The Art of Clay-Making

26 Jun 2020
From just making simple beads to sculpting 12-inch figures, to being involved in building stage sets and 2 meter art installations, Alice's clay making journey has truly evolved over the years.

Alice's clay making journey began in 2015 as a job requirement as she worked in an arts and crafts supply store. Having came a long way since, her experience with clay has surely been a roller coaster. Although it can be tough and challenging at times, it is also fun and therapeutic sometimes.

Alice loves the challenge of breaking down the designs to its components and building it up from scratch, which makes clay-making fun for her. She believes that playing with clay can also be a form of therapy to express your emotions, as a stress reliever and also a medium to help you discover more about yourself along the way.

By delving into clay-making, Alice has learned more about her personality, her stress triggers as well as what makes her relax. More than anything, clay-making has taught her about perseverance and working hard to follow through to the end.

"You can do your best and your best doesn’t have to be perfect, because we are not perfect people."

Knowing that mistakes means there is room for improvement has made Alice learn how to be mindful and content with herself. There are times when unintended mistakes make a sculpture more beautiful.

Furthermore, Alice's sculptures can be very personal and emotional. It is an honor for Alice to make her client's vision into reality. It’s fulfilling to see how her sculptures can change others’ life.

When asked about the learning process of clay making, Alice makes it a point on how learning polymer clay is like learning a skill. Once you know the basic techniques, all you need is practice. Alice has also shared with us some tips when it comes to clay-making:

  1. Be willing to try - That’s the first step to learning anything. Understand that it’s not all happy and sunshine all the time. Don’t be discouraged if a project fails- it's just an opportunity to get better.
  2. Keep on exploring other designs and techniques - Try out different designs and techniques. You will eventually come up with a style of your own.
  3. Look at references - With modern tech, now there are more resources accessible to us. Look at social media, or blogs or videos, let the work of other artists inspire you to make your own.
  4. Learn to pace yourself, don’t get too many done at a time - Remember, your creative juices need to charge too. 
  5. Visualise the finished product when you’re down - Imagine how it feels, touch, smell.. It really helps to keep you going!
  6. Lastly, sharing is caring! Share with others your work &  get the right people to support you. Interact with other artists over social media, collaborate with someone, or join groups- it's good to have a community with similar interests to support you.

Catch Alice in her classes now!

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