Cold porcelain is an accessible, cheap and most pliable material for modeling today. Working with cold porcelain is absolutely safe and does not require any special skills or knowledge; even a small child can engage in such creativity. You can prepare the material at home, that is, you don’t need to run around the shops and look for something special to make your dreams come true, the joy of touching art to create a unique decoration or piece of furniture with your own hands.
In appearance, cold porcelain resembles clay or plasticine, but after drying it becomes very hard. When sculpting from it, you can use any type of jewelry, any accessories, from small beads and beads, shells, buttons, twigs or dried flowers, to textiles of any structure - threads or rags left over from knitting, embroidery or tailoring. The surface of a product using the cold porcelain technique can be painted, sprinkled with small materials (sand, beads), and varnished.
The history of the creation of cold porcelain
The history of this modeling material dates back to the first years of the 19th century; records about it and the first products date back to that time. According to data, cold porcelain was invented by the Argentines, but there is no exact information about its origin and the history of its invention. There is much more information about the Russian master Ivanov Peter, who worked at the imperial porcelain factory and already at the beginning of the 19th century created unique products from a special type of porcelain. If you believe the archival documents of this St. Petersburg plant, it was Pyotr Ulyanovich who created the first flowers from cold porcelain. They were intended to decorate perfume bottles and eau de parfum, which were supplied to the emperor and his family.
But there is also earlier evidence of the existence of this material. In Chinese treatises on art and sculpture there are many descriptions of modeling from cold porcelain, but it is called differently, but its recipe is absolutely similar to the one used by Peter Ivanov.
Features of cold porcelain products
Products made from this material are extremely beautiful, but no less demanding. They must be stored or installed away from moisture and direct sunlight. You need to understand that cold porcelain is a polymer clay that can absorb moisture and become limp and lose color from exposure to sunlight. Vases with stucco, flowers and other decorations made of cold porcelain cannot be placed on a window or near a water source.
In rooms where objects made of this material are located, the optimal temperature regime for them must be maintained. If the air is colder than 10º C, the structure will collapse, as moisture particles in the composition crystallize. High temperatures also destroy cold porcelain - it simply dries out and crumbles.
You can extend the “life” of cold porcelain products using varnish coatings. They will not only protect against moisture, but also help maintain the shape, color and shine of the surface.
What can be created from cold porcelain
From this material you can sculpt everything - from women's jewelry to small interior items. Hair clips decorated with flowers made from this material look very original. For children, together with your children you can create fairy-tale characters, heroes of their favorite cartoons, which will decorate their room.
Many creative housewives decorate pots of indoor plants with cold porcelain moldings, frames, lamps and flowerpots.
A unique interior decoration will be garlands of flowers, greenery, animal or house figurines, and themed compositions made of cold porcelain. In addition, you can make an original and inexpensive gift for friends or loved ones.
How to prepare cold porcelain at home
Preparing polymer clay for modeling is not difficult. The simplest recipe for cold porcelain is rice or corn starch, PVA glue, glycerin and regular baby cream in a ratio of 1:1 (cups of glue and starch) and 2:1 (tablespoons of glycerin and cream).
The ingredients must be thoroughly mixed and left for 10-20 minutes. They will dissolve mutually, and the mass will take on the consistency that is ideal for modeling. Under no circumstances should the prepared material be placed in the refrigerator or stored at room temperature for more than 2 hours. You need to sculpt immediately and it is advisable to use up the entire volume of prepared material.
Some masters add citric acid to the mass. Products made from such porcelain are stored much longer, since the acid creates a preservation effect.
You can find examples of formulations containing water, but such compositions are fragile and not durable. Water, under the influence of external factors, reacts with other ingredients of the polymer clay composition, as a result of which an unpleasant odor may appear, the shape of the product may change, and its strength is significantly reduced.
To change color, food coloring and chalk are most often used. But the surface of souvenirs made of cold porcelain can be painted after it has completely dried, no earlier than a day after the end of modeling.
In the age of technological progress, when industry overflows shelves with goods and there are no problems with purchasing finished products, people wanted to create with their own hands. And the Internet unites all creative people into communities. Thus, many needlewomen appeared who became interested in cold porcelain. The products they produce and display on their Internet pages are very beautiful. A flower made of cold porcelain or polymer clay is sometimes impossible to distinguish from a living one!
