Water lillys and lilly pads

[Mark Cassidy]

Folks, 

 

Can I probe the hive mind for a solution to a problem please. 

 

I was wondering if anyone might be able to suggest a way to create water lillys and lilly pads, I have seen a video on how to do the smaller water lillys but I wondered if anyone had any ideas for the larger lilly pad type?  

 

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victoria_boliviana_Kew_portrait.jpg#mw-jump-to-license

 

I think the hard part is getting the lovely rim round the edges. I have no real idea where to start tbh  would a press work, or do I need to cut out a circle?  Ideally I need to be able to do different sizes as well as they aren't uniform.

 

What materials would you consider.

 

I should add I am aware of the commercial ones that are expensive for a small pack so if I can I would like to make my own

 

Regards 

 

Mark

 

 

[Black Knight]

Get yourself some green FIMO or Sculpey polymer clay.

If you don't know it, it is a by-heat hardening plastic clay. Its like plasticine, but after you make your shape you cook it in an ordinary oven for a about 15 to 30 minutes to harden it and then the shape is permanent

Shape up your lily pads and cook them

Cut a big circle type shape, use your fingers and modelling tools to form the rim, add veins et cetera. When you are happy with it, cook it

If you don't like the way it is forming, just squeeze the polymer clay together again and start over, as often as you want. It will only harden when you cook it.

The clay is available in a multitude of colours and these can be mixed together as well

A 58 or 60g block costs around £3 and will make many dozens of lily pads

When hard the polymer clay can be painted with acrylic paints as well

[Mark Cassidy]

11 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Get yourself some green FIMO or Sculpey polymer clay.

If you don't know it, it is a by-heat hardening plastic clay. Its like plasticine, but after you make your shape you cook it in an ordinary oven for a about 15 to 30 minutes to harden it and then the shape is permanent

Shape up your lily pads and cook them

Cut a big circle type shape, use your fingers and modelling tools to form the rim, add veins et cetera. When you are happy with it, cook it

If you don't like the way it is forming, just squeeze the polymer clay together again and start over, as often as you want. It will only harden when you cook it.

The clay is available in a multitude of colours and these can be mixed together as well

A 58 or 60g block costs around £3 and will make many dozens of lily pads

When hard the polymer clay can be painted with acrylic paints as well

Cheers , I hadn't thought of using clay , thank you very much I will give it a try and report back my results , thanks again 😀 

[Black Knight]

@Mark Cassidy

I had another thought; you could make out of thick aluminium foil. Not the usual kitchen type but the thick stuff used on food trays.

Cut the rough circle, bend up the edges, use a modelling tool to add veins et cetera and then paint with enamels

[Peter2]

The Fimo and foil suggestions are clever ideas.

I was looking at Google just now and there is a Youtube video called "How to Model Water Lilies from Scratch" in which Kathy Millatt demonstrates some techniques: a sheet of paper, acrylic paints and brass tubing are involved, though I guess you could use other suitable materials you have to hand. From brass tubing, Kathy made her own "punches" to manufacture several different sizes of lily pads, but I suppose you could use some kind of hole punching device to make the round discs. She took inspiration from an article in the "Model Railroader" issue dated March 2001 by Gerry Leone where he shows how to make water lilies, cattails and pond scum.

[For once, the term "pond scum" sounds like a nice description, at least to a modeller!]

Additionally, on her website "Kathy Millatt Modelling", Kathy further describes these techniques.

Gerry's own website covering his Bona Vista Railroad also seems a useful resource.

You could check these various sources as they might add some value to your project.

I notice in the Youtube video Comments section that someone has considered using light green printer paper (presumably that handily reduces the need to wet the paper with paint and I assume also lessens the risk of crinkling).

Finally, I notice Noch (as mentioned by Kathy), and other companies such as JTT Scenery Products, make tiny water lilies suitable as scenery for dioramas and the like.

Edited September 25, 2022 by Peter2

[Mark Cassidy]

Folks,

 

Sorry for the delay in updating you all on my progress, I ended up using a range of techniques,  first I tried the Kathy Millet hole punch with brass rods technique that didnt work for me as I couldn't get the brass rods sharp enough so I tried some Fimmo clay as suggested, and that worked ok, so I used very thinly rolled clay then the brass rods like a cooky cutter , then flattened again the circles, put a wee cut in the tail and then baked them. 

 

 

 

I then applied the first layer of paint. so a few more to go. 

 

 

As someone suggested , use green clay it will save some hassle in trying to paint after firing the clay. 

 

Regards 

 

 

[Black Knight]

I had no idea you wuz gonna make itsy-bitsy teeny weenie lily pads. I thought you wuz gonna make ginormous ones, like small versions of the ones a real person can walk and sit on

[Mark Cassidy]

My original plan was to do that mate, then I couldn't really find any of those in Ukraine or Eastern Europe and when I googled them , they came up with amazonian something something so I decided to just go with the little ones. 

 

I think they look OK, but I might try again with the green clay .

[Crayons]

Green Stuff World make a set of lilly pads.

 

https://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/paper-plants/1381-paper-plants-lilly-pads-ninfea-nympheae-waterlillies.html

[Mark Cassidy]

Folks 

 

Thanks for all the help with this, here's a few images of my efforts and the finished diorama. 

 

 

 

 

 

Ive posted the full works in the Finished Diorama thread if you fancy a better look.

 

 

Just to say thanks again for all your replies, appreciate them 🙂

 

Mark