Making Cold Porcelin Roses

Cold porcelain can be made at home. It is time consuming and messy, however it can be done successfully if you follow the instructions below. A much faster, cleaner alternative is the ready made cold porcelain clay that I sell in my shopping cart. Premade, premixed, ready to use, with all of the benefits of homemade without the mess. If you prefer to make your own, use the recipe and instructions below.
1. Always keep the cold porcelain sealed in a completely air tight bag. It is an air drying material, so must be kept sealed. It can also be kept in a sealed bag in the freezer.
2. Use of cold cream on your hands will help you in working with the cold porcelain. Don't use too much, just a bit is enough to keep the CP from sticking to your fingers.
3. If your CP begins to get a bit stiff or slightly dried out, you can add a bit of cold cream to reconstitute and soften it up. Not too much, and just a bit at a time, till the CP is workable and soft again.
4. If you make your own CP, and find that it is too sticky, then additional corn starch added in small amounts and worked in till the correct consistency will help. Conversely, if it is too stiff, add a bit of cold cream.
5. Cold porcelain needs no baking, and will air dry beautifully and quickly. Be sure to place your finished pieces in a safe place while drying so that nothing gets set on top of them... or to keep the cat from eating them.....
6. You can create much thinner petals with CP than with sculpey. They can be nearly translucent. Just make sure that you use cold cream on your finger tips so that you do not distort the shape of the petals after flattening, and you can make them as thin as you want.
Cold Porcelain Recipe

3/4 cup of white glue (Elmers is recommended)
1/2 cup of water
1 teaspoon of cold cream*
1 teaspoon of glycerin
1 cup cornstarch
Heavy bottomed skillet - CAN NOT BE USED FOR FOOD!!
Mix wet ingredients until smooth over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes and add cornstarch. When adding cornstarch, add a bit at a time, and stir constantly while adding. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring continually until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from pan and mix thoroughly with hands, using a kneading action. (I like to cover with a damp cloth until its cool enough to handle) Do not refrigerate. Keep in an airtight bag.
Notes:
* Ponds Cold Cream will do the job also Sorbolene (in Australia), which is what I use because I couldn't get cold cream. You will find Sorbolene at the supermarket or chemist (pharmacy). You could probably try any white hand cream with similar results.
Use as you would any modeling paste, can be molded and used in many ways... color before sculpting, or paint with any paint when dry.

Coloring:
I recommend coloring only small portions of a batch for the project you are working on. The CP will hold up for months if sealed well, but does dry out faster after it is colored.
A tiny dab of tube oil paints is the preferred method to color if you want to have a translucent clay. It does not dry out the clay as some water based paints and colorings might.
Using chalk pastels is another method. Sand off powder from the chalks onto a small bit of cold porcelain and knead until the color is blended.
Acrylic paints can also be used for painting the flowers where a deeper color is required. This may dry the clay out a bit, particularly over time. It will also give an opaque appearance.

Food colorings can also be used, however.
the disadvantage with the liquid food coloring is that it gives a solid, all over color and it shortens the working time.
For a more realistic shading of the flowers, try dusting the dry flowers with powdered food dye (same as used in cake decorating) and then hold in the steam of a kettle. The porcelain will absorb the color and looks much more natural.