No one argues that for such creativity one must have the ability to draw and sculpt. But who said that this cannot be learned? It is enough to make the first products according to the proposed master classes. When mastery of technique comes, the ability to mix colors and an understanding of the behavior of the material, then ideas for further creativity will come. The easiest way is to buy a ready-made one and try it in action. But still, flowers turn out more beautiful from
Today, on the Internet, many needlewomen demonstrate their talent and the products they have created. Seeing this makes me want to try to do something similar. The hobby will require some tools and materials. This:
Devices with different tips;
Dough roller;
Cutting forms;
Two types of wire;
Floral tape;
Scissors.
To make a white rose that will not differ from a living one, you will need a special form. The petals roll out on it: they become as pink as possible.
Homemade recipe
You can buy ready-made porcelain, or you can make your own porcelain. The flowers, the making master class for which is described below, are sculpted from a homemade mixture. In order to prepare porcelain at home, the following materials are required:
Starch, maybe corn starch;
PVA glue;
Oil for children “Johnsons Baby”;
Vinegar or lemon juice;
Oily hand cream.
Starch and glue take 240 grams each, the remaining ingredients - 2 tablespoons or 50 grams each.
Cooking sequence
All ingredients are mixed in a bowl and placed in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then the mixture should be taken out and mixed thoroughly. The action is repeated three times. The last time the mixture will become so thick that it can hardly be stirred.
In this state, it is transferred to a cutting board greased with rich cream and thoroughly kneaded until elastic. This is how cold porcelain is prepared and other products made from it do not need to be heated or dried under special conditions: they dry while open in the air.
Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the prepared mass does not lie open before modeling. The finished product is hermetically wrapped in film and stored in the refrigerator. To sculpt a flower from cold porcelain, it is enough to take a small portion of the material. Cover the rest and place back in the refrigerator. There are several other recipes for preparing the mixture, but this one is optimal and easy to make.
MK: cold porcelain, flowers
The finished material is white. But to sculpt products, you need to give it a certain color. You can use oil paints for this. Some needlewomen add color to porcelain by adding cosmetics to it: blush, eye shadow. A little dye is added to a small amount of the mixture and mixed well so that the color becomes even and the desired shade. In its consistency it resembles plasticine, but which hardens.
When the cold porcelain is ready, the sculpting of the flowers happens very quickly. To do this, a blank is made in advance from wire, napkins and PVA: a bud for the future rose. Rose petals will be placed around it. Before starting work, hands are generously lubricated with cream.
Modeling rose petals
A small piece of the mass is pinched off and rolled out in the palms. Then it is kneaded, given the desired shape, and the excess is cut off. Using a tool with a round tip, smooth the edge of the petal. It is made thin: much thinner at the edge than in the middle. Modeling flowers from cold porcelain is a painstaking task that requires patience.
You can make the tool yourself: a bead is placed on the tip of a wooden skewer, which will act as a stack. The resulting small petal is smeared with glue and applied to the workpiece. Excess glue is wiped off. You need to make several small petals that will completely cover the bud.
Next is a line of large, blossoming petals. They will be of medium size and should be glued so that they overlap one another. The top ones are the largest petals; a larger cake is rolled out for them. They are also conditioned with beads.
If there is a relief form, then on it. Or you just need to apply notches. The cold porcelain flower is assembled and should be sent out to dry. It is recommended to place the rose head down, hanging on a wire stem.
Stem and green leaves
To decorate the so-called greenery, you will need a lot of green. You can purchase it; you can add a little paint to your white porcelain and knead until the color is evenly distributed. There are special molds for leaves that can be used.
Roll out on a board greased with cream into a layer 1 - 1.5 mm thick. Leaves are squeezed out using a mold. They should be notched and given the appearance of real, living leaves. When making flowers from cold porcelain, you need to stock up on thin wire on which the greenery will be glued. The prepared wire is wrapped, the tip is smeared with glue and pressed into a porcelain leaf. Excess glue is wiped off with a napkin. The leaf is then attached to the stem of the rose.
Some needlewomen use elements from artificial flowers in their work: they press the leaf against the porcelain so that the relief is imprinted and the leaf looks realistic. They are given shape using a stack. When all the parts are attached to the stem, it should be completely wrapped in floral tape and all attachment points should be hidden.
Cold porcelain flower
The finished product should be left to dry. Once the rose is dry, it can be varnished. But I would like to note that fresh flowers do not have shine. Therefore, the varnish can give away their artificial origin. The finished product can be left as is, with a matte surface. It all depends on what these flowers are for. If you put it in a vase, not everyone will understand that this product is made of artificial material. For decorative purposes they are varnished.
By preparing several roses of different sizes, you can make a beautiful decorative bouquet from them. To do this, bows from satin ribbon are added and a bouquet is assembled, which is beautifully tied.
