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, its Earthstone Special 160 from Valentine Clays.
Fired to 1060c (Cone 04).
What you will need:
1. Clay
2. Something to rest them on like toilet roll.
3. Some like a skewer stick if going on stems.
Making the Petals
You will need 6 petals.
1. Grab a ball of clay about this size:
2. Roll it into more of a sausage shape:
3. Flatten sausage to create this petal shape:
5. Stand the petal up showing veins at the front:
Making the Center
1. Roll up tiny sausage shapes and group together to make stamens:
Putting Flower Together
1. Put the petals around the center remembering you need 6 to fit:
Three should fit half way round like this:
2.Turn it over and smooth over petals and twist and turn to create a tidy back:
3. If they are going on stems poke something like a skewer stick up the stem and wiggle around:
4. Gently push over the edges of the petals:
Voila!
As you can see I have a nice stand with holes on ideal for letting them dry. But you could just lean them over toilet rolls.
Comments (19)
Thanks a lot
Lovely, thanks
You do such amazing work and you make it look so simple! Love looking at all your beautiful flowers! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing, I am a newbie with ceramics but can’t wait to try this!!
All of your flowers are amazing and you make it look so easy! Are the veins just lines from you pressing it into your hand? Thank you for being so generous with your techniques.
Yes exactly.
Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge!! I really enjoy your lessons. Keep’m coming!
How did you achieve the texture on the petal?
using the lines on my palms
Hi. I love your flowers. What do you put them on when firing?
Nothing, just the kiln shelf.
Really beautiful. Fabulous
Wow! V. Nice
I’ve tried using real porcelain and American Porcelain (which has a bit of grit in it). Either way, I have a hard time with the flowers holding their structure. How dry is your clay as you are making the flower petals? What clay type do you use? Your instructions make it look really easy but when trying it myself either the clay is too dry and the flowers crack on the edges. Any tricks you can pass onto us?
Yes practice. Speed is the key, the less you handle the clay the better.
Lovely work. You mention you just fire them straight on the kiln shelf. Can I assume you only use underglaze – or no glaze at all? If so, can they be be displayed in the open garden?
I do them depending on the client. I can and do use underglaze and sometimes with glaze. But yes they can be displayed outside.
Beautiful. Well done! Thanks.
Have you ever tried doing this or something like this using cement for an outdoor garden? Can you recommend where I could learn about doing it? Love your flowers!