To press dried flowers into clay, you first prepare the clay to an even thickness, then position the flowers and gently press them in with your fingers.
Preparing the Clay for Imprinting
Achieving a consistent thickness is crucial for successfully pressing dried flowers into clay. This ensures that your final piece has uniform depth and strength.
Rolling Out the Clay
Based on the provided reference, the recommended method for preparing the clay is:
- Use Thickness Guides: Roll out your clay between two sticks of your chosen thickness.
- Roll Evenly: Roll the clay backwards and forwards on top of the two sticks.
- Check Thickness: Continue rolling until the clay has the same thickness as the sticks. This creates a flat, even surface ready for your botanical elements.
Using sticks or similar guides helps maintain uniformity, which is essential before adding delicate dried flowers.
Pressing the Dried Flowers
Once your clay is rolled to the desired, even thickness, you are ready to incorporate the dried flowers.
Placing and Pressing
According to the reference:
- Position Flowers: Place your chosen dried flowers on top of the rolled-out clay.
- Gently Push: Gently push them into the clay using your fingers.
This simple action embeds the flowers into the soft clay surface, leaving an imprint or embedding the flowers themselves depending on the desired effect and the depth of the push.
- Tip: Work carefully to avoid tearing or damaging the fragile dried flowers as you press them into the clay.
