Cold Porcelain
By Terry Hale
2 Tablespoons mineral oil
1 Cup white glue
1 Cup cornstarch
White gouache (opaque water color)
Mix oil and glue in a non-stick sauce pan. Add cornstarch and cook
over low to medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until a dough
forms and the pan is “clean”. The outer crust of the dough
ball will be solid, while the center appears sticky. Remove the ball
from the pan and knead until the consistency is even. Add about a teaspoon
or so of white gouache and knead in thoroughly. ( CP without gouache
is transparent when dry. ) Wrap ball in plastic and put in plastic bag.
It will keep a week or so at room temperature, but refrigerate for longer
storage.
Working -
Cold porcelain rolls, cuts, frills, etc, like gumpaste. Unlike gumpaste,
however, it is extremely strong and the finished piece will last indefinitely.
If CP sticks to the working surface, cold cream or cornstarch can be
used. Cold cream on the cutter will also keep pieces from sticking.
Freshly cut petals can be worked more easily than petals which have
sat out for even a few minutes. If you like to cut several petals at
a time, keep the resting pieces covered. Although uncovered pieces are
not too dry to work, they will be tough.
Shrinkage
Use cold porcelain as you would gumpaste, but be aware of shrinkage.
Make test pieces where finished size is critical, since CP tends to
shrink by as much as 30 percent! Very thin pieces seem to shrink less
than thicker ones. Plan for shrinkage when combining CP with non-shrinking
media such as stamens by making the stamens stand a bit shorter than
normal.
Wiring
If using wired petals or leaves, do not insert wire too close to the
surface, as the paste shrinkage can leave the wire exposed. Any water
based “glue” (gum Arabic, egg white, etc.) will work to
adhere wires in CP. Since the paste already contains glue, the “lick
and stick method” works, too, but this is obviously not recommended
for projects where hygiene is a factor.
Coloring
CP can also be tinted with other gouache colors or with powdered food
colors. I recommend adding very small amounts of color to CP with white
already added.
Projects can be colored with petal dust and also steamed to set color.
The surface of CP seems smoother than gumpaste, so more color may be
needed.
Projects may be painted with “petal paint” consisting of
petal dust mixed with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. The color will be
very vivid. Isopropyl alcohol is poisonous if you drink it, but harmless
when it dries.
Projects may be dipped in coloring solution- Isopropyl alcohol
with paste color dissolved in it.
Projects can be spray painted or painted with acrylic craft paints.
Finishing
After the piece is assembled and colored, spray with matte (satin) polyurethane.
A semi-gloss or gloss can be used for shiny leaves.
