Do you do handicrafts and still haven’t tried making flower arrangements using the cold porcelain technique? It's time to fix it!
To prepare cold porcelain you need:
- 50 grams of starch;
- 50 grams of soda;
- 50 grams of water;
- any dye.
To decorate the composition you will need:
- organza;
- silicone gun and glue;
- toothpicks (about 20-25 pieces);
- thin wire 1 m;
- Styrofoam;
- a pot or other ceramic vessel;
- varnish in a can;
- beads.
So, first you need to prepare cold porcelain. In an aluminum saucepan, mix starch and soda, then add a little dye to the water, let it completely dissolve, and only then pour the liquid into this saucepan and mix it well with the other ingredients.
You need to cook the porcelain over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, but you need to watch the consistency, the mixture should be thick and barely pull away from the walls of the pan. After the porcelain is ready, it needs to be allowed to cool.
To make roses, you need to tear off a small piece of porcelain and spread it over your palm. In essence, it resembles modeling from plasticine.
Carefully attach the first petal to a toothpick held in a vertical position.
So, one at a time, fasten until a small rose comes out.
You can choose its size yourself. Not all roses will have the same number of petals - that's okay, as long as they are at least approximately the same size.
The composition requires a minimum of 7 pieces. In any case, it is better to make 2-3 spare pieces. Flowers must dry within 3 days. You can't put them in the sun. When they are completely hardened, be sure to coat them with varnish (it is better to use varnish in a can). During these 3 days you will be able to choose 7 of the most beautiful roses, besides, if the lower petals are unsuccessfully fixed, during this time they may simply fall off.
Now you can start decorating. To do this, you need to cut the organza into small squares, approximately 5x5 cm. They do not have to be even, because small corners will only decorate the composition.
They need to be bent diagonally, then in half, so that a small triangle comes out. Now it should be secured to a toothpick, and secured from below with wire.
You will need about 10 such triangles. In the same way, you need to make 7 triangles, only the organza should be fixed in the middle of the toothpick so that a white bead can be glued to its tip with silicone glue. You need 7 such triangles.
Cold porcelain is the cheapest, most pliable and accessible material for modeling. It is completely safe to work with it, and it is not at all necessary to have special skills and knowledge - even a small child can do such creativity. You don't need to look for something special in stores to create a unique decoration or other thing with your own hands. You can prepare cold porcelain at home.
In appearance, cold porcelain resembles plasticine or clay, but after complete drying it is an absolutely solid substance. During sculpting, you can use any accessories, jewelry, beads, small beads, buttons, branches or dried flowers, as well as fabrics of any structure. The surface of cold porcelain products can be varnished, painted or sprinkled with beads, sparkles, sand, etc.
The history of cold porcelain
In the first years of the 19th century, the first products made from this material appeared. According to dated records, it became known that cold porcelain was invented by the Argentines, but there is no exact information about its origin. There is much more information about the Russian master Pyotr Ivanov, who worked at the imperial porcelain factory and at the beginning of the 19th century made unique objects from a special class of porcelain. According to documents from the St. Petersburg Porcelain Factory, it was he who made the first decorative flowers from cold porcelain, which were intended to decorate special perfume bottles that were supplied to the imperial family.
There are earlier facts confirming the existence of this material. Chinese treatises on sculpture and art describe many varieties of cold porcelain stucco, but it is called somewhat differently. But still, its recipe is identical to the one used by Pyotr Ivanov.
Cold porcelain products: features and nuances of use
This material makes incredibly beautiful products, but at the same time they require the right approach to use. Places where there is no direct sunlight and moisture are acceptable for them. Cold porcelain is the same polymer clay that can absorb moisture, become limp and lose its original color when exposed to sunlight.
In rooms that are decorated with items made of cold porcelain, it is necessary to maintain the optimal temperature regime for it. So, if it is less than 10º C, the structure will gradually collapse due to the crystallization of moisture particles contained in such porcelain. High temperatures are also destructive - it will simply dry out and crumble. Lacquer coatings will help extend the life of cold porcelain products. They will protect against moisture and maintain the color, shine and shape of the surface.
What can be made from cold porcelain
From this material you can create anything you want - from a variety of jewelry for women to cute accessories for the interior:
Many needlewomen decorate pots of indoor plants or create a complete composition with a cold porcelain flower.
Dishes decorated with such stucco molding will become a real highlight of the kitchen interior.
All kinds of frames, flowerpots, stands, lampshades, candlesticks made of cold porcelain will dilute the usual interior and give it a touch of individuality.
Hairpins, hoops, jewelry and other feminine attributes decorated with flowers made of cold porcelain look charming. 
