Polymer Clay Rose Tutorial

There are already a lot of polymer clay rose tutorials on the internet, but I'd like to share mine. I don't use any cookie cutters, just polymer clay and a craft knife/blade. When it's finished, you can add glitter glue to the petals so it has sparkle like the black ones on the picture.

You'll be rolling out the clay a lot, so you don't have to condition it that much :) If you have a pasta machine, it'll make it loads more easier, but I don't have one so I'm just going to roll it out really thin.







First, you need to either use a pasta machine or rolling pin to roll it out really thin. Don't cut the ends or anything so it's straight, leave it rounded at the ends so it adds to the effect. Now you need to use your fingers to roll the end inwards, like in the picture. While you do this, you need to pinch the end slightly so it makes a cone shape. This is the centre of the rose.

 After that, you need to cut that part off. Curl the top part of it (the part you didn't pinch) outward so it looks more like the petals of the rose.

Sorry it's blurred :(

Now you've made the centre, you need to make the rose petals to go around it.

There should be some clay left over from the first step. Cut it in to little strips and roll them in to equally sized balls. You need to then roll these out in to thin, long oval shapes. Each one will make two petals, so I suggest you only make one at a time. Now cut it in half.

You need to attach them to the centre like this:

I have no idea what happened to the edge of this picture...

Remember to curl the petals out at an angle so it looks more effective :)

As you add the petals, you'll find that the rose starts to take it's shape. Eventually, you'll get this:

You need to cut the end off (like in the third picture), then you're done :)

Tips

You can try making this in lots of different colours, using different colour glitter to 'glaze' it. Black looks really cool with red glitter :D I've even made a glow in the dark one, using the Fimo 'Nightglow' clay. They look awesome to use as jewellery, because it has a flat back you can make them in to a pair of cute stud earrings, you can put them on millefiori style pendants. You can add an eye pin to make it in to a charm. You could also use them for deco den, if that's what you're in to :).

You can put rhinestones on the petals too, I haven't tried it on the roses yet, but it looked cool on the plumeria flowers :)

Just something I'd like to say...

I use a gas oven/cooker so bake my clay. I bake it at gas mark 1/2 or 1. If you don't have a gas oven, just do what it says on the packet. You have to be careful with it, if the oven is too hot, the clay will darken. It won't produce any toxic fumes unless the temperature is really really hot... It's safe to bake at a low temperature. If you bake it too cold, it might not completely harden and might break easier.

As for the time, it all depends on the thickness. You have to bake it for longer than 15 minutes (unless you bake your canes, that's different), but no longer than half an hour. If you leave it any longer, it'll burn. Any shorter, It won't bake thoroughly enough and might break easier.

With your clay you can bake anything metal (though it will go really hot afterwards!) and wood (e.g. toothpicks, bamboo skewers...). There are some glazes you can bake (such as Studio by Sculpey), but you should really check the packet! If you want to make something in to a stud earring, attach the metal post before you bake it. Use TLS to attach it :) If it falls off after you bake it, which it shouldn't, you can glue it back on...

Thanks for reading, I hope you found it useful XD

'Millefiori' Shamballa bracelets

I don't know if anybody's come up with this idea, but I've basically come up with another scrap clay idea :)

I love shamballa bracelets, they're really easy to make, the only problem is that they take a long time to make.

I used a thicker cord than usual because the craft shop only had this cord. But it looks really good, and it's so smooth :D


Another thing is, as I was making the square knots, I noticed they were twisting around. I think this was because the cord was too thick. But it looks really cool, I think XD It makes it look more unique!









The beads

I made the beads out of scrap polymer clay. I put slices from canes I'd already made on them and rolled the beads until they were completely flat. I used quite thick wire to put holes through them. Also, if you make these, remember to make two smaller beads for the end of the cord. Make sure you make them out of the same scrap clay so it all fits together :).

I baked them on gas mark 1 for 15 minutes. It might be better if you bake them on gas mark 1/2 because if you're not careful, the clay will darken. (Lol, why don't they just say what gas mark you need to bake it at on the packet?) I glazed them with Studio by Sculpey glaze this time (You probably won't be able to find it anywhere in the shops because they don't make it any more... Even though it's the BEST glaze ever!)

The pattern

The pattern is very simple once you get used to it, all you need to know is how to make a square knot. I used this website for the pattern at first: http://www.beadbarmy.com/2012/01/the-bead-doctor-tutorial-shamballa-bracelet/ It's a very simple tutorial on how to make the bracelets. When I was first starting out, all on the other websites I found seemed pretty complicated... But this was the one that finally taught me how :D

Another idea I had was to use memory wire to make hoop earrings that have this technique in them. Shamballa bracelet earrings! But it seems some people have already had that idea:

http://rumorsaccessories.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=1&products_id=171

Note: I'm only making this post for people to use as inspiration... If you want to make something like this just do it :) Same goes for all of the ideas I put on here, unless I say otherwise.

Origami inspired earrings

I said a while ago that I wanted to use different things other that polymer clay, so I've moved on to Origami :D

You can see my sister's toys in the
background! XD

I made tiny little cranes :) (Don't try this if you don't have patience!) If cranes are to hard for you, try making tiny flapping birds. They work too.
There is a flap of paper between the bird's wings. You use a needle to push a hole through this, and slide through a small jump ring. Close the ring then you can attach another and add on your earring hook.

