Polymer clay is a fun medium to use for creating lovely crafts. You can use this soft and malleable material to create easy and beautiful polymer clay flowers that you can use to decorate bowls or picture frames or turn into hair clips, earrings, pendants, bracelets or fridge magnets. Polymer clay craft flowers are desirable for their vibrant color and durability because they don't shatter, crack or break easily.
What You Need When Making Polymer Clay Flowers
While your hands, a pack of polymer clay and an oven are enough to get started on your polymer clay flower crafts, you need some more tools to ensure your flowers are clean and neat. The following are some popular tools for polymer clay:
- Non-stick work surface
- Polymer clay roller
- Cutting tools
- Sculpting tools
- Oven-safe polymer clay flower molds
- Accessories for detailing
1. Protect Your Work Surface
Unbaked polymer clay can damage wooden furniture and other unprotected work surfaces. It's best to protect these work surfaces with the Sculpey® Oven-Safe Work Mat, a silicone work mat, a baking sheet, disposable foil or parchment paper. Protecting the work surfaces also ensures your crafts have a smooth and flawless texture. Alternatively, you can sculpt your polymer clay flowers on a ceramic tile, oven-safe glass or a metal baking sheet.
2. Condition the Clay
Polymer clay is soft and easy to work with, but you must condition it before sculpting your flowers. It's best to condition small pieces of clay instead of removing all the clay from the package because while polymer clay won't dry out when exposed to air, it may start collecting dust. If you must undo the entire packaging, store your unused clay in an airtight container or bag made of polypropylene (PP) plastic.
Conditioning clay involves kneading the clay in your hands for a few minutes. Conditioned clay is soft, elastic and easier to work with. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water or wipe with baby wipes before handling polymer clay, and repeat this step when switching colors.
3. Make Easy Polymer Clay Flowers
You can make many types of flowers for different uses with polymer clay. Below, we outline the steps to make different types.
How to Use Flower Molds
If you're looking for an easy and fast way to make polymer clay flowers, especially as a beginner or when crafting with kids, try the Sculpey® oven-safe flower molds. These flexible and non-toxic molds help you create near-perfect petals and leaves for multiple types of flowers, including:
- Lillies
- Daffodils
- Hibiscus
- Plumerias
- Daisies
- Roses
You can craft these flowers by rolling a small piece of clay and pressing it into the mold. These oven-safe molds come with an instruction sheet and allow the polymer clay to peel off easily before or after you've cured the flowers. If the clay sticks to the mold, give it a quick wipe with baby wipes or spray with a little water, and it'll come out easily.
How to Make Rose Flowers with Polymer Clay
Follow these steps to make rose flowers with polymer clay:
- Roll a sizable ball of clay into a rod with an even diameter.
- Use a sharp cutting tool to cut the rod into several parts of the same shape and size.
- Roll each piece into small balls.
- Use your fingertip to flatten the balls into small triangles with rounded edges. These represent the petals.
- Pinch the bottom of one triangle and roll it to form the bud of your polymer clay rose flower.
- Wrap the other petals, one by one, on opposite sides, around the bud, ensuring the bottom of the petals is thin to prevent the flowers from bulging.
How to Make Daisies
Below are steps you can follow when making daisies or any other types of flowers that have a midsection and petals around them:
- Roll a sizable ball of clay into a rod.
- Cut the rod into five to 20 equal-sized pieces that you'll flatten to create the petals.
- Roll the pieces into small round balls.
- Take one of the round balls and flatten it slightly to make the center of your flower.
- Flatten the small round balls to create the flower petals. You can also flatten the sizeable piece of polymer clay with a clay conditioning machine and use oval or teardrop cutters to cut it into several parts.
- Arrange the petals around the ball. You can leave some space between the petals or have them overlapping one another for a fuller look.
4. Add Leaves and Details
Elegant polymer clay flowers are not complete without leaves and some extra details. You can use the mold to craft the leaves fast. Alternatively, you can roll small clay balls and flatten them into a leaf shape to add veins and other details using a sharp tool like a needle or a toothpick. Other details you can add include stems that you create by rolling thin clay rods.
5. Paint the Flowers
You can paint your DIY polymer clay flowers before or after curing them in the oven because polymer clay doesn't shrink or expand when exposed to heat. Baked polymer clay bonds better with paint as it cures. We recommend sealing your painted polymer-clay flowers with Sculpey® Satin Glaze and Sculpey® Gloss Glaze to prevent them from fading over time.
6. Bake in the Oven
When baking your DIY polymer clay flowers, follow the instructions on the package. Here are some general tips to follow to ensure your polymer clay flowers bake well:
- Preheat your conventional or toaster oven (never a microwave oven) thoroughly before placing your polymer clay flowers inside.
- Use a thermometer to measure the temperature, and do not exceed the recommended baking time or temperature.
- Cure a test scrap piece before throwing your elaborate crafts.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or card stock to prevent your flowers from burning or darkening.
- Cool your polymer clay flowers completely before handling them.
Make the Prettiest Polymer Clay Flowers With Sculpey
To make pretty polymer clay flowers for any use, you must start by selecting the right clay for your project that will hold up over time. Sculpey® has been producing the best polymer clay for over 50 years. Our clay is amazing for a variety of projects and is easy to use whether you're a beginner clayer or a pro. We produce polymer clays in different vibrant colors, so you don't have to worry about painting.
Explore our wide selection of Sculpey® polymer clay and sculpting tools to find the right materials for your polymer clay flower project.
