Ceramic floristry: where to start? Ceramic floristry - do-it-yourself cold porcelain flowers

Ceramic jewelry in modern world quite hard to find. And this is what makes ceramic floristry even more beautiful art. After all, the products made using this technique are very unique and inimitable, and they are also beautiful. Ceramic floristry is not as difficult as it seems for beginners.

The technology of ceramic floristics has been transformed. Learning this technique has become much easier than before. This simplification is primarily due to the development of chemistry and the production of polymer clay, which does not require firing, one of the most complex processes in ceramics.

Learning ceramic floristry: what can be done for beginners

In the photo above you can see examples of ceramic floristry. These flowers are not really beautiful? They are almost indistinguishable from living ones, but touching their petals will dispel a wonderful illusion.

The use of ceramic colors is practically unlimited. The main limiter will be your imagination. Our master class will try to reveal the whole range of ways to use colors. Small flowers can decorate various small jewelry: bracelets, wreaths, pendants. Ceramic floristry is able to unrecognizably transform an object to which you are already accustomed and tired of seeing it in the same form. A handmade jewelry will be several times more pleasant to wear, realizing that you did it with your own hands.

Many pieces of furniture are decorated ceramic flowers. Even the most old furniture you can revive and give her a second life. Lamps, fixtures, what can be not decorated with such colors at all? Probably nothing. Ceramic floristry allows you to make not only roses and other various flowers, but also other small elements, such as a bell.

You can make a bouquet and put it on the table in a vase made of cold porcelain. Or install it in another way. A good way is shown in the first photo in this subheading.

Trying to make sakura to decorate necklaces and earrings

For these colors, we need the following materials:

• Polymer clay pink, green and white
• Knife and other tools needed to work with clay
• Wire
• small beads
• Various decorations

Our necklace will be composite. First we need to form all the flowers and their leaves separately. After they are formed, you will need to fire them, even if you use polymer clay, you will have to fire them in the oven. After firing, all elements are assembled into one.

Try to make the color transition as accurate as possible. Pink color should fade to white.

Be sure to make holes for fasteners before firing.

It is necessary to burn for fifteen to twenty minutes at a temperature of one hundred and thirty degrees.

We make our own beautiful rose from polymer clay

To make this product, we need the following materials:

• Polymer clay. We need to take two colors: red and green
• Sequins. We will need to give the effect of a gilded surface and to give a shimmering effect
• Small plastic cup
• tassel
• Acrylic lacquer

First we make flowers and leaves. Do not forget to make holes for fastening before the workpieces are fired. Roasting, depending on the clay, is carried out for half an hour, at a temperature of 120 degrees. Note that times and temperatures may vary.

Always remember that all work with clay must be done with a glove. Otherwise, your fingerprints will remain on the clay. Of course, they can be used as decoration, but this must be very well fantasized.

First, we make clay into pieces, which will be blanks for sculpting leaves. We start the connection with the smallest petals. As they connect, we begin to attach larger ones to them. Thus we will form a flower. After all the flowers are made, it is necessary to assemble the design into one and attach a carabiner to the bouquet. All this must be done before firing. Otherwise, attaching flowers will be very difficult, and maybe impossible at all.

Video on the topic of the article

Ceramic floristry is not very difficult, the main thing is to have a desire and try. The following videos will prove it to you.

The direction "Ceramic floristry" is gaining more and more popularity in the world. Flowers made using this technique can be a wonderful decoration, indistinguishable from real flowers.

Materials used in ceramic floristry

Polymer clay is a plastic mass industrial production, which to the touch and in appearance is similar to plasticine and at the same time has a recognizable smell of grass. For hardening, the product is usually subjected to heat treatment.

Polymer clay is different colors and is sold in many craft stores.

Cold porcelain is a clay-like mass that dries fairly quickly on outdoors. Such a mass is simply ideal for sculpting flowers or small figures.

Cold porcelain appeared in the middle of the 20th century. Initially, the composition was very simple: only PVA glue and starch were mixed.

