Plus weeks

6 minutes on the stove

8 minutes on the stove

15 minutes on the stove

16 minutes on the stove

20 minutes on the stove

This was my first experiment with potato starch. I started by creating my own potato starch because it was hard to find in the market, but also it helped me to understand better my materials. Unfortunately, I couldn't measure it because it was in a liquid form and I didn't want to waste time by drying it out completely. I started by boiling the mixture until it became thick and see-through. I took out a sample and dry it out to see if my experiment worked. However, after each sample, I was adding to my mixture more ingredients to see if it could become stronger. The first sample was made out of water and potato starch. In the second one, I added a bit of corn starch(2 full spoons) and on the third experiment, I added extra flour( a spoon).
As you can see, the longer I had it on the stove, it was coming together more nicely. It was interesting to experiment with those materials because after the mixture was dried, it was taking a completely new form, shape, and color.

After a few samples, I decided that I wanted to cover up the smell of potato in a natural way. I made a few experiments with rose petals at the beginning, and I was happy with the result because it was a nice touch of color in the finished prototype.

First experiment with only potato starch
Dried in the oven

First experiment with only potato starch and a few rose pedals
Dried naturally

First experiment with potato and corn starch and a few rose pedals
Dried in the oven
This one was the strongest one

First experiment with potato, corn starch, and flour with a few rose pedals
Dried in the oven

Later on, I decided to make some rose water by boiling some petals. It turned out amazing. The smell and the color were incredibly intense. However, I had a lot of boiled rose pedals that I didn't want to trash. What I did instead, I manipulate them by cutting them and creating a weird pink paste which surprisingly turned into a dark purple after drying out.

I also layered some pedals on parchment paper before cutting them to see if they could hold their shape together and stick as one piece and it worked too. Unfortunately, what I discovered was that if the mixture dries in the oven it sticks on the paper and it won't come out easily.
With all the samples I tried to make both ways, in the oven and naturally dried.

Boiled rose pedals while still wet

Boiled rose pedals dried

At this point, I'm not sure if there is a big change in the experiments because I double boiled the petals but just the colour became weirder.

I finally found fertilizer. It was a struggle to get it because of the corona but it was worth the wait. I made the same mixture of potato and corn starch because it was the best out of my experiments and I added the fertilizer in doses. I had to test the pigment for the combination and that's why I started adding more and more fertilizer to the mixture.
When I dried it in the oven, the prototype cracked sot I figured out that it cant dry too fast because I won't be able to have a smooth look. The smell of the mud was a bit intense so I added rose water but also rose pedals in the next couple of prototypes to see if I could cover the smell.

Experiment: Will they dissolve?

15 minutes in the water

40 minutes in the water

1 hour and 30 minutes in the water

2 hour in the water

15 minutes in the water

25 minutes in the water

55 minutes in the water

1 hour and 30 minutes in the water

25 minutes in the water

2 hours and 30 minutes in the water

40 minutes in the water

3 hours in the water

To be honest most of the experiments I didn't expect from them to work so well. It took time of course to dissolve, but still, the end result is what I was going for! I'm happy with the way most of them interact with the water but the only prototype that didn't work was the very first ones.