Thematic compositions made from this material, figurines of animals, little houses, garlands of flowers and greenery will certainly become a unique interior decor.
Together with your baby, you can create characters from your favorite cartoons or fairy-tale characters that will decorate the children's room.
In addition, you can make an amazing gift for dear people.
Cold porcelain: cooking at home
Making polymer clay is not at all difficult. The easiest traditional recipe is corn or rice starch, PVA glue, the most common baby cream and glycerin. The proportions are as follows:
- 1:1 cups starch and glue;
- 1:2 tablespoons of cream and glycerin.
Mix the ingredients thoroughly and leave for 15-20 minutes until the mass reaches a consistency ideal for modeling. It is strictly forbidden to put the prepared mixture in the refrigerator or store it for more than 2 hours at room temperature. You need to sculpt at once, trying to use all the material.
Some people add citric acid to the mixture, which works on the principle of preservation, which extends the shelf life of products.
There are recipes using water. However, such compositions are short-lived and fragile. Under the influence of external irritants, water reacts with the other components of polymer clay, due to which the shape of the products may change, their strength may decrease, and an unpleasant odor may appear.
To give a certain color to a product, chalk and food coloring are often used. But even after finishing the work and completely drying the product (in a day), its surface can also be painted.
Modeling tools
- scissors and rolling pin;
- toothpicks or stacks;
- nippers and tweezers;
- decorative cosmetics;
- paints and brushes;
- wet wipes;
- cutting board and gloves;
- glue for installation and thin wire.
Sakura flower: master class from cold porcelain
It is easier for beginning “sculptors” to make flowers from cold porcelain, for example, sakura.
Step 1. Leave part of the workpiece white, and paint part soft pink. From each we make small blocks (future petals). The white block should be slightly thicker than the tinted one. We connect the blanks along the length and cut them into small rectangles.
Step 2. Sculpt the petals. Make their bases pink and their edges white. We glue the petals together with PVA and use a toothpick or knitting needle to make a small hole in the middle, where we will then insert the stem.
Step 3. We attach the finished buds to a leaf cup with a green base and place them on a wire stem. Such a branch should look like a real sakura, perfectly repeating its structure.
Step 4. According to this scheme, we make several branches, leave them to dry completely, and then twist them into a single composition using wire.
Tags:Various 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.
Even though shops and souvenir shops are filled with all sorts of cute trinkets, handicrafts do not lose their popularity. Moreover, there are more and more new ways to relieve stress and create something amazing. An example of this is flowers made of cold porcelain, which anyone can make. And it’s not difficult to prepare material for creativity.
Thanks to social networks and interest groups, needlewomen from all over the world unite into friendly groups where they share recipes for interesting things. This is how the idea of porcelain flowers gained popularity, not only looking great in the interior, but also captivating you into a world of relaxation even at the preparation stage.
The simplest option for making artificial flowers is ready-made polymer clay. This plastic material is characterized by its low cost and relative maneuverability. However, it is much more profitable and interesting to make porcelain with your own hands.
Before you start creating a masterpiece, it is advised to prepare all the necessary tools and accessories. The fact is that finished porcelain is very impatient. It freezes literally before our eyes, so after preparing it there will be no time left to prepare materials.
So, for work you will need:
- Regular dough roller;
- Cutting molds (gingerbread ones are suitable);
- Wire, preferably two types;
- Scissors;
- Special tape for floristry.
If the craft stores in the area promote porcelain creativity, they are sure to have special molds for flower petals. This device will allow you to create leaves with all their veins and bends. Such a product cannot be distinguished from a real rose!
Independent preparation of material
In order not to buy ready-made material, you can make cold porcelain with your own hands. The cooking master class includes the simplest available tools.
You will need:
- Starch. Both regular potato and corn will do;
- Lemon juice or a little vinegar;
- Johnson's Baby Skin Oil;
- Cosmetic hand cream;
- Tools with round tips.
You will need 240 grams of stationery glue and starch. The remaining ingredients need 50 grams or approximately two tablespoons.
The ingredients for making porcelain must be mixed until smooth. After this, place the mixture in the microwave for half a minute. After 30 seconds of heating, remove the liquid from the oven and mix thoroughly. This procedure must be repeated three times.
If all the rules are followed, the third time the mixture becomes very thick. When it becomes difficult to mix, the mass is laid out on a cutting board. The surface is first lubricated with hand cream. The mixture must be kneaded in the same way as dough is kneaded.
The advantage of such porcelain over purchased polymer clay is that products made from homemade material do not need to be dried in an oven or using other devices. The crafts made dry well in the fresh air.
If there is a lot of mass, it is not necessary to use all of it. The “semi-finished product” is perfectly stored. Simply wrap it in film and place it in the refrigerator.