Later, when professional florists paid attention to cold porcelain, the composition began to be refined and improved in pursuit of elasticity and softness. The name is associated with appearance: the dried mass looks like porcelain, but it dries on its own and does not require firing in a kiln.

cold porcelain recipe

Cold porcelain can be made at home on your own. The Internet offers a lot of recipes, for example this one:

• 2 cups of PVA glue
• 2 cups cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons of glycerin
• 2 tablespoons stearic acid
• 1 tablespoon sodium benzoate

All ingredients must be mixed and heated over low heat until the resulting mass no longer sticks to the walls of the pan. Store the resulting mass should be wrapped in polyethylene or put in Plastic container which does not allow air to pass through. To solidify the mass takes from 1 to 3 days.

Of course, the recipe is very approximate, and ideal mass can only be obtained after a few experiments. You can paint both the finished product from cold porcelain and the mass before sculpting.

What is better to choose: clay or porcelain?

There are a huge number of polymer clays. But cold porcelain has its advantages. The most important thing is the price. Factory-made polymer clay is expensive, and the material for self cooking porcelain will cost you several times cheaper. Another equally important quality is elasticity during sculpting. After several attempts to prepare cold porcelain, you may well end up with a material that is highly elastic.

Accessories for ceramic floristry

So, if you decide to try yourself in ceramic floristry (I remind you that this is what the art of making flowers from polymer clay or cold porcelain is called in Russia), then you may need the following devices.

Paints

The most important of the secondary materials is paint. You can paint the finished product with paints (in the event that the clay was not colored initially), or you can add it directly to the clay to give it desired color. Professionals generally prefer oil paints because they dry more slowly than acrylics. In addition, when tinting with oil paints, you can achieve beautiful and smooth transitions which is impossible to achieve with acrylic.

Oil paints

Glue

Usually, all flowers are made in parts, and then to connect these elements, they use ordinary PVA glue. But it is worth remembering that PVA perfectly connects parts from raw material with the same raw material or already dried, but a few dried pieces of clay most likely will not stick together with PVA. More reliable - Super-glue or Moment. The grip is immediate and strong. Some professional florists use latex glue instead of PVA. It is designed specifically for working with plastic, it looks very similar to PVA glue, and when it dries it becomes transparent.

Glue: PVA, Moment, latex

Wire

The basis of most flowers in ceramic floristry is a wire frame. The wire can be as thick as a pencil lead, or it can be quite thin - it all depends on the size of the flower. You can buy it in shops for creativity or in construction markets. Wire for beading is quite suitable. And you can also look in special stores for floristry.

Tape

This interesting tape is needed to connect the parts mounted on the wire with the frame. It looks like double sided sticky tape. The teip tape connects the individual wires well. It turns out a neat stem, which then, at the request of the master, can be covered with clay. You can try to replace this tape with construction paper tape, but the result may not be very beautiful.

Modeling mat and cling film

The film is needed to keep the finished clay for a long time, and the mat keeps clean workplace. A sealed plastic container for storing pieces of cold porcelain wrapped in cling film would also be a good option. This organizes the little multi-colored pieces (which will pile up) in order and gives extra protection from drying out.

Scissors, pliers, wire cutters, etc.

For the first experiment, ordinary nail scissors. But then there will definitely be a need for several scissors: with long, straight and thin blades. The longer and thinner, the better.

You may also need:

• round nose pliers - for making jewelry using fittings
• tweezers - for attaching small parts. In addition, with tweezers you can quickly and accurately make a loop on a thin wire.
• pliers - for bending or straightening thick wire.
• side cutters are useful for cutting thick wire

A word of advice: in construction and hardware stores, these tools are sold 2-3 times cheaper than in specialized departments of needlework and creativity stores!

Except special tools, you may find it useful to use ordinary blades (only very sharp ones) and needles.

extruder syringe

It works on the principle of a confectionery syringe and is designed to extrude motives. Fill the syringe with polymer clay, choose desired nozzle and push the clay with a piston. Nozzles for a syringe-extruder can be very different: starting from geometric shapes ending with intricate patterns.

Stacks

One of the latest is stacks - small sticks for creating depressions and grooves. They come in the form of a simple stick with a sharp end or a stick with balls at the ends.

As a substitute for the first, you can use a knitting needle, an awl or a stick from Japanese cuisine.

