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Paper Clay Roses

How to Make and Decorate Beautiful Roses

How to Make Roses from Paper Clay

Paper clay is really fun to work with and very easy on the hands.

Don’t be intimated by how beautiful these roses look. The only molded shapes you need to make are balls and cones.

Then you will flatten them to make either rose petals or leaves.

Several of roses can be made at the same time by repeating each step for the number of roses you want to create.

Just be sure they aren’t leaning against each other in the vase while they are drying.

One single rose is a beautiful addition to the top of a wrapped gift. Or do several and tie them together with a pretty bow as a lasting gift.

Paper Clay Rose Materials

• Delight Air Dry Paperclay from Creative Paperclay Company*
• 16-gauge floral wire
• Floral tape
• Watercolor or acrylic paints
• Small and medium tip artist paint brushes
• Scotch Quick Dry Tacky Acid Free Glue
• Small vase or glass
• Thin ruler or a small piece of card stock

* Delight is extremely soft and easy to shape or mold. It picks up details beautifully, holds its form while shaping and then air hardens to create an extraordinarily lightweight (about ½ the weight of original Creative Paperclay by volume) and durable finished piece.

The light weight makes it the perfect choice for this project.

Creating the Roses

Technique Tip: when flattening the rose petals, the leaves and the green petals just below the rose (which form the calyx), always lift gently off your work surface at the base of each piece and always use the smooth side up.

Forming the Rose Blossom

Form about seven ¾" balls of clay.

Flatten the first one out into a circle making the edges fairly thin.

Roll this from one side to the other forming a spiral center for the rose.

Flatten the next ball of clay.

Lift up and spiral it around the center spiral in an overlapping fashion.

Never have the petals end and start in the same place; always overlap the ends.

Place about a 7" piece of the floral wire into the bottom of the rose just so you can put it in a small vase while flattening the next petal.

This way you won’t distort the petals by laying it down.

Remove the stem before adding each new petal.

As the rose continues to grow in size after each new flattened ball of clay, the bottom will start to get thick.

Just pinch off some of the thickness. The bottom will be formed later.

After about 7 petals, examine the rose to see if you are satisfied with the look and the size. If not, add more petals.

Now go back and roll under the edges of the petals just a bit with one finger.

I also slightly pinched in the outer center edges of the last few petals.

Pinch off some the bottom of the rose where it has gotten thick and then mold into a rounded bottom.

Place the stem back into the rose about ¾" and set into the vase or glass to dry.

It will take several hours to dry completely.

To form the green petals for the calyx just underneath the rose, make four small cone shapes with the clay and flatten them out to form a pointed petal.

After gently lifting off the work surface, lightly curl the pointed end under.

Press each one gently around the very base of the rose. Smooth out any seams as you go.

Painting the Rose Blossom

When the rose is dry and very firm, it is time to paint.

Thin the watercolor or acrylic paint with water to make very runny.

The rose can be painted all in one color. By using just a very wet brush; you can lift/remove color from the edges while it is still wet to create beautiful shading.

Watercolors work really well by completely wetting each petal with a paint brush first and then adding a dab of color where you want it.

Begin by loading the brush with water and a little petal color and drop deep into the base of each petal.

This assures that color gets all the way into the crevices. Draw the color out to the edges.

Another color can be added to the petal edges either before it dries or later after it has dried a while, if desired.

Carefully paint the green petals for the calyx underneath the rose with a small artist brush. Set everything aside to dry again.

Pull the floral wire out and place a small dab of the Elmer’s on the tip of one end and reinsert into the flower. Let dry completely.

Forming and Painting the Leaves

The leaves are done in the same manner as the petals.

Make two or three small balls of clay and form into a small cone.

Then flatten and shape to the desired size.

Roll a small piece of clay into a stem and gently flatten and smooth it out on top of the leaf while still flat on the work surface. This will be the back of the leaf and a stem for attaching later.

Turn the leaf over and using a small, very thin ruler or small piece of heavy card stock, make indentions in the leaf for the veins. Then using the very edge of the ruler, make little slices in the sides.

Lay the leaves over a large marker to shape them.

Let dry and then paint the leaves.

Assembling the Paper Clay Rose

After the leaves and the rose are completely dry and firm, wrap the stem with floral tape starting at the base of the rose, pulling tight to release its stickiness as you go.

Add the leaf or leaves as you go down holding the stem of the leaf against the floral wire while wrapping with the tape.

Add just a small dab of Elmer’s glue where the leaf stem meets the floral tape. This will secure the stem better.

Your rose is now ready to enjoy or give to someone special!

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