If carelessly left on the table, the mixture will quickly dry out and become unsuitable for work!
Making porcelain flowers
For those thinking about what can be made from cold porcelain, it will be useful to know that the primary material is most often white. Therefore, white roses or other flowers that do not require the use of dyes are perfect for “testing the pen.”
If you need to add color to the product, you can mix the mixture with a small amount of oil paint. More prosaic means will also work. For example, cosmetic blush or eye shadow. Coloring agents should be added at the kneading stage until the mass hardens.
Before you start sculpting, you should prepare a bud on which the petals will be placed. Before starting work, it is recommended to lubricate your hands with rich cream. While the bulk is in the refrigerator, several balls are rolled and placed on the tip of the wire. After this, you can make flowers from cold porcelain.
Master class for beginners step by step:
You can dry the finished product in the room or in the fresh air, hanging it by an improvised stem. The main thing is that the wire stem is quite long. It can be bent into a hook shape and hung on a clothesline. After drying, cut off the excess length of wire.
Having molded several of these buds, they are combined into one composition, step by step creating truly amazing bouquets.
DIY leaves
To add greenery to the product, you will need green dye. The mass can be painted with paints or purchased ready-made plastic of the desired shade. You can also buy molds for making vegetation in the store. For those who are not looking for easy ways, you can cut the leaves by hand and enjoy the process.
The green mass should be rolled out very thinly. It is optimal if its thickness does not exceed 1 mm. The surface is smeared with cream so that the thinnest layer can be removed from the board without damaging its shape.
Next, using a knife or using a mold, the required contour is squeezed out. If it is difficult to draw a leaf by hand, you can attach a paper pattern, previously cut from wax paper, to the rolled out layer. Some craftswomen use leaves of artificial flowers, which are pressed onto porcelain to obtain a characteristic relief.
Notches and grooves are applied to the leaf with any sharp object. A pin, needle or toothpick coated with cream will do. The stem for the leaf should be wrapped with floral tape. Lubricate the tip with glue and press it into the base of the leaf.
The finished flowers are left to dry. When the product dries, it can be varnished. However, real flowers are not shiny, so artificial reflections can ruin the illusion of natural vegetation.
Kittens for home decor
From cold porcelain you can create flowers, decorative elements and New Year's toys. Animal figurines are also popular, which will decorate and amuse DIY lovers.
Step-by-step instructions for sculpting a kitten:
- A ball is formed from a small piece of material. This will be the head of the animal.
- Next, small flattened triangles are sculpted, which will become ears.
- A larger triangular piece is turned into a body, marking the legs.
- The tail will be a thin sausage. It should not be too thin so that this part does not fall off when drying.
- On the muzzle, press out the holes for the eyes with the head of a pin and paint over them with a regular marker. You can add color to the eyes after the craft has dried.
- It's great if the cat's nose is pink. You can also paint it after drying.
How to store plastic products
You can make not only flowers from polymer material prepared with your own hands. You can also make other products from cold porcelain, the preparation workshop for which is quite simple.
Having tried your hand at sculpting from cold porcelain for beginners, you can begin more serious crafts. Experienced craftswomen create real miracles from this cold material.
It should be remembered that porcelain is a material that is not only fragile, but also capricious. Finished products should be stored in a dry place, as water can damage the structure of the craft. It is also important to protect products from direct sunlight.
Cold porcelain is an example of how real masterpieces can be created from scrap materials. The process will bring pleasure even to beginners and those who have never tried themselves as a sculptor.
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Content
Flowers are perhaps one of the most common elements used by craftsmen when making crafts and handicrafts. This increased attention to them is due to the extraordinary beauty, grace and tenderness of each type of flower. To capture such a short-lived and lightning-fast flowering period for a long time, it is enough to fashion flowers from a very pliable, durable and inexpensive material, like “cold porcelain”. This material can be used both in pure form and in combination with polymer clay.
Buds and petals made using cold porcelain have a very unusual property: incredible similarity to the original, so they are often simply impossible to distinguish from real living inflorescences. Such flowers made of cold porcelain and polymer clay will fit perfectly into any interior of an apartment or house, making it more comfortable, lively, colorful, and also emphasizing the femininity and beauty of the owner of the house.
Let's consider several options for making different colors from cold porcelain with your own hands.
Tulips
These spring flowers, beloved by many women, never tire of delighting us with their wide variety of species and colors. Dozens and even hundreds of varieties differ from each other in the shape of the petals, the size of the bud, and, of course, color. In the process of sculpting a tulip, you can show not only all your skills, but also give free rein to your imagination, making all your most cherished dreams come true.