The second stack of marbles may seem indispensable, but it is not at all. Look in your stocks for a strong stick (pencil, brush or piece of thick wire) and glue a smooth bead of the size you need to it.

Molds and cutters

Mold is a print made from the texture of a leaf of a living flower or petal, which is used to obtain a realistic likeness when sculpting. It will be difficult to do without molds, but many elements can still be fashioned without them, so do not rush to purchase molds.

As for cutters - molds for foliage and flowers, professional florists do not use them. Identical petals are boring and do not look very natural. If you still decide to use this form, then do not forget to work manually on each petal and leaf after that: by slightly changing the shape, you can add individuality and realism to it.

Many crafters make their own cutters from cans, cutting them into tin strips and then bending them to the desired shape. Some cutters are really quite useful, but most can still be dispensed with: for example, making a pattern out of cardboard, which is applied to a rolled piece of plastic and carefully cut out with scissors or a roller knife.

The principle of operation of the machine is the same as that of the noodle rolling machine. A slight movement of the hand and a block of clay turns into a thin plate.

Master class on ceramic floristry

And finally, some very visual workshops on sculpting flowers.

Rose porcelain

Polymer clay sheet

Polymer clay poppy

Whatever material you choose (cold porcelain or polymer clay), the result can be a wonderful product that is indistinguishable from real flowers!

Be sure to check out our forum

Polymer clay floristry, or ceramic floristry - beautiful and amazing, absolutely the new kind arts and crafts of creating floral compositions, flowers, ornaments, sculptures, etc. using special polymer clay (“cold porcelain”), special tools and special equipment self made. made in this way from the living differ in only one thing: they do not fade, always remain alive and amaze with their lightness, refinement and realism.

This type of art came to us from Japan, where for thirty years Kazuko Miyai created and analyzed this direction. flower design and founded the Deco Clay Craft Academy in 1981, she has invested huge efforts in its development. With the participation of chemists, a special self-hardening clay was created. The designer's daughter, Yukiko Miyai, followed in her footsteps and created her own school of floristry in Hawaii, Honolulu, from where this art reached the United States and gained a foothold there.

However, the term ceramic floristry itself is used only in Russia. Now in Japan there are a lot of schools and trends in ceramic floristry. The realism of the produced flowers can be achieved using a special technique. In the flower, each detail is created from special polymer clay and painted separately. Of course, for the best result, the master, in addition to special tools and clay, needs the most important thing - imagination.

A distinctive feature of this technique is that the creation of such colors does not require thermal exposure (firing). The plastic properties of the material make it possible to work out even small elements of ceramic colors, bringing them as close as possible to the resemblance to the original.

To date, the choice of material for creating flowers in the technique of "ceramic floristry" is diverse. There is a sufficient number various kinds clay: soft, hard, elastic, smooth (cold porcelain), porous ("marshmallow") and what each master decides to sculpt from based on his own experience.

A separate direction in ceramic floristry. As a rule, baked clay is used to make polymer jewelry.

Anyone can do ceramic floristry. If you have sufficient funds, you can get training in special schools. After completing your education, you will become a certified specialist. At the same time, there is also the possibility of self-learning. Now there are many available photos, videos and other various master classes in ceramic floristry on the Internet. You can also contact individual specialists who have certificates, who will tell you in detail what ceramic floristry is, where to start, in this case, we advise you to get acquainted with the works of this specialist.

is the art of creating floral compositions from flowers using special equipment and self-hardening polymer clay. This art appeared in Russia recently, but has already gained great popularity. It is perfect for those who want to find peace of mind and peace. The combination of floristry, painting and modeling allows you to immerse yourself in silence for a while and touch the beauty.
Polymer clay allows you to work out every detail, creating very thin petals. This material is highly elastic and does not require heat treatment which makes it pleasant and easy to work with.

Parts of stems and flowers
In the process of creating flowers and their blossoming buds, as well as its green parts, other materials are used in addition to self-hardening clay. For the pedicel, a wire of different sizes, colors and diameters is used, which is wrapped with a special green tape. Inner part the flower is filled with ready-made stamens and often sprinkled with colored fine powder. To obtain a fuzzy surface effect, a fuzzy powder is used.