Different types of flowers
There are several recipes for making cold porcelain at home. Flowers, the master class for creating which is described above, are just the beginning of an interesting hobby. Having mastered the technique and all the nuances, the craftswoman can no longer stop: after all, there are a huge number of flowers in nature and everyone wants to be captured in fine porcelain!
In addition, passion will always help solve the problem of a gift: after all, no one remains indifferent to porcelain products. And what is made with your own hands are exclusive works. It is difficult to repeat a flower made: each one turns out special.
Additional Porcelain Recipe
Many people use the first version of the recipe. But some people end up with a mass that is not elastic enough or cracks when it dries. Therefore, you can use another method of preparing porcelain, in which two ingredients remain unchanged. This is corn starch and PVA glue. They are taken in equal quantities: 250 grams for a full serving. 50 grams of glycerin and 50 grams of vinegar or citric acid are added to the mixture. Everything is mixed and heated in a water bath with constant stirring.
When the mixture has cooled slightly, it can be kneaded until elastic. The board and hands should be generously greased with rich cream. As in the first case, the finished mass is hermetically wrapped in film and stored in a cold place.
Beautiful flowers that are obtained from this material can decorate your home, making it stylish and original in its own way. Gradually, needlewomen begin to make amazing bouquets of different types of flowers: made from armfuls of lilacs or autumn asters. These can be entire compositions that are arranged according to the rules of floristic art. Hobby for porcelain is a beautiful and original hobby.
A floral arrangement of late autumn flowers will decorate your home, become an unusual gift for friends and once again remind you of an old but relevant truth - nature does not have bad weather or an unfavorite season. And we move on to the simple master class “Delicate Bouquet”. The peculiarity of this composition is that it does not require expensive molds and forms. We will do everything using a minimal set of tools.
Materials
- Cold porcelain - self-hardening polymer clay
- Oil paints. In my case it is yellow, red, green.
- Floral ribbon
- Latex glue
- Green floral wire No. 20 and No. 22.
Tools
- Main stack
- Stack of balls
- Scissors
- Wire cutters
- Brushes
Additionally
- Sisal
- Material for fixing flowers. This could be a floral oasis, a small piece of foam, or even a block of cured polyurethane foam.
- A flowerpot, glass, cup or basket for setting the composition.
- Floral material upon request. Artificial berries and dried flowers are suitable. You can do without improvised materials by doing everything yourself.
Making dahlia
Paint the clay with yellow paint.
Make a loop on a piece of floral wire 25-30 cm long. Roll the clay into a ball with a diameter of approximately two centimeters.
We put the ball on the wire loop, having previously lubricated it with glue. On the top part we make cuts with scissors around the circumference of the ball. It turns out approximately as in the picture.
From yellow clay we form small sausages of such length that they can be equal in height to the ball. These will be unopened dahlia petals. We attach them along the entire circumference of the ball, coating the lower third of the strip with glue.
We leave the formed center to dry and proceed to making the next row of petals.
Having pinched off a piece the size of a pea, we form a ball out of it, and then, using the main stack, roll it out into an oval. After this, we connect the lower edges of the oval as if we wanted to make a cone out of it.
In the photo there are several finished petals, and on the right is the blank from which we make such petals.
Having made about 10-12 pieces, we begin to attach them around our middle.
For the curious: do not let the leaves dry out and harden completely, otherwise it will be difficult to press them well into the middle.
Next we make another row of petals and attach them again. We try to glue the new petals in a checkerboard pattern. If you keep it about the same size as the starting row, your dahlia will look like it's in full bloom. If you make each row a little larger than the previous one, the flower will look half-opened.
After several rows, I make a few more elongated pieces, but do not connect their edges, leaving them oval. These will be the outermost petals, already fully opened. I make two more rows. Now the dahlia is ready and set to dry.
Carnations can be made in many ways. Roll them with a rolling pin to a thickness of approximately 2-3 mm.
Then, with the tip of the main stack, I go along the edges of each circle, tearing them.
On each circle we make cuts with scissors, not reaching the middle. Just 6 cuts, as if I were going to cut a cake.
Make a loop on a floral wire 20-25 cm long and put on a drop of clay of any color. Here it is quite possible to use old clay from previous works; the middle of the clove will not be visible. Having lubricated the center along the entire length with glue, use the sharp end of the wire to pierce the smaller workpiece and put it on the wire.
Then we press the workpiece to the center, greased with glue. The petals form a wavy “skirt” around the middle. I do the same with the second larger piece.
Now all that remains is to provide our carnations with sepals and petals.
