What is cold porcelain?

Cold porcelain isn’t real porcelain, but when it dries and hardens it has a distinct porcelain-like appearance. It is not baked, like real porcelain, but is merely set aside to dry. Cold porcelain is best suited to smaller, decorative projects, as it remains slightly soft when it is finished and it disintegrates if it comes into contact with water. Bigger projects also tend to collapse, so start with smaller or flatter projects until you are more familiar with the medium.

THE RECIPE 
You Will Need

• 1 cup cornflour
• 1 cup cold glue
• 1 teaspoon baby oil
• 1 teaspoon witch hazel
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• about half a cup of white PVA paint
• pot
• spoon
• rolling pin

To Make

1 Starting with the cornflour, add all the ingredients to the pot. Mix together well.

2 Place the pot on a stove plate on medium heat (not too warm, or it will burn) and continue stirring while the mixture warms up. Do not let it boil. Remove it from the stove as soon as the mixture starts to resemble dough with a porcelain-like appearance. Knead it lightly in your hands and form a ball.

3 Sprinkle a little cornflour on your work surface and on the rolling pin and roll the dough out. Try not to roll it out thinner than 5mm, because then it breaks and cracks easily when it dries. Don’t leave it too thick either though, as it will take very long to dry.

Text and image: Ideas