Dye
For tinting floral clay, it is best to use oil paints. Thanks to their base, mixed with clay, oil paints do not make it sticky, unlike acrylic paints. With the help of oil paints, thin veins are drawn on an already molded flower and colors are added, thereby bringing the product to perfection. Leaves and buds come alive, due to natural color transitions and the translucent effect of thin clay petals.

Invoices ( molds)
Glass textures are used to give the features of a flower to products that have not yet hardened. Each flower, leaf and stem has its own unique vein pattern. Reproduction of the fine relief of the entire flower gives an unsurpassed resemblance of the product to a natural flower.

Forms (cutters)
They are used to quickly give the desired shape to the workpiece. They are especially used in work on volumetric compositions and in children's creativity. metal molds externally resemble molds for baking or soap making. The set of boats contains several shapes that differ from each other in size and the resulting shape.

Tools
Walls of various shapes and sizes, roller feet, scalpel knives, nail scissors and round nose pliers - this is an incomplete list of tools used in ceramic floristry. Synthetic brushes, flat and round various forms: small for detailing, medium and large for filling large areas with color.

Sculpting flowers is considered a very expensive hobby, which you can especially see when looking through the catalog of special online stores that offer everything for floristry. Of course, to have all those things is the dream of anyone! But it turns out to buy a little bit and the most necessary, and I want to sculpt complex flowers right now! Therefore, we will consider what tools for ceramic floristry are needed first of all. I will show what I use, and what devices I replace the missing ones.

Basic set of tools

Let's look at the points.
1. Tweezers for removing villi from clay. First, they are hooked with a needle (any, but I, of course, forgot to photograph it!), And then they are removed with tweezers. There is a whole article about that.
2. A crochet hook, the tip of which (the hook itself) is ground off with sandpaper. This thing replaces my main stack for ceramic floristry. The device is poor, and every day I become stronger in the opinion that it is very difficult to live without a full-fledged main stack. So, if possible, buy a normal instrument - this chief assistant. He looks like this.

Basic stack for ceramic floristry

3. Stack with cat's paw. I bought it because we have a lot of tension with these instruments in Ukraine, and only such a stack was available. And I really wanted to try these professional things. And it was worth it. Such modeling stacks are made of stainless steel, the composition of which is ideal for contact with clay - the mass does not stick to them at all. Finding a material with similar properties is torture! Cold porcelain climbs almost everything to hug
4. And this is an adaptation welding electrode and ground bearing. As you can see, do-it-yourself flower bulbs can also be made! More precisely, by the hands of a beloved husband, father, brother, son, or any other talented man who is ready to help. Clay also sticks to this bulb. Therefore, I advise you not to torture yourself or your assistant, but again buy a normal stack with a bulk. Nothing will stick to it.

This phenomenon is explained by the difference in the composition of the metal. Grinding seems to be perfect both on a homemade bulk and on a purchased one (judging by experience with my only purchased stack, described above), but the result is different.

5. Scissors are an indispensable tool for ceramic floristry, however, ideally, you should have both straight and round ones. I only have round ones, but they are so old that it’s a shame to photograph them! As experience shows, even they can be cut into equal parts of droplets for, lilac or.

Conclusion: the main stack and the stack with bulks are better to buy professional ones. The price for one tool is about 10 - 12 USD. If it is not possible at all, then the main stack will be replaced by a hook or a knitting needle, and the bulbs for making flowers will be bearings or beads mounted on a toothpick.

Now I’ll show you a wooden set of stacks for modeling - I bought it at the stage when I was tormented with Cernit and other casseroles.

The bottom stack is especially useful - its right end is made in the form of a knife. With them I roll out (smear like butter on bread) clay in a file, and also make various grooves-stripes. When working with a casserole, this set is indispensable, especially for beginners. Its price is about 5 USD. The tree is very durable! When sculpting realistic flowers from self-hardening clays, these stacks can be easily dispensed with. Just showing off all the contents of my dimensionless table

Optional Tools

Move on. These plastic stacks for ceramic floristry are also suitable, although they are actually designed to work with mastic. I bought them at the market (for 4.3 USD), in a tent where they sell cookie cutters and other confectionery stuff. I first saw the same set in an online store, but there, of course, it was 30% more expensive.