We make green clay, roll it out to a thickness of 3 mm, and cut out ordinary semicircular petals. This can be done with a clay cutter and cut out several blanks at once.
Lightly roll the petals with a stack to smooth the edges. Use a stack with a ball to make a depression at the base of the sepal. Then glue it to the back of the carnation.
Using scissors, cut out elongated petal blanks from the same green clay. There are two pieces for each flower, they are attached opposite each other.
Lubricate the bases of the leaves with glue and attach them to the wire, not far from the flower head. Some leaves can be twisted onto the main stack and slightly “curled”.
When the flowers have dried, we tint the tips of the carnations with white, and the tips of the dahlia petals with a pinkish color to give the flowers expressiveness.
The material for our composition is almost ready, we just need to make a few small additions.
Take wire No. 24, even No. 26 will do. One piece will be the main one, the longest, about 30 centimeters. Using floral tape, attach four more small pieces, about 12 centimeters each, to it. Make small loops at the ends of the wire branches.
Color the clay with a drop of white paint and make five balls out of it. These will be berries.
You can decorate them to your liking, for example, grease them with glue and dip them in fluffy powder or shiny glitter, small beads or tinted semolina.
Having made several of these branches and another one using fluffy powder, we begin to assemble the composition.
We take a tall cup, and in it I fix a piece of floral foam that is suitable in size. I decorate the top with green sisal. I fix a dahlia in the center and insert carnations along the diameter. Between them are twigs with berries.
Also add a sprig of green leaves next to the dahlia.
These flowers are not too difficult to make, and you can choose any color options, such as purple dahlia and white carnations with purple tips.
In a word, create for your own pleasure, and may any time of the year be happy for you.
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 opinion on something almost radically. In this article I will try to tell you as much as possible of what I know about this fascinating activity - creating 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 replaced 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 in our time, flowers made from cold porcelain and polymer clays, created specifically for polymer floristry, are becoming most popular.
Despite the fact that many people are hearing 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 in Argentina, but there is a lot of information that it was “discovered” at approximately the same time everywhere. After all, cold porcelain itself is a simple material to make - it is based on starch and PVA glue. And only over time, when florists turned their attention to it, it began to be refined and improved in pursuit of softness and elasticity. Why is a composition that essentially has nothing to do with porcelain (starch + pva) called cold porcelain? Everything is very simple and without frills. The dried mixture resembles porcelain in appearance, and since the material does not require firing and dries on its own quite quickly, it was given the name “cold porcelain.”
I won't go into boring history or comparisons. I just want to say that today more and more polymer clays are appearing, 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. The thing where polymer clays are unlikely to beat this simple mixture is price. Factory-made polymer clays are sold for relatively large amounts 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.
The second equally important quality is elasticity during sculpting. High-quality cold porcelain has an extraordinary elasticity of the material, which remains even when the clay begins to dry out a little and only particularly expensive clays (for example Sukerukun, Clear) can compare with it. This is very important, especially in cases where the master has to work for a long time with one piece of cold porcelain 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 an excess. I'm not going to argue with them. Everyone is free to follow the path that he likes best. I prefer the path of grace, precision and tenderness. With each of my new products, I slowly but persistently move on it and do not regret the time spent on all this accuracy. Because I see the joy in people's eyes when they receive my flowers and decorations, 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 artificial flowers made of polymer clay, flowers made of cold porcelain, ceramic floristry and the like. And you were wondering how to try to do something like this yourself? What is needed for this? How to start? Where? For what? How!!! Personally, I was overwhelmed with these questions when I realized that there wasn’t that much information on the resources I knew. 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 begin with. I think that many creative people are familiar with the excitement that fills us when we get excited about a new idea. Without really knowing the technology and the essence, we go to the store and buy everything related to our chosen topic, and only after some time we realize that about two-thirds of what we bought is either simply not needed, or will not be needed soon. When I started writing this article, my first goal was not so much to talk about cold porcelain, polymer clays and polymer floristry in general, but rather to show what a novice master might need in his first steps. How you can make do 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 move along 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 develop beautifully in the process. So, probably, the main thing is desire. Well, we have plenty of it!
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 do not know. Perhaps the people who launched it really wanted to bring ceramic floristry to the CIS countries, but realized that distributing it to the masses is even more difficult than polymer floristry.
One way or another, remember that ceramic floristry is flowers created from clay, which must be fired. That is, made of 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, the small circle of consumers (prices for such compositions reach hundreds of thousands of rubles) and the need to have a kiln on hand, this type of creativity is very rare, but I can assure you that the results are amazing.
