MAKING A PORCELAIN FLOWER

Have a few tools gathered such as a dowel, knitting needles or skewer, water and small brush, clay and rolling pin, cookie cutters or other cutters, a hair dryer is nice but not essential.

Roll out your clay about 1/8" thick and cut with a fondant cutter, cookie cutter or pattern of your own. 

 Pinch and smooth the edges of your petals so they are nice and tapered. cover with plastic so they don't dry out while you make the flower center.

cut a long rectangle of clay and make it like fringe with lots of little cuts.

Roll this strip around your knitting needle or skewer.

If you want your petals textured, now is the time to do it.  Here you see a texture mold I made in clay to press petals against.

As well as texture, this mold gives a nice curve to the petal.

Finished petals

Wet the bottom of the rolled center and begin to press on petals. Now it starts to get tricky with porcelain because it has no wet strength and the petals want to flop around. Sometimes I give it a little burst of air from a hair dryer as I go.

Ok all petals are attached, but notice how I hold it in the cup of my hand? If not the petals would be broken off by now as they flop down. At this point I like to dry it a bit hanging upside down.

If your finished flower is for a brooch, don't bother with the this step, but if it will end up with a stem, then you will now add a calyx.

Walaa Finished. Well....... except for drying , painting, firing, glazing, firing again.

Here are some variations

And of course a rose.

Now that you have seen what mere mortals can do, check out the Porcelain flower "god".......Vladimir-Kanevsky

http://www.odditycentral.com/pics/the-stunningly-beautiful-porcelain-flowers-of-vladimir-kanevsky.html

I would die to be his studio slave and learn  !

If you would like to see more of my work 

and my Story, please visit:

www.etsy.com/shop/ValsCeramicGarden

workofourhands.blogspot.com