Modeling stacks made of plastic

Clay also sticks to these plastics, but if you dry it a bit, something may turn out. In general, the stacks are made very dishonestly - on the bulbs, for example, there is a gluing seam, which, of course, is ugly imprinted on the petal. In general, a set for a C grade with a minus, but if there is nothing else, it will come in handy.

Cut-outs for flowers

And here are my cutters for ceramic floristry, made, of course, with my own hands from tin can from under olives, peas, pineapples, condensed milk ... Well, you understand

Homemade cutters - cuttings for petals and leaves

To make these molds as similar as possible in shape to real leaves / petals, you need color templates for modeling - that is, contours. It is convenient for this to “disassemble” a real flower into parts. As soon as it warms up, I'll do it.

In general, cuttings for flowers are necessary only when cutting petals of complex shape: Phalaenopsis orchids, for example. But the leaves (, maple) can be cut with scissors. This, frankly, is easier than bending home-made cutters of the desired shape from tin. It is very difficult for me to cut down, although I have seen how neat they are made by other craftswomen!

They also say that leaves cut with scissors have their own value and uniqueness, because they are all different, just like in nature!

Floral textures

These textures are purchased, made of acrylic, which does not break (I dropped it a couple of times, until everything is intact).
1. Universal sheet - suitable for sculpting leaves of a lily, tulip, lily of the valley, gladioli and other flowers, the veins of the leaves of which are straight and parallel.
2. Phalaenopsis orchid petal.
3. Phalaenopsis orchid petal. Unfortunately, nothing can replace them, therefore, if you breathe unevenly towards phalaenopsis, you should buy such textures.
4. The hydrangea leaf is my first purchase. I used it at most 5 times, it is difficult to call this texture universal. That is, it is suitable only for hydrangeas and for independent leaves (without flowers) - for beautiful bouquet greenery is sometimes needed.
5. The universal petal is my lifesaver. This mold is suitable for sculpting flowers of iris, gladiolus, hop cones and even clematis. In general, the texture is very beautiful, and if there are no others, a lot can be replaced with it.
6. Cymbidium orchid petal - this is how the online store writes. And I think this mold is universal - suitable for, echinacea, etc.
I also had a tulip mold, but it seems I lost it

As you can see, I have the most necessary petal textures. At first, it is advisable to buy a universal petal and a universal sheet. And it will work!

I can not help but note that the quality of the print is C grade. An especially large universal sheet is covered in scratches and crevices. And it's worth the money! :-(

Flower assembly tools

Now let's talk about glue. Not about the one that is used when, but about the one that is used to assemble colors.

1. Super glue moment. Glues parts together instantly, ideal for assembling flowers. I don’t recommend bringing it close to your face - fumes have a bad effect on the eyes (they then turn red and watery). Well, it's bad for the respiratory system. However, I haven't found anything better yet. You just have to be careful! And he can stick your fingers together! A cotton swab moistened with alcohol or acetone will help out.
2. - Ordinary stationery. Suitable when fast gluing is not necessary and the weight of the glued parts is low. Gluing a heavy flower with them - a dahlia, for example - is a disastrous business. PVA dries for a long time, and the petals can fall off under their weight. But planting hyacinth, lilac, PVA flowers on the wires will help with a bang.
3. Epoxy adhesive. It is indispensable when assembling jewelry - that is, when attaching them to accessories. Before that, I used a silicone gun. When the flower fell off the base in the hands of the customer, I realized that I needed to master epoxy. On the topic, I already wrote. By the way, from the same material you can put on the colors of their polymer clay (the effect of dew or raindrops).

floral tape

During assembly, you will also need floral tape: dark green, light green and white. Where can you buy? The most tricky question. In small towns - nowhere but the Internet. In regional centers, you can search for needlework and embroidery shops.