This is only one pair of the lucky star earrings I've made, I've also made them with wire wrapped around them. This one, however, if probably the most complex one...

You need to put a piece of wire through each individual star, then attach it all together...






If you don't know any origami and this makes no sense whatsoever to you, here is how to make the origami I used on this post: origami crane, lucky star

If you're really good at origami, you could try making flower earrings. If you're so perfect at origami you've mastered the Kawasaki rose, well done because that is kind of impossible to me! Anyway, you could use that  rose to make jewellery.

It's the end of Summer :(

As always, here in England it's been hard to tell whether it was Summer or Winter... In fact, according to the weatherman, it's been the wettest Summer since 1912...

The good thing is, I start my new school on Tuesday :) It's the best sixth form in my area for art. It's also the biggest one in my area... By a LONG way! The best thing is, I don't have to wear uniform XD

(Lol My sisters watching her programs on TV and they're advertising a documentary about moving up to year 7! I'm moving up to year 12...)

Polymer clay Plumeria Flower tutorial

EDIT!!!!: This tutorial is now out of date! I've re-made this tutorial. You can find the up to date version here.

These flowers are super easy to make. All you need is some clay in one colour for the petals, a craft knife/blade, colourful chalk pastels, a paint brush and a teaspoon (preferably one you don't need for food!).






Shaping the petals 

You'll want to start by rolling out the clay. You don't need to use bright pink clay, of course, but I've made them in a lot of other colours already.




Cut the clay in to five pieces, they don't have to be the exact same size, but make sure they're pretty much the same size. Now roll them in to little balls, they don't all have to be exact.

Now for the teaspoon :D You can use a dessert spoon if you're making a bigger flower, but again, make sure you don't need it for food!!!
Use it to squash down the clay and use your fingers to shape it in to a petal.

Note that it doesn't have to be a perfect petal shape, no flower is perfect!


Now you should have this shape :) You need to repeat it on all of the other petals. If you want, you can make a six petal flower or a four petal flower. Just make more petals now :D You can make as much as you like, but I like the five petal flowers the best.

If this technique isn't working for you, you can get petal shaped cookie cutters. Just roll out the clay and cut out your petals. Shape them and you'll get a similar effect. I don't use cookie cutters for clay though... I see it as cheating, to be honest :)













Adding another colour

You could just put the petals together to make the flower shape now if you want, but I like to use chalk to add another colour. You could also bake your flower now, then use acrylic paints. However, they leave a shine and flowers aren't shiny!

Take a scrap piece of paper and get out your piece of chalk and craft knife/blade.

Use your craft knife to scrape some chalk on to the bottom of the petal (the narrower part)

Now use your paint brush to spread the chalk so that you get a gradient effect.

Repeat on all the petals.

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Making the flower shape

Now for the easy part :)

You can add some TLS/liquid clay to help the petals stick together.

Now you need to lay the petals over each other so you get the plumeria flower shape....







You could add a little more chalk, or add another colour, at this point. You could also add an eye pin (depending on what you're going to use it as). If you want to add one, put a little scrap clay on the back and put your eye pin through that. DON'T put it through one of the petals!

Now bake according to the instructions on the pack. I used Fimo clay, so I baked it for 15 minutes as it's only a thin piece of clay. As for the temperature, I live in the UK  and have a gas oven, so my oven doesn't use the same temperature as the US ones... I cook mine on gas mark 1/2 or 1.

Suggestions...

I've made these in lots of colours. The most effective so far that I've made are using white clay. I wanted to try it with the pink, this time! Try white clay with blue, pink or yellow chalk. If you want, use two colours. I also tried yellow clay with red chalk, and that came out really well.

Also, you could add little rhinestones, like on this one. They look a little like water droplets ;)

That's all, then :) My first tutorial lol XD! Next time, I'll try and make a shorter tutorial, but I wanted to get lots and lots of detail in.

You can find my new updated tutorial here.

Hi :)

I have been making things... But today I don't feel like making a post about the stuff I've been making... So don't read this if you only care about what I've been making and stuff...

Anyway, I got my GCSE results yesterday :D They're all great! :) :) :) I'm really happy! Although, I'm a bit jealous of the people doing their GCSEs next year because apparently they're making the courses more based around exams rather than coursework... And I HATE coursework (unless it's art coursework!). I always do better in exams than on coursework! 

Since I did so well, I can go to the Sixth Form I wanted to, so I'm double happy XD I hope I do really good on my A Levels! 

Moving on, I've been drawing Manga lately :) I haven't been drawing it for a while, because I got a little tired of it... I used to be a complete Japan-obsessive/nerd/whatever you like to call it, but now I love Japan, I'm just not obsessed any more. I mean, I used to think that I was supposed to have been born Japanese, but now I'm fine being European. Plus, I don't annoyingly say 'Kawaii!' all the time. It seems a little bit racist now... Especially since I have friends from Hong Kong... 

I'm planning to make a slideshow with some of my more recent manga on it :) I'd rather not dig out my old drawings :( A lot of them have deep meanings only me or my closest friends know. Most of my new ones do too, but I don't care so much. 

I feel like giving this Blog a bit of a make over, well I have done since I made it, but I think I'm actually going to do something this time...

Another thing is... I managed to change Google Chrome's language setting so I don't have to speak American English any more!(Not that I did previously) Yep, that's my rant over.