How to.... Make a FIMO (polymer clay) rose

Hello there, and welcome to another how to blog post.  Today I am going to show you how to make a rose using FIMO. 

This technique can be used with all sorts of different materials such as clay, plasticine, paper and even icing sugar paste! (The stuff you can roll out flat!).

I only decided to use FIMO as an example, the same technique applies to all forms but in the case of the sugar past you might need to use a little water to adhere the rose petals together and with the paper you can use glue.

Right then, firstly you will need to get your self some FIMO (or above mentioned materials).  I have decided to use a very vibrant pink colour FIMO today, for no other reason than the fact that I like it!

Once you have selected your colour, (which you can buy on eBay for about £1.81, as well as any good art shop) you will need to make anything between 8 – 20 petal shapes, making sure the top edge is quite thin and delicate.  The more petals you have the bigger the rose will be!

Once you have your petals, take one and roll it in on itself as shown below.

This is your flower centre, so the tighter you roll it the smaller and more delicate it will be!

Then you will need to start layering up your rose petals.  To do this take one of your pre-cut petals and wrap it around the centre, making sure that it completely covers the ‘join’ mark of the centre petal, as shown below.

You will then need to wrap another petal around, but on the opposite side, so to give a bit of balance to your rose.  Always remember to keep the thin edge at the top!

Keep applying the layers in this way, using your artistic flare to make the rose grow in the way you want it to.  If you are making the rose out of paper, try to not glue near the top, as it will make the petals harder to bend into shape.

Once you are happy with the way your rose looks, you will probably need to trim of the bottom, as where you have created the layers it will go a little out of shape underneath.  Be careful when doing this, as you don’t want to damage your rose.  Once trimmed, gentle tweak the petals, creating ripples and giving the flower movement.

When you are happy with your rose place it into a pre heated oven at 110 degrees c for about 30 mins, however I have found that if you cook it a little longer (about 35 mins) OR at a slightly higher temp (140 degrees c) it is less likely to be brittle and break.

Now you have a beautiful rose that is nice and hard that you can use to decorate anything!!! And if you are feeling experimental why not try and attach a magnet on the back, or even a brooch pin to create a lovely decoration for your house of self!

Thanks for watching! 

and please feel free to check out what else i'm making and selling at

http://folksy.com/shops/Zfarley1

or

http://mudpool.co.uk/shops/zfarley1