Tape tape or floral tape

For beginners, only green teip tape is enough, although it can be both brown and red ...

floral wire

And this is a wire, without which flowers will not work at all

In general, professionals buy floristic wire in special stores - it has a lot of advantages:
perfectly flat;
represented by the most different sizes(meaning the thickness, that is, the diameter of the section);
it is already wrapped with teip tape, so it is easier to roll the stems with clay.
Of the minuses - I personally don’t understand how, without holding such a wire in my hands (I mean ordering via the Internet), you can understand its thickness by numbers ... In addition, its price is far from the cost price, so many times, so my greed took over, and I began to suffer with the most ordinary wire.

Now let's look at the photo:
1. Round-nose pliers with wire cutters on board :-) We twist the loops at the ends of the wire with them.
2. In a large skein, my thickest wire. Due to the fact that it is twisted in a tight spiral, it takes a very long time to align it. Inconvenient, but cheap!
3. It - copper wire in the form of a bundle extracted from the real wire itself. My husband and I removed the insulation from the cable, and inside there were a lot of such veins. They are great for thin stems. Easily aligned, but slightly translucent through the clay. As a frame for light parts, such a wire should not be used.
4. Number four is suitable for this - thin wire, which is sold in needlework stores. It comes in a variety of colors, including white and silver.
5. Number four, only green! Very handy for thin stems.
I'm going to buy even thicker wire for tall heavy flowers. And then you have to double the number two.

How to paint cold porcelain?

Paints for floristry:
1. Oil in large tubes. Bought by the piece those colors that are not in the set. Mixing does not always work out right :-) And not every shade will work by mixing! At the time of writing, I bought more kraplak, carmine and purple.
2. Acrylic in tubes, also by the piece. Titanium white - indispensable for painting stamens - there is a whole on this topic. I also bought black and burgundy - for drawing flecks on lilies, skirts of cymbidium orchids, etc.
3. A set of oil paints is an incredibly cheap and low quality muck in terms of painting. But inside the clay behaves perfectly! Conclusion - cheap oil for painting cold porcelain is quite suitable. I apologize for the condition of the tubes - they are already more than two years old, which means they are heroes who managed to retain at least some kind of appearance and ability to open, despite me being a slob!

Color tinting

At the stage of tinting petals and leaves, in addition to the oil paints given above, you need:
1. The pastel is dry. It also happens to be oily, that is, similar to paraffin crayons. Haven't tried it, but I suspect it won't work.
2. Solvent for oil paint. Without smell. It costs 1.5 USD Allows you to make the consistency of the oil less thick, also indispensable when washing brushes.
3. Brushes - all sizes Ideal for blending - flat, soft, yet elastic. I use synthetic.
4. Palette. It can be replaced with anything. Cleaning it up is hard work. So every couple of months I just buy a new one...

Dust control

And this is the hygienic part

Wet wipes - dust control when sculpting flowers

Dust - main enemy florist. Therefore, when sculpting flowers from self-hardening polymer clays, wet wipes are always used: with their help, all kinds of villi are removed from the hands. You need to wipe your fingers as often as possible, but before you touch the clay, you should either let your hands dry or smear them with cream.

And here is the cream. Any fat will do. Ideally - Nivea. Such a blue jar, it is well known to everyone. But I buy the simplest hand cream.
We can also see an office file in the photo - it is cut on both sides, and clay is placed inside. So when rolling out, a minimum of dust will stick to it. There is only one minus - it turns out the rolled out layer is very glossy, and for fresh flowers such a shine, as a rule, is not typical. I will write more about how to deal with it.
Also in the photo is cling film- we wrap a piece of clay in it, and when necessary - we pinch off a part from it to sculpt the next element. We also wrap all our samovar mass in a film so that, while waiting for its flower fate, it does not dry out.

Drying flowers

At the stage of drying flowers you will need:
cardboard scrambled eggs, the curves of which miraculously allow you to dry any shape of a petal or leaf;
washcloths for dishes or any foam rubber (an alternative to a purchased floral oasis).
Stalks on wires are stuck into the foam rubber during drying. Well you got it

Here, perhaps, are all my tools for sculpting flowers - this is quite enough to start and even continue!

Of course, it's great to have all the professional gizmos in your arsenal, but their role is often overestimated - primarily by the sellers themselves.

All inspiration and more flowers!