With a big, very big stretch, cold porcelain, which as such is not porcelain, can be classified as ceramic floristry. Although, personally, I attribute it more to polymer floristry, which, in fact, is what 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 types of polymer clays. Whether it's baked polymer clay or self-hardening clay. Moreover, the degree of realism of polymer colors depends solely on the polymer clays you choose. Well, or, from the recipe for your cold porcelain. Some of them are not inferior to polymer clays in their properties and durability. But personally, I wouldn’t risk cooking these at home. I don’t recommend it to you either!
Cold porcelain and its analogues - self-hardening polymer clays
Since this article was first written, I have studied a huge variety of polymer clays and realized that my first conclusion was correct - there is no need to describe one hundred and one polymer clays in this article. But, perhaps, I will still tell you about a few of them as the ones that I remember the most. In all other cases, if you have a desire, you can go to a search engine and spend a couple of hours/days/weeks studying this material. You can spend money and buy yourself different types of clay, in practice, finding exactly the material that is most suitable for you. And here and now I will only briefly tell you what I consider necessary and what I am sure of.
First of all, it’s worth noting that all clay (in the future, let’s also call cold porcelain as one of the “brands” of polymer clay, although this is not true, but it’s easier for the story, and this does not contradict generally accepted concepts) can be divided into soft and hard, porous and smooth. There are many more different classifications, but for me they are not relevant. As I have already noticed, when it comes to sculpting techniques, people like to work either with very soft, elastic clay, or with harder, rubbery clay. My personal opinion is that elastic, soft clay allows you to make more realistic compositions that are closer to real flowers. My mind rears up when I get my hands on a clumsy rubber material that can be used to make decorative flowers, but nothing like the real thing. Someone may disagree with me, but this entire article is my personal conclusions and reasoning, which does not pretend to be a textbook or truism. I become 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 eliminated. I didn't buy all the clays in a row. I read reviews about them, watched works made from them, and watched 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 in the winter. If you want to try clay for the first time, buy it during the warm season or purchase it directly from the store. The clay will not die in the bag for a couple of hours in the cold. Frozen clay, after defrosting, loses its elastic properties and becomes “oaky” or “rubbery”. Some of them can be revived by mixing in water or glycerin cream, but in both cases the result will be, frankly speaking... a hundred times worse than the worst cold porcelain. Perhaps I’m exaggerating a little, but one way or another, flowers made from clay resuscitated after freezing do not look so “fresh.”
But let's return to our properties. The second attribute that is not unimportant for me is the texture of the material itself. I like the clay to have a smooth texture, reminiscent of Fimo polymer clays for firing/baking. That is, essentially, like 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 have a more porous texture than I would like, although I do have the Hearty line, which I use in special cases where roughness and paperiness are needed. In addition, Claycraft is too fragile, and if you have to choose between it and cold porcelain, then the second is both cheaper and stronger. Although, if I choose between smooth polymer clays and cold porcelain, I will choose the first. Why? Because recently I believe that the polymer base is more flexible and durable. But if your main question is price at the initial stages, then I don’t see any reason for you to chase a well-known brand that you can replace with something that you can prepare yourself cheaper? The main thing is not to forget about safety precautions!
Of all the purchased polymer clays today, I liked Modena by Padico and Sukerukun clay. 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, undoubtedly it is the most transparent, but do not expect to get currants or grapes from it. Unreal. That is why, due to 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 structure in decoration or compositions.
For flower arrangements I use Thai clays, or rather one - Modern Clay Blue. It is softer and more flexible 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 get by only with it. But here only curiosity and the desire to experiment, to learn something new come into play, and therefore now in my box of clay there is a whole heap of various packages “of all the colors of the rainbow.” I’m scared to even think how much money was spent on this...
So. Well, now the main question! Where can I buy! It is already clear that cold porcelain can be welded yourself. Fortunately, there are an endless number of recipes on the Internet. 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 photographs posted in the recipe were taken by the author from cold porcelain, cooked according to this particular recipe, and not collected from all over the Internet, which is more beautiful. For example, my tulips from Modern Clay Blue are now circulating on the Internet, showing the result of sculpting from cold porcelain without cooking. I very much doubt that something close to similar can happen there...
Self-hardening polymer clays can also be bought in 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 really try, you can search on Japanese and Thai sites. Clay is much cheaper there. But delivery will only pay off if you order a large batch. So, just a year in advance.
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, you can also find low-quality goods from other sellers, but Fleur is found here (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 is even more so - it completely flattens out at the corner. However, I am by no means saying that directly "fresh" Fleur is bad material. It's just very difficult to find. Even if you buy directly from this company's store.