To create a tulip you will need the following materials and tools:
- cold porcelain in green and yellow colors;
- a heart-shaped mold for making petals;
- PVA glue;
- rolling pin;
- wooden skewers;
- green floral ribbon for decoration or paint and brush.
All stages of making a tulip are illustrated in detail in the photo. Below you will find a description of each stage of creating a flower with your own hands. So, let's begin.
Step one: preparing the stem for the future flower
To make the stem we use wooden skewers. To make them look like a stem, they must first be painted green or decorated with green floral adhesive tape. After this, you can safely proceed to the next stage.
Step two: make a bud
To sculpt a bud, you should first sculpt the petals. To do this, using a rolling pin on the table, carefully roll out the yellow modeling mixture into a thin layer. Then we make impressions with a heart-shaped mold. We remove all excess dough so that it does not interfere with further work. Cut the resulting hearts in half. The petals for the tulip are ready.
We begin to form a bud from the petals. To do this, place a painted or decorated skewer on the petal and secure it with glue. Then we add more petals, gradually enveloping the entire stem.
Advice! To give the bud volume, you can put a small ball of paper or cotton wool inside.
Step three: sculpt leaves
After completing the creation of the bud, we proceed to making the leaves. To do this, we roll out cold green porcelain into small tubes, after which we give the leaves a natural, close to natural shape. Then we attach the leaves to the stem with glue.
The yellow tulip from cold porcelain is ready. Now it can be placed in a beautiful vase or even included in a flower arrangement or painting.
Hyacinth
To create one of the earliest of spring flowers, hyacinths, you will need the following materials and tools:
- cold porcelain of different colors for the buds and green or light green flowers to create the stem and leaves;
- thin wire for connecting flowers into a bud and forming a stem;
- cream for lubricating hands when sculpting;
- stacks for forming flower petals and leaves;
- green floral ribbon.
Step-by-step master class on making crafts
In the photo you can see all the stages of making a flower.
Step one: sculpt the inflorescences
To do this, we form a droplet from a small piece of cold porcelain, then carefully divide it into separate petals. A hyacinth has 6 petals on one flower, so we divide the droplet into 6 parts. The result is a blank shaped like a six-pointed star.
The next stage is the formation of the petals, or, more precisely, giving them the desired shape and thickness. Only after each individual petal has been sculpted can you begin to work on the core.
Advice! Beginning craftsmen should use ready-made cores, which can be purchased in specialized craft stores, as well as online.
Step two: bud formation
Each small flower must be carefully connected to each other using wire and gradually formed into a bud, no more than 10 cm long. The wire should be covered with green floral tape on top to give the product a natural and more aesthetic appearance.
Step three: sculpt the stem and leaves
Roll out three or four small sausages from cold light green or green porcelain. We attach one of them to a wire that connects the inflorescences in the bud, and from the rest we form small oblong leaves. Next, we sequentially attach each finished leaf to the stem using glue.
This bulbous primrose plant, carefully sculpted from cold porcelain, can be placed in an elegant flower pot and decorated with this composition in the hallway, living room, children's room and even the kitchen.
Pansies
This master class describes in detail the entire process of making beautiful miniature flowers with the cute name “Pansies”.
To make flowers you will need the following materials and tools:
- ready-made mass for modeling “cold porcelain” in white and purple colors;
- rolling pin;
- round mold for making petals;
- stacks, brush, paints.
Step-by-step master class on making crafts
Step one: making petals
We begin making crafts by creating petals. To do this, roll out the modeling mixture in a thin layer on the table, and then use a mold to make rounded impressions. We immediately remove all excess mass so that it does not interfere with the further sculpting process.
Step two: forming a bud
After all the petals are ready, you can begin to form the bud. To do this, you need to sequentially fasten each petal into a single whole.
Step three: decoration
To give flowers a more natural color, they need to be decorated. In this case, to give the bud a natural look, paint was used to lightly color the core.
Beautiful flowers, striking in their beauty and unusual similarity to the original, are ready. Now you can safely decorate any piece of jewelry with them, be it a brooch, a hairband, a bracelet or a simple hairpin. Such a decorative element will certainly make you stand out from the crowd and emphasize your aesthetic taste, unique personality and add femininity.
Lily
The video tutorial below will help you create this beautiful flower from cold porcelain with your own hands:
Conclusion
Flowers made from cold porcelain with love and warmth will delight the eye of their creator for a long time. Such unusual plants will also be a wonderful gift for an old friend, mother, grandmother, or even work colleague. Floral arrangements and bouquets made using cold porcelain amaze with their extraordinary beauty and will not leave any female representative indifferent. In addition, such flowers are more durable and do not require special and regular care, which gives them a significant advantage over live, cut and potted specimens.
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