Craftsman Li Chunyu is creating a series of polymer clay statues with Chinese zodiac animal themes at his workshop in north China's Tianjin Municipality, Jan. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Weizhen)
With more than a decade of experience in creating and designing polymer clay sculptures, Li Chunyu's works are usually inspired by traditional Chinese cultural themes.
TIANJIN, Jan. 26 -- Surrounded by sculpture-making tools like carving knives, brushes and pigments, Li Chunyu picks up an unfinished polymer clay figurine of a rabbit and coats its hair in white with a brush.
From figurine designing and sculpting to spray-painting and coloring, Li, a 33-year-old craftsman is busy creating a series of polymer clay statues with Chinese zodiac animal themes in his workshop in north China's Tianjin Municipality.
With more than a decade of experience in creating and designing polymer clay sculptures, his works are usually inspired by traditional Chinese cultural themes.
For Li, it was a box of plasticine that first sparked his dream.
"At a young age, apart from watching animations and collecting animated character toys, my biggest interest was kneading plasticine," Li said.
Every time he received lucky money during the traditional Spring Festival, he would immediately go to a stationery store to buy boxes of plasticine, as many as possible.
"I kneaded them all into a big ball of dough, and then made figurines," he recalled.
In 2009, Li started working after graduating with a major in mechanical engineering. A friend of his sent him a box of polymer clay, which sparked his interest and enthusiasm to rekindle his long-lost dream.
"Figurines made by plasticine can't be kept for a long time, but polymer clay sculptures can be better preserved after heating," Li said.
Without any professional knowledge of painting and carving sculptures, Li started by imitating famous sculptures and classic designs.
"There are no shortcuts to being a craftsman. Only through practice can we create high-quality artwork," Li said.
From the basics of painting to sculpture, it took him several years to become a professional. Now, he has created nearly 100 works and attended various exhibitions, earning him a good reputation. Some of his works have since become hot-selling items.