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 the tinted pieces will last quite a long time.
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 is useful to you at the very beginning, and what can be replaced with it.
Paints
The most basic of the secondary materials, which is difficult to refuse, is paint. Paints are applied on top of the finished product; they are also added directly to the clay, giving it the desired color. Professionals use oil paints because, unlike acrylic paints, they do not contain water and do not dry as quickly, and therefore do not speed up the hardening process of the clay, and do not require as much fiddling with them as with pastels, after which everything around is covered. a thin layer of colored dust. Also, when tinting with oil paints, you can make beautiful and smooth transitions that cannot be achieved when working with acrylic.
You can use both the cheapest oil paints and expensive ones. The only difference is that cheap paints can sometimes have unexpected effects on the clay. For example, many are faced with the fact, and I also experienced this, that the blue colors of Sonnet and Master Class, when added to cold porcelain in a samovar, lead to the appearance of 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 the tube instead of paint. You have to constantly monitor the process, and this is not always possible. One of the recommended firms is Winsor & Newton. Oil from this company can be bought in almost any art store. These are the paints I use. My color palette is quite large, since I paint pictures with the same paints. To get started, you can buy an inexpensive, small set of oil paints from Sonnet of 12 colors. It doesn’t cost much, and if you don’t like polymer floristry and don’t find another use for the oil, you won’t be so sorry for the money you spent.
I also use water-soluble oil from Winsor & Newton, but only for toning and texturing already dried products. This allows me to avoid using solvents and thinners, which then give me such a terrible headache. Adding such oil to clay reduces its elasticity time. Even in a sealed bag, the clay begins to lose it over time. But adding regular oil paints, on the contrary, increases elasticity. After you add a little color and mix the clay well until the shade is uniform, wrap it in film and let it sit for about five minutes. You can even warm it a little in your hands. Then stir 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 the porcelain quality of the clay and, in small portions, even transparency. Titanium white completely kills transparency, and also makes the clay look like plastic; in addition, such clay very quickly loses its elasticity during sculpting and often even begins to crumble. But sometimes you will still need titanium white.
Glue
Almost all flowers are made in parts, and these parts then need to be somehow connected. Usually, the most common PVA glue is used for these purposes. However, it is worth remembering that PVA glue perfectly connects raw material to raw or dried material, but two dried pieces of clay most likely will not be connected using PVA. And then you will need something more reliable. The simplest solution is super glue for a second or moment. They grip instantly and firmly. Especially fingers with clay... Usually both PVA and super glue are available in every home, and if they are not there, then purchasing them is not a problem.
Many florists use latex glue instead of PVA. Outwardly, it looks like PVA glue, when it dries it becomes transparent, and is specially designed for working with plastic. Although, like PVA, it is difficult to connect two dried parts made of cold porcelain or polymer clay. Personally, I don’t see much point in buying this glue in the early stages. If you decide to sell your work, then it’s worth looking for similar glue. I buy a large bottle and pour myself a little at a time. Since latex glue has a habit of drying out, becoming tighter or completely drying out. Because you always forget to close the glue jar while sculpting.
Wire
Most flowers 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 floristry stores, the wire is sold in coils. Usually in green or white. To be honest, this winding is of no use to us. More inconvenience, most likely. 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. Several years ago it was difficult to find even in Moscow. Perhaps only in rare specialized floristry stores. Now things are simpler. In polymer floristry, tape is needed to connect parts to the frame if they are mounted on wire. Double-sided adhesive tape tightens all the wires very well, turning them into a neat stem, which can then, if desired, be rolled in clay. But even without running in, such stems already look pretty good. Without tape you will have a hard time. If you have no way to buy tape... well... then you'll have to improvise. You can try using construction paper tape. This, of course, is still a substitute, but it’s better with it than without anything at all. The main thing is, don’t forget to roll the stem afterwards, otherwise the flower won’t look very beautiful.
Tape comes in different colors. We will need the green ribbon most of all, but you can also buy brown if you find it or any other if you don’t find the colors you need. Better with tape than without it!
Cling film and modeling mat
I believe that it is not worth explaining the necessity and essence of these two items. You can do without them, but the film will help preserve your clay for a long time, and the mat will organize your workspace and allow you to keep it clean while you work. If you're really desperate, you can buy a paper cutting mat (they're usually green with centimeter dividers) and an airtight container for polymer clay wrapped in cling film. This will provide an additional guarantee against drying out and will organize the dozens of colorful pieces that will accumulate over time.
