How to Make Clay Flowers
Ceramic flower making takes a bit of time and practice. I developed the skill at Coalport China Museum using ancient techniques of bone china flower making. Bone china is a very sticky clay so you use oil such as sunflower oil on your fingers to stop it sticking. It is very soft and can only be sculpted into tiny or palm of the hand size flowers. This is only great for small ceramic clay flowers.
You can make flowers out of any clay with a some of practice. I believe I could teach anyone to make clay flowers. Below are some ‘how to’ guides and videos showing you how to make ceramic flowers using clay. The techniques will work with any clay so can be tried using the air drying clay or other clays you may wish to work with.
Flower Making Course
During the 2019 pandemic and lockdown in the Uk, I got my neighbour on board and built a workshop. So I can now offer flower making courses from my new pottery studio here in Telford, Shropshire.
I am confident I can teach anyone to make flowers out of clay. As I trained using the hardest clay to sculpt with and softest, ie bone china, I have since developed a way to make flowers with any type of clay. It is best to start with a ceramic rose as that is the easiest clay flower to make. I will demonstrate and show you step by step what I am doing and compare to your progress. At the end of the course you will have some beautiful porcelain flowers that anyone would be proud to say they made themshelves.
Take a look at my Pottery Courses page to see what I am offering.
Ceramic Wall Flowers
Ceramic wall flowers are easy to achieve with some practice. I was asked to make some Dahlia wall flowers for display at a Macy’s store. Those were my first ceramic wall flowers, since then I they have improved. There are videos of me making these wall flowers below.
Online Live Video Tutorials
I am often asked if I do tutorials or classes and from people all around the world. So with today’s technology I can offer online tutorials. All you need is an internet connection and one of the video conferencing services like Skype or Whatsapp video. I would happily teach one person or a group of people. To learn more about my online ceramic flower making tutorials click here. Many people use my online tutorials below but still struggle. If I can see you making the flowers I can see exactly where you are going wrong.
To learn how to make flowers using my online tutorials and videos on YouTube, read on.
How to Make Clay Flowers
Flowers can be made out of any clay with a bit of practice. Below are some tutorials on how to make flowers with clay. Below these you can watch videos of me making clay flowers.
How to Make a Poppy out of Clay
This is how I make Poppies out of clay. Any clay will work as long as its soft and wet enough. What you will need: 1. Clay 2. Craft knife 3. Old comb 4. Pointy implement (sharp pencil will…
How to Make a Tuberose out of Clay
I was recently asked to make a few hundred clay Tuberose’s and this is the technique I came up with. Any clay will work. The clay I have used here is one of my favourites for modelling with,…
How to Make a Large Daffodil out of Clay
This technique would work with any clay after a bit of practice. The clay I have used here is one of my favourites for modelling with, its Earthstone Special 160 from Valentine Clays. Fired to 1060c (Cone 04). What…
How to Make a Big Rose out of Clay
I was recently asked to make a few hundred roses for Harrods shop window in London, they wanted them to be up to 20cm in diameter. I worked out the following technique so this is how to make…
How to Make an Anemone from Bone China Clay
This is how to make a bone china clay Anemone flower. Bone china clay is the best flower making clay if want crack free beautiful delicate clay flowers. They will need to be fired to 1230c. What you…
How to Make a Bone China Clay Daisy Flower
This is a step by step tutorial on how to make a bone china clay daisy flower. Click to see a Video Bone china clay is the best flower making clay if want crack free beautiful delicate clay…
How to Make a Dahlia out of Bone China Clay
This is how to make a bone china clay Dahlia flower. Bone china clay is the best flower making clay if want crack free beautiful delicate clay flowers. They will need to be fired to 1230c. You make…
How to Make a Daffodil out of Bone China Clay
This is a step by step tutorial on how to make a bone china clay daffodil flower. Click to see a Video Bone china clay is the best flower making clay if want crack free beautiful delicate clay…
How to Make a Bone China Clay Rose
This is a step by step tutorial on how to make a bone china clay rose flower. Click to see a Video Bone china clay is the best flower making clay if want crack free beautiful delicate clay…
How to Make a Bone China Carnation Flower
This is how I was taught to make the bone china carnation flower. There are many ways to make spiky flowers but this is how I was taught to make it at Coalport. Some people think they look…
Flower Making Videos
I have got a few videos on YouTube which you can see below.
Ceramic wall flower making video
How to make a rose out of clay
How to make a Dahlia wall flower
How to make a flower lady
Bone China Flower Making
Below are videos of me making bone china flowers at Coalport China Museum in Shropshire. If you really want to become an expert in flower making you should start with bone china. Bone china is the softest and most difficult clay to sculpt with. However for flowers its the easiest medium to use. However you can only make small to palm sized flowers. But if you learn with bone china, you will learn tricks and techniques which are paramount for the success of crack free flowers in any clay medium.
History of Ceramic Flower Making
Ceramic flower making started back in the days when the potteries created elaborate bone china flowers and added them to their wares.
If you want to learn all about the history and see tutorials just on Bone China Flowers click here.