold porcelain (one of the types of self-hardening polymer clay) has been developed especially for making flowers. With its advent, such a direction of creativity as ceramic floristry was formed. Flowers made from this material are so naturalistic that in photographs they can hardly be distinguished from the real thing.

Ceramic floristry - separate direction creativity

You can buy ready-made cold porcelain - for example, brands Modena, Modern or Fluer. Or 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) needs to be ground with a teaspoon of Vaseline (it’s most convenient to do this in ceramic plate or shallow bowl). Add a good pinch of soda to the resulting mixture and mix. Now we begin to gradually introduce glue until the “dough” becomes elastic enough, but not too thick or tight. If you overdo it, dilute it with glue. Knead the lump by greasing your hands with Vaseline. Porcelain is ready for use. After sculpting from it, no additional processing is required - you just need to let it dry. Finished goods are covered acrylic paints.

Ready-made self-hardening clays are only available in white, gray or terracotta colors. But baked polymer clay (plastic) has a wide color scheme. In addition, it may include glitter, filler that imitates metal or stone, and be translucent or fluorescent colors. Figures made from it should be baked in the oven (but under no circumstances in the microwave!) or simply boiled like dumplings to give them hardness. The finished products are very durable, 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 this result is obtained only when it is fired correctly.

Rules for baking plastic

If you have chosen 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, or coated with acrylic paints. The plastic itself is very easy to use. It is as easy to sculpt from it as from plasticine; it can be rolled out, baked and cut out into parts and figures with scissors or a knife.

The only difficulty is the baking process. If you underexpose or overexpose it, all your work will be in vain. But if you strictly follow the instructions, this is not a problem.

Before going into the oven, the figures are placed on ceramic tiles, old earthenware dishes or metal baking tray covered with baking paper.

For better “baking”, flowers (or other products) need to be placed on toothpicks or pins and stuck into a wad of foil.

Strict adherence to temperature conditions is the main condition for successful “baking” of thermoplastics. You must adhere to exactly the level specified by the manufacturer. In one case it may be 110 degrees, in another – 130.

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

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

An oven thermometer will help you monitor the correct temperature.

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

When firing clay, take precautions: remove children from 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, wash the oven thoroughly, wash your hands with soap, wipe off any clay stuck to your palms with a sponge soaped with dishwashing detergent (after this you need to throw it 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 finger pads. 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 tighter to your fingers and interfere less with your work.

Knives. To cut out petals and other parts of a flower, it is better to use a sharp stationery knife; a blade will also do. 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 Drawing supplies stores.

Rolling pin. You can roll out clay glass bottle or a special glass rolling pin.

To sculpt beautiful flowers and floral arrangements, you don’t need to have any special artistic abilities, but perseverance, patience and skill will come in very handy.

You can start with the simplest thing - modeling a rose from clay 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 them into petals of different sizes.

Forming flower petals of different sizes

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

Use a pin or toothpick to make a hole in the finished flower so that you can then attach accessories to it (a chain or hook for an earring).

“Bake” the product in the oven, observing temperature regime and firing time specified by the manufacturer in the instructions on the clay packaging.

When the simplest technique is mastered, you can try to make a more realistic flower using various special devices: molds for cutting out petals, molds for petals and rose cups, wire for artificial flowers, green tape for stems, a stack with a round tip. Using 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 given a similarity 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 flower cup made of green clay, the ends of which are cut with a knife for realism, completes the beautiful picture.