Scissors, wire cutters, side cutters, etc.
You will have a hard time working without small scissors. At first, ordinary nail scissors will suit 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 could find the scissors I needed at an affordable price in the next store.
You will also find it useful in the future:
- round nose pliers - if you are going to make jewelry using fittings
- tweezers - sometimes the parts are so small that your 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 straightening and bending thick wire
Most tools can be easily 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 ordinary sculptor stacks, depending on your desires and needs. Our two main stacks look like this:
Knitting needle
In the form of a stick with balls at the ends
If you have the opportunity, it is better to immediately buy such stacks. Different sizes and more! If you have a sane person in your head, it's best to first understand what stacks you'll need.
The first basic stack looks a lot like a thick knitting needle. On one side the diameter of the circle is 1.5-2 mm, and on the other 4-5 mm. Despite its size, I can even roll out miniature lilacs and forget-me-nots with this stack. A smaller stack that I bought later and looks like a thin knitting needle is used by me to create very small flowers, for example, heather or miniatures. In general, to summarize, I want to say that first you should try out some available materials, and only then, based on this knowledge, buy yourself a stack. Although there is not much variety among them. As a substitute, you can use a knitting needle, a Japanese kitchen stick, or even an awl. For example, I started with sewing.
The second stack of balls seems indispensable, but it is not. Just 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 cold porcelain ball mounted on a wooden stick. Only much later did I buy myself a set of different-sized stacks and, in fact, I didn’t feel much of a 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 studying it in surprise, not knowing where to use it, but then it turned out that with such a knife it was very good to cut out the necessary shapes from a rolled out layer of clay or to make indentations in the clay for rolling a stem. However, you can do just fine without this tool, but if you buy it for yourself, 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 the life of a florist much easier, but if you don’t have a bottomless bag of gold, then you should think ten times before buying a mold or cutter.
A mold is a texture imprint from a petal or leaf of a living flower, which we use to give a realistic resemblance when sculpting. It will be difficult to do without molds, but many flowers can still be sculpted without them, so don’t rush to buy molds. Firstly, they are expensive, and secondly, they can be made independently.
To do 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 sides. Pour the prepared epoxy resin 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 the plasticine. That's the whole story. You can also order 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 also involved in decorating cakes, then you can safely create molds for yourself in this area. To create such a silicone mold, you need to mix 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 completely harden. And the mold can be used. Also, in summer and spring, you can simply use live foliage as molds, but closer to autumn, I still advise you to take care of the supply of necessary molds.
As for cutters - molds for flowers and foliage, I personally think that they kill the vibrancy of a 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 cutters, do not forget to work on each leaf and petal after this, adding individuality to it, changing the shape a little. Cutters are very expensive, and many craftsmen make them by hand from tin cans, cutting them into strips and then shaping them into the desired shape. Some cutters are quite useful, but most can still be dispensed with or use cardboard patterns that can be applied to a rolled out piece of clay and then carefully cut out 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 ordinary dough of different thicknesses. You won't need a paste 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 out with cutters, then a paste machine will save you a lot of time. Not only that, it will roll out your layer of clay evenly and, no less important, it will not leave your fingerprints on it. Don't forget that unlike baked plastic, our polymer clay is very sticky and can get wrapped around the rollers of your 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 tools, the question arises ahead of time: “Why do you need a cream and what kind?” Firstly, there is a misconception that cream can restore clay. 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 sticks too much to your hands and tools. It also helps a little, very little, to restore the elasticity of the clay, but not its ductility. 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. Cream, as a more liquid substance than the clay itself, can partially restore elasticity by replacing water, but in large quantities the cream leads to disruption of the structure of the clay. And great disappointment on the part of the creator.
Which cream is right for us? Yes, absolutely anything containing glycerin. I used Velvet Handles for a long time, and then I bought a pleasant-smelling Pond’s 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 probably all I wanted to say about the materials. As you can see, I spoke very briefly and little, but it seems to me that I said the most important thing:
- which clay is best to start with?
- what paints are best to buy?
— what tools may be useful in the beginning
You will find out the rest yourself, gradually learning techniques, tricks, and 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 buy Modena, Modern Clay, Thai Clay polymer clay)
- Set of oil paints “Sonnet” 12 colors small, brushes No. 1, 2, 4 (synthetic or kolinsky, preferably flat or oval), N8 (fluffy round brush made of very soft synthetic), thinner
- Wire No. 28x12 - 22 pcs (wire for beads of medium thickness is also suitable, it should withstand the weight of the flower and not bend in half from it)
- Wire No. 18x12 – 1 pc.
