Thursday, June 25, 2009

Polymer Clay Rose Tutorial Part 1

I have never made anything with polymer clay but decided it was time to try. I wanted to hand sculpt roses to use as necklace pendants. I think they would also look great on boxes, picture frames, etc. So...this is my first clay project.


I kneaded the clay until it was soft and easy to work with. Then I rolled a chunk of it into a ball.

I rolled the ball into a long rope.
I tore 7 sections off of the rope. I don't think they have to be the exact same size.

I rolled the 7 sections into little balls.

Then I just used my fingers to flatten each ball.


You need the rose center to start. I just rolled one of the sections around itself.



Then I started adding the petals. I added each new petal in the gap where the last petal ended.


Keep adding the petals.

And adding.



Each time I added a petal, I curled the top a little to the back of the petal.



It's starting to look like a rose :)



Almost done.

And here it is. A little clay rose.

In order to get rid of the excess clay under the rose, I just rolled it between my fingers. It will get long and thin.


I rolled it as thin as i wanted and then sliced it off with a craft knife.




And this is the completed rose. You can stick a tooth pick or wire through the rose to make a hole for jewelry making. Make sure you make the hole before baking.


It was so much fun, I had to make more. Each one will be completely different.
You can either paint the rose after baking or you can just buy the clay in a rose color.


What do you think?

I know I need a lot more practice but I think they turned out pretty good for a newbie.

















11 comments:

  1. Those look great!!! You make it look to easy! I might have to try it for myself. That was a neat little tutorial for those of us who haven't worked with the polymer clay!

    I would be really interested to see how you make those into pendants. Could you post a finished product photo for us to see?

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  2. Thank you Michele!! I will post pics of the pendants when I have finished them.

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  3. Clay roses are so much fun to make! Yours look great. I love making little flowers and plants out of clay, because it makes me feel a little bit like God. Sculpting petals with my fingertips, it makes me wonder if that's how they really came to be... I have a very overactive imagination too, so keep that in mind. ;-)

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  4. Wow, I love how your roses come out! Great tutorial! I too would love to see your finished roses after painting.

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  5. Those look great. Good photo tutorial too

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  6. Thank you so much everyone! It means a lot to me to receive your comments.
    I will get the roses finished tomorrow and finish the tutorial :)

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  7. wow! they look like the sugar flowers on cakes! yum!

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  8. This looks like a fairly easy project. Were the roses time consuming?

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  9. Thank you so much Jane!
    I'm truly honored!

    DD- the roses take very little time to make. I hope you try them :)
    I have a few pieces in my Etsy shop that include these roses made with a pearlized red clay.

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  10. Just found your tutoria via Pinterest. Thank you for sharing! I would love to try these some time. :-)

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Some of the items in my Etsy store. Stop by!!! http://www.baremoose.etsy.com