How to make a rose out of clay

What you will need...
1. A packet of modeling clay (approx 150 grams) for six average size roses. We used modeling clay which air hardens but you could also use clay that requires baking.
2. Clear cling-film wrap
3. Rolling pin
4. Sharp pointy knife
5. Sponge
6. Rose (real or artificial)

A few pics followed by the 'how-to' write-up

Gently pull apart all the petals of your rose to use as your petal templates.

You will need 2 pieces of clear cling-film wrap (this is fabulous for rolling on as the clay will not stick to the film) a rolling pin and about a 1/4 of your clay to start with. Place the clay onto the cling-film and place a second piece of cling-film on top and start rolling. You want to continue rolling out the clay like a piece of pastry until it is very thin but not so thin that you can't handle it without it falling apart.

Once you are happy with the thickness of your clay, remove the top piece of cling-film and place on some petals from your rose starting from the smallest petal (from the middle of the rose) to the largest (from the outside of the rose). We found using seven petals was best to create a good-looking rose. A good rule is for the first three inner petals to start small and each next piece to be slightly larger, whereas the outside four petals are more or les the same size.

Once you have chosen the 7 petals you want to use, cut around each one very carefully with a pointed knife.

To start making your roses, take the smallest petal (which is the center piece) and shape it by rolling it almost into a coil. Then, taking the next petal, wrap it gently around the coil. Now using your thumb and index finger, gentle press the clay at the top of this petal to help make its shape look more naturally uneven and more delicate.

Using this same method, add the other five petals. By the time you get to the outside of your rose, you will be using 3 petals to wrap around in order to complete the shape. Of course you can add as many petals as you wish. You can really make them look natural by copying the real rose and softening those edges, as well as giving them irregular shapes.

Once you are happy with the size and shape of the rose, it would be wise to cut off the bulky stem..

Follow manufacturer's instructions as to air-drying or oven baking etc.

How to paint your roses
We painted our roses using a method which created a look of aged copper and brass. This was done as part of another project 'How to revamp a wrought iron mirror' where we attached the roses to the mirrors' frame. (Click on the link below to see how we painted our clay roses).
How to revamp a wrought iron mirror - click here