Interview with AiClay

I stumbled upon Jocelyn Teo's miniature artwork a while back when I was browsing through Den of Angels' commission subforums. I was awed at the amount of detail and realism she puts into every little thing she creates. It's just... mind-blowing. They look so yummy and so real and you almost want to eat them, but then you realize that's a Pukifee holding the tart! Amazing.

I'm glad and honored that she took some time to answer some questions for my little blog! Read on to learn more about this awesome artist. :)

Hi Jocelyn! Tell us something about yourself.
Hi everyone who's reading this! I'm writing this in an apartment I've lived in all 25 years of my life, in this little sunny city called Singapore. To describe myself, I would say that I'm happy most of the time, refuse to live life according to the rules society has set, and am just a simple girl at heart. ♥

Did you start creating miniature clay art before you got into ball-jointed dolls or was it the other way around? How did you start?
I was working with miniature food sculptures way before I found out about BJDs, and it's been such a ride since then! It's like starting a Chinese restaurant in India and after 2 years of just displaying food which looks good, and a group of Chinese walks in one day to have lunch. Maybe that's not a good analogy, but hopefully you get what I mean! I chanced upon clay sculpting on one particularly boring day, and my boyfriend and I just decided to buy a box of clay just for fun. The rest's history as they say.

How did you find out about the BJD hobby?
I can't really remember honestly, but it was probably through random googling? Internet takes you places you never thought you'll go haha.

Do you have a favorite among your dolls? If you do, what are their stories?
I don't have a favourite among my 3 dolls, and sadly I haven't had a chance to work on their stories. I just love them all, they're just all adorable to me!

You seem to have a preference for tinies. Why is that so?
It could be because of a lack of space, and I just prefer miniatures. ♥ But I could be getting a MSD or SD one day because I'm constantly tempted by the gorgeous clothes available for them, so let's not speak too soon!

Your miniatures are beautiful and full of detail. They look very realistic! How much time do you spend making a piece or set?
Thank you! ♥ Hmmm, every piece takes a different amount of time according to the details involved. For example, a miniature burger could take up to two hours.

How would you describe your work process?
When I receive a commission or decide on a project to work on, I would first google for images online for inspiration and reference as I don't have all sorts of food at home. And then, depending on the complexity I might have to sketch or draw out a plan as to how I'm going to make it. Finally I'll mix the clay colours I need, and start on sculpting! ♥

I just realised maybe you mean my daily work schedule, it would have to be checking emails almost every hourly, replying to them, sculpting according to my commission list, and taking photos, and making the postal run before 6pm. They could be in any random order. :)

What's your favorite creation to date? The most challenging?
Favourite would have to be macarons, they're not too crazy to make but still looks so sweet all the same. The most challenging would be a sesame seed burger, the seeds drive me wild!

How would you describe your art and photography style?
AiClay has a sweet, yet modern style to it, which I hope to translate through my photos and blog. :)

Do you ever get artist's block? How do you deal with that?

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I hardly get that because the commission list is never-ending, and so I don't even get the time to work on my ideas. In fact, my want-to-sculpt list is so long that I think I have the opposite of artist's block, whatever that's called.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?
I enjoy the freedom, being able to hang out late on a Sunday night without worrying about starting work the next day, having a leisurely midweek breakfast while watching the office-goers rush to work in their ties and suits. It makes me feel really lucky.

You've done workshops and you've been featured in publications. What can we expect from you in the future?
There are so many fantastic plans for AiClay in the works, and it involves collaborations with others so I can't spill much for now as nothing's finalised yet. But definitely stay tuned, it's all terribly exciting!

Learn more about Jocelyn and works by visiting her blog and her Flickr. Her works can be purchased through her BigCartel shop. She also accepts commissions on her thread on Den of Angels (registration is required to view it).