Polymer clay is a malleable and thermosetting material which makes it possible to make original objects. The theme of flowers lends itself easily to creation in polymer clay. The rose is an easy model to make and to decline. Choose your material, colors and effects from the brands available on the market. Shape, assemble and bake your rose to create a flower that is larger than life! You can make it a decoration for your interior or give it to a loved one.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Choosing your polymer clay
Step 1. Choose the popular Fimo® brand
It is the most widespread, to the point that we often speak of fimo to designate any polymer clay to be modeled.
- Fimo® paste is generally in the form of a 350 g or 60 g loaf. After opening, it should be stored in a plastic bag or in an airtight box.
- The dough of the classic range, called Fimo® Classic, is relatively hard and can be difficult to knead. This firmness is, however, sought after for making canes, because it ensures their hold. The canes are sticks of dough with an identical pattern along their entire length. They can be kept and cut into more or less thick slices as needed. The Fimo® brand has also developed a more flexible paste that is accessible to beginners, Fimo® Soft. Its pleasant to work texture is perfect for small massages.
- After cooking, the Fimo® paste becomes very hard and resistant to shocks. It does not undergo any distortion or reduction and the colors remain intact. In addition, the surface of the modeling is smooth and has a slight sheen, which creates a beautiful effect. Once cooled, the modeling can be sanded, painted, decorated or varnished.
- The Fimo® brand offers a wide range of colors and effects. You can find a translucent, glittery, phosphorescent, metallic or imitating the aspect of precious stones bread. The brand has also developed a range for professionals.
Step 2. Choose the American brand Sculpey®
It is the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of the Fimo® brand. There are different ranges which vary in consistency and texture.
Polyform Products Company markets several Sculpey® brand ranges, but some are not widely available in France. The Sculpey® III and Premo Sculpey® ranges are the best known. The first has a consistency close to that of the classic range of the Fimo® brand. The second has an intermediate texture between the classic Fimo® paste and the flexible Fimo® paste
Step 3. Use Cernit® brand paste for its porcelain appearance
This paste has a soft consistency that is pleasant to the touch. In addition, it emits only a slight odor when cooked and its hardness is exceptional. Note that the paste has the advantage of not staining the hands.
- After firing, the rendering mimics the smooth and shiny appearance of porcelain. The Cernit® brand stands out from its competitors by its pastes in bright and original colors, especially fluorescent ones.
- Cernit® paste is one of the firmest, but it is less difficult to knead than classic Fimo® paste. If you have fragile hands or if you do an activity with children, you can opt for Cernit® paste.
Part 2 of 4: shape the rose out of polymer clay
Step 1. Choose the color of the petals
You can go for traditional shades of red or pink. That said, natural roses do offer vibrant and varied colors that you can take inspiration from.
- Choose your brand according to your desires and your project. For example, if you want to integrate your rose into a pendant, prefer a firm and shock-resistant paste. Fimo® clay is ideal for your modeling, because it offers a wide range of colors and effects. For a neat finish, Fimo® and Cernit® pastes are perfect.
- Create a color contrast between the corola, which is the set of petals of your rose, and the chalice. This is the part of the flower located just below the corola and which provides the transition with the stem. With a little practice, you can also mix the pastes to create original colors and effects.
Step 2. Soften the dough
To be able to shape your modeling, you must first knead your dough. This preliminary step, called conditioning in English, is essential for the success of your massage. In fact, the raw dough cannot be used as it is. Depending on its firmness, the process can be more or less long. For most jobs, kneading the dough between your fingers is sufficient.
- A soft dough is obviously easier to work with. The warmth of your fingers combined with the mechanical pressure on the dough allows it to soften quickly. It also becomes more sticky and less crumbly, which makes it easier to shape thin parts such as petals.
- Take a piece of dough of about 15 g, or two portions of dough. Note that the 60 g breads of the Fimo® brand are pre-cut into eight portions, which makes it easier to take them. Knead the portions to soften them, then shape them into a small stick. Then roll the dough between your palms to form a ball. If your dough is still too firm, work it again until you get the ideal consistency.
- There are several tips to soften a dough that is too stiff. You can place it on or under a gentle heat source. Make sure that the paste is not in direct contact with said source, as it may dry out. You can also mechanically soften your dough using a dough machine or roller. If your bread is too big to knead, you can cut it into small pieces using a food processor.
Step 3. Form a ball of dough
This tutorial allows you to create a rose with seven petals. If you want, you can make a rosebud using just four petals. Conversely, to make a blooming rose, add an extra row of petals. Roll your dough into a ball. Then divide it into as many pieces as there are petals, or seven pieces.
- The dough pieces can be similar in size. If you wish, you can plan more or less large rooms, which can create a wild and natural look. That said, it is only when the petals are shaped that you can create the impression of realism.
- The size of the dough ball depends on the diameter of the corola. For example, for a corola five centimeters in diameter, plan a ball of dough two to three centimeters.
Step 4. Work on your first petal
If you have prepared parts of a different size, start with the smallest one. Shape the dough into a triangle shape with rounded corners.
- Before shaping your dough, roll it into a small, smooth ball. To avoid fingerprints, you can wear thin latex gloves.
- Shape your petal using the shape of an opening pick. This is the small device that allows guitarists to pluck or strum the strings of their instrument.
- This first petal forms the heart of the corola. Plan a point thicker than its opposite side. The latter should be relatively thin, about one or two millimeters thick. It forms the upper part of the petal.
Step 5. Fold your petal to form the rosebud
Take your petal by the thickest point and hold it between your thumb and forefinger. With the other hand, fold the petal into a small cone.