- PVA glue (or latex glue)
- Green or brown tape
- Nail scissors (preferably with straight tips)
- Basic stack (or something that can replace it, such as 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.
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vakharaVarious figurines, figurines, flowers, paintings made from materials such as cold porcelain impress with their realism and fascinate with their beauty. Sometimes it may seem that mastering sculpting requires innate talent and skill, but this is absolutely not the case. Modeling from cold porcelain is a very simple activity and anyone can master it. This article will tell you step by step how to prepare cold porcelain at home, and will also present step-by-step master classes on sculpting flowers.
The material got its name due to the fact that the finished product made from it is absolutely similar to real porcelain, and it is called “cold” because there is no need for heat treatment to harden, since this material dries quite quickly naturally.
Today, any master can purchase modeling material from a specialized craft store, but making cold porcelain yourself is not difficult. For this you will need:
- corn starch - 1 glass of 200 grams;
- glycerin – 2 teaspoons;
- PVA glue – 3.5 cups;
- water – 100 grams.
Pour water, glycerin and PVA glue into a saucepan or bowl with a thick bottom and mix all components thoroughly. The container should be heated over low heat., stirring the contents regularly. Next, starch is gradually added, it is worth noting that during the introduction of starch, stirring should become more intense and faster in order to avoid the formation of lumps and allow the starch to combine with the other components evenly.
Cold porcelain should be boiled it won't resemble dough and does not form a solid lump, after which you need to remove the container from the stove and put the mass on a damp towel and wrap it. The cooked mass must be kneaded well for ten minutes, but there is no need to remove it from the towel, and when the cold porcelain has cooled, it should be divided into pieces.
In order for the product to look bright, it is necessary to color the material; food coloring, acrylic paints or pigments may be suitable for this. As soon as the kneaded porcelain has been divided into parts, you need to add a coloring element to it and knead again until the color distribution is uniform.
There is also technology for coloring finished products, for this you will need food coloring and cotton swabs. The finished, frozen elements of the product are painted in the required color and kept over hot water steam for a minute. To avoid getting burned, it is best to hold the product with tweezers.
Gallery: flowers made of cold porcelain (25 photos)
Cold porcelain flowers for beginners - how to sculpt with your own hands
Roses from cold porcelain - master class
This composition will consist of several red roses, which will be located on a wire stem and connected into a bouquet using a decorative ribbon. For the master class you will need:
When working with plastic, you should generously lubricate your hands with a nourishing, rich cream so that the material does not stick to your hands and interfere with your work. To start it is necessary to make blanks in the form of stems made of wire that will hold the roses. A small drop of cold porcelain is attached to the tip of the wire; this will be a bud.
To make petals you will need a stack, which looks like a device with a rounded tip on a skewer. You can purchase it at any specialty craft store or make it yourself; a large bead can serve as a round tip.
A small piece of red porcelain needs to be kneaded and given the desired shape, and the excess is cut off. Using a stack, a petal shape is given by smoothing. It is worth noting that, like the petals of natural flowers, their edges should be thinner than the middle and lower parts.
The finished petal is smeared with a small amount of PVA glue and attached to the bud, forming a rose flower.
This should be done several more times until you get a whole flower. Each time the size of the petal needs to be increased.
The last petals will be the largest. When the flower is ready, you need to place it in a jar or vase, bending the wire so that the flower faces down.
In order to make leaves, you can use ready-made molds, which are sold in specialized stores.
Green cold porcelain should be rolled out on a flat surface, which is greased with hand cream, into a very thin layer (the thickness should not exceed 1–1.5 millimeters) and squeeze out the leaves with a mold.
If you don’t have such a shape at hand, you can carefully squeeze out the leaf shape yourself with a knife or toothpick, but it’s worth remembering that in this case you need to sculpt very quickly. After the porcelain has taken the shape of a sheet, it needs to be given a natural relief. Next, the wire is wrapped with floral tape, and then the prepared leaves are attached to it using PVA glue. Excess glue must be removed with a napkin.
When all the flowers have been collected, they should be left to dry, and then made into a bouquet and secured with decorative ribbon.
Such bouquets made of cold porcelain can be use in home decor or present to family and friends as a souvenir, after placing them in a vase.
Sakura flowers – master class on cold porcelain sculpting
This master class is suitable for beginners working with this material. For the master class you will need:
First, you need to shape the white and pale pink cold porcelain into bars (the bars should be the same size). Next, you need to put them on top of each other and use a stationery knife to cut them into small rectangles.