Realistic Duct Tape Rose

To form the petals, start by cutting off a piece of wire about 12″ long and a piece of red duct tape about 4″ long. Stick the wire to the duct tape so that they overlap about 1/3 of the length of the duct tape. Then fold the duct tape over the end of the wire and stick the 2 sides together. This will form the basic structure of the petal.

Cut the petal to shape by trimming the sides and rounding off the end. Repeat this process for a total of ten petals. You will want to make a variety of sizes. In a real rose, the inner petals are smaller than the outer petals. Copying that structure helps you to get the shape right.

If you don’t want the white adhesive to show, use the marker to color in the cut edges. This is easiest to do before the rose is assembled.

Take the smallest petal and roll it loosely into a tube. It should flare out at the top a little.

With each additional petal there are few things that you need to do to shape them. The vertical curl of the petal is made by bending the wire. Fold out the tip and press it towards the stem. This causes the middle to bulge and gives it its characteristic shape. The rest of the shaping is done during assembly.

Each petal should be offset from the previous one in a spiral. To make the petals gently curl around the center, pinch the tape as you wrap it. This makes the bottom of the petal a little narrower than the middle making it a little more rounded.

Repeat the previous steps with each additional petal. After adding a petal, stop and make adjustments as needed. The final shape is determined by the kind of bud that you want to make. Younger buds have the pedals more tightly wrapped and closer together. Mature buds are fuller and more spread-out. It helps if you have a reference picture nearby while you are shaping the rose.

Once all the petals are attached, form the stem by tightly twisting all the wires together. To cover the stem, cut off a piece of green duct tape the same length as the exposed wire. Then roll the stem onto the duct tape. You may need to cut some slots in the top end to help it roll on straight.

The last things to add are the sepals. Cut off a 3-inch piece of green duct tape and fold one end over, similar to the way the petals were made. From this, cut out a small triangle with the exposed tape at the base. Color the edges with the green marker as before.

Attach the sepals radially around the base of the flower. Repeat this for a total of 5 sepals. Try to keep them as evenly spaced as possible.

Do some final shaping and your duct tape rose is complete. Again, it is helpful to have a reference picture nearby.

You can use the basic principles to make other flowers as well. Feel free to experiment and try out different designs.

Leave a comment to share your designs, or if you can think of any potential improvements!