The edges of the petal overlap slightly at the fold
Step 6. Create the second petal
Shape one of the dough pieces into a larger triangle than the first petal. The top edge of the second petal should also be thinner.
Step 7. Form the innermost row of the corola
Hold your first petal by the tip and wrap the second around. To perfect the rendering, coincide the middle of the second petal corresponding to the height starting from the thickest angle with the fold formed by the first petal.
Step 8. Shape your second row of petals
Shape two pieces of dough into a triangle shape, making sure they are larger and thinner than the second petal.
Step 9. Place the third petal
Drop it slightly above the tip of the lower petal. Squeeze gently to adhere the petals. Seen from above, your corola should form a spiral.
Using your index finger, slightly roll the edges of the petal outward to create relief
Step 10. Drop the fourth petal
Proceed in the same way as for the third petal. The spiral formed by your petals should be regular.
Fold the edges of the fourth petal outward
Step 11. Shape the last three petals
They should be larger with a thinner top edge than the other petals.
The top edges of your last three petals should be as thin as a sheet of paper
Step 12. Complete your corole
Position your last three petals, taking the line of superposition of the previous petals as a mark. This will allow you to create a corola with a regular and symmetrical nesting of the petals.
Roll up your petals as much as possible to get a fully blooming rose. Conversely, you can simply fold over the top edge of the petals. Your rose will then look like a newly hatched bud
Step 13. Squeeze the base of the corole
Using two fingers, press the base of the corola from the outside to the center. This will seal your petals together.
The pressure exerted creates a point at the base of the corola. Cut this point with a scalpel so that you can mount your rose as a jewel or lay it flat. If you want to supplement it with a chalice, you can keep the tip
Part 3 of 4: bake the rose in polymer clay
Step 1. Bake your modeling in a traditional oven
The cooking temperature should be 110 ° C. It can be brought to 130 ° C for Sculpey® or Cernit® paste. If your creation is small, you can reduce the temperature and the cooking time.
- The heat hardens and sets the polymer clay. Your domestic oven is perfectly suited to the cooking of your massages. However, do not use a microwave oven.
- Wait for the temperature in your oven to reach 110 ° C before placing your modeling in the oven. Do not exceed the temperature limits, otherwise your creation will burn and give off toxic fumes. Also, be sure to ventilate your work room sufficiently.
- The temperature may be different from one brand to another or from one range to another. Follow the instructions recommended by the manufacturer. For example, if you use translucent dough, the cooking temperature should not exceed 100 ° C, otherwise it will brown.
Step 2. Let your massage cook for ten to fifteen minutes
Keep the oven door open for the duration of cooking. Take your modeling out of the oven after fifteen minutes and let it cool in the open air so that it hardens permanently. It will be easier for you to work without damaging it after complete cooling.
Step 3. Shape the chalice
This part of the flower, located just below the corola, is made up of sepals. The latter often look like long, pointed leaves. Take some polymer clay and flatten it into a rectangle about one to two millimeters thick. The rectangle must be long enough to be able to wrap the entire lower part of your corola.
Figure your sepals. Cut six to eight small triangles on one of the edges of your rectangle to form points. You can also make eight notches along the entire length of the rectangle and shape the sepals with your fingers
Step 4. Assemble your rose
Make sure the corole is completely cool before handling it. Roll up the chalice at the bottom of the corola. Arrange the sepals to distribute them evenly around the corola. Then seal the two parts of your rose by pressing them together.
It is not necessary that the two parts of your flower fit together perfectly, because cooking will be enough to weld them
Step 5. Bake your final modeling
Polymer clay can be baked several times. Place your modeling in your oven, using your cooking parameters. However, you can reduce them, because your chalice is a small room.
After cooking, let your rose cool completely. You can then paint, decorate or varnish it
Part 4 of 4: Incorporating the Rose into Craft Projects
Step 1. Decorate your polymer clay creations
It can be baked several times, which allows you to develop more and more complex massages. Your rose can thus adorn other creations. For example, you can make a box out of firm polymer clay. Place roses on the lid before placing your modeling in the oven.
Note that mixing the pasta should be done with care. Indeed, you can mix the pasta of the same brand without contraindication. On the other hand, it is not recommended to mix doughs of different brands, as their texture and consistency may be incompatible
Step 2. Turn your rose into an elegant magnet
You can use it to decorate all your metal surfaces such as your refrigerator door.
Shape the base of your magnet with a portion of dough. Depending on the size of your model, the base can be round, oval or square. Bake the base and glue your rose on it. You can also assemble the rose and the base and then put the whole thing in the oven. Then glue a small magnet on the base to finalize your creation
Step 3. Make your jewelry
After assembling your rose, pierce the base of the chalice to put on the primer. It can be a hook for an earring, a chain for a necklace or even a pin to create a hair accessory. Cook your modeling and assemble your jewel.
You can incorporate the primer before or after baking. Be sure to choose quality and nickel-free material so that it does not deteriorate during cooking
Advice
- Making a rose without a stem makes it easier to use it to decorate objects, make sculptures or make jewelry.
- You can add a stem to your rose. You just have to mold it and attach it to the chalice.
- Assemble pieces together. To do this, you can use liquid Fimo® paste. This product serves as a glue and allows for decorative effects.
- Surprise a loved one with a bouquet of polymer clay roses. Vary the colors and shapes to create a personalized gift.
- You can use your rose to decorate a drawer handle or a coat hook.
Warnings
- Keep an eye on your massages while cooking to prevent them from burning or shrinking.
- Don't waste your polymer clay. It wears out quickly as you experiment. Even if your dough has become dry and hard, it is possible to reuse it. Likewise, you can incorporate failed massages or scraps into other creations.