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Daily Mini Interview: Miniatures by Bel’s Mini World

July 27, 2015July 27, 2015 admin

Miniatures by Bel’s Mini World

How did you first get started in miniatures?

When I was a child, I never got the chance to own one of those fabulous dollhouses you could see at the shopping centers during Christmas. So that is where it comes from… this feeling was somehow left in my inside. Thanks to my husband’s support of my day to day work, I pursued miniatures and now I love what I do so much. Sending my minis worldwide is very fulfilling as is seeing comments from people asking if my minis are real food or minis. There’s no doubt I may be doing something others can enjoy. Making people happy in turn makes my work so rewarding.

How has your work evolved?

Well, I must admit I have seen hundreds of miniatures by other artists, seen many websites and read some books about how to make minis, but due to my perfectionist nature I did always find something to improve on, with every work. I started making minis about 6 months ago. Since I started, my husband says that I have hugely improved, not only in sculpting the minis but in giving them the correct color and correct matte/gloss shine combination. I’ve also become more skilled at making imperfections in each mini, as this is what gives them each the real touch. Since I first started, I have replaced my tools several times and evolved my painting process as well. It’s all about evolution and experience. When I’m not happy with a mini. I just try again and again until I’m happy with it. Patience and care is the essence of my minis.

What materials do you use to make your miniatures?

The primary material I use is polymer clay. I also love to work with wood (I have some woodwork projects in mind for the future), cool porcelain, fabrics, and sometimes I add some metal wires either for tools or to build a structure for more sturdy minis or whenever the structure requires something stronger than just polymer clay.

Advice for new miniaturists?

I’m still an apprentice but the only advice I can give them is try and keep trying. You don’t need to start from the very basics . If you have enough motivation and you love minis, take the time you need to practice and try to learn as much as you can from artists that has been doing minis for years. Nowadays, you can find information and tutorials everywhere on the Internet. Find a challenge and try to improve it.

What inspires you?

Everything inspires me. Every little detail that I find in my day to day. When you cook, when you go to the garden, when you go to the supermarket, every step you take can be part of a wonderful scene. I just open my eyes and try to capture every single, little detail of nature and the real world that we don’t normally notice. It’s challenging to be able to reproduce that in miniature form.

What’s to come from your brand?

Well, I have so many projects in mind that if I start writing down a list, I may spend a few days with it! Some of the works I want to make include a new bakery, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, traditional dishes, pieces of wooden furniture, and more. What I do enjoy the most is recreating any food or food scenes that my customers have in their minds for their dollhouses – especially work that they have never found anywhere. For example, I have made some food creations from just a photo for some customers. I like to help them find the perfect food creations for their dollhouses so I have new projects almost every day. Moreover, I’m working on an exciting new feature in my shop (New Category: Design Your Own). Now you can design your own creation by choosing how it will be displayed. This functionality is enabled for the miniature oysters, but soon I will add more products for you all to play with.

Other hobbies you enjoy?

As a DIY person, I like to be involved in any project from the garden to house decorating. Less often, I spend time dressmaking and I may apply some of these skills to minis and dollhouses one day. In general, I’m a very active person that enjoys doing just about anything. I must admit that minis are my most enjoyable hobby/work.

Anything else you would like to add?

For anyone who follows my works, thank you so much!

I used to ask my friends what mini have they not found anywhere, and would then make the work. This is the kind of challenge I would enjoy more of.

When someone receives my minis, and sends me a message about their delight, I feel that I have not only given them one of my creations, but also a piece of myself. My care and love for minis is the soul of Bel’s Mini World.

Bel’s Mini World is made possible by Bel from the United Kingdom. You can shop her miniatures online, visit her website or blog, or follow along on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

A photo posted by The Daily Miniature (@dailymini) on Jul 31, 2015 at 12:24pm PDT

Daily Mini Interview: Miniatures by Craftingbeshop

July 27, 2015July 27, 2015 admin

Miniatures by Craftingbeshop

| Shop | Instagram | Facebook |

How did you first get started in miniatures?

I watched the movie 13 Going on 30 when it first came out, and I absolutely fell in love with Jenna Rink’s dollhouse. After I watched that movie, I started making my own dollhouses out of cardboard boxes, foam board, and random household items. I even made my own furniture and decorations. Over time I’ve gradually improved my artistry.

What’s your favorite miniature?

My “Harry Potter” series is my favorite miniature(s) at this moment. But aside from myself, I was inspired to get heavily into the miniature making business by Tanja from Sugarcharmshop. I love all of her work.

Why miniatures? What appeals to you most about what you do?

I’m really not quite sure why I am specifically drawn to miniatures. I have just always loved them for as long as I can remember. Everything about them is so cute and adorable. I think deep down, somewhere in my subconscious, it’s because I can be a kid at heart when I make miniatures. I’ve always been surrounded by dollhouses and miniature items; I had 3 different dollhouses growing up so it’s also always been something I’ve just “known.”

What’s to come from Craftingbeshop?

I’m currently making mini movie props for various classic movies that most people are familiar with. If you follow me on Instagram, you can see my daily progress. I’ll have Lord of the Rings mini props in the near future!

Craftingbeshop is currently based in the hills of eastern Kentucky, in Morehead. You can shop her miniatures on Etsy, or follow along on Instagram and Facebook for many (mini) more photos!

A photo posted by The Daily Miniature (@dailymini) on Aug 3, 2015 at 11:31am PDT

Daily Mini Interview: La Belle Cuisine Miniaturas

July 24, 2015July 24, 2015 admin

Miniatures by La Belle Cuisine Miniaturas

How did you first get started in miniatures?

Miniaturism isn’t my professional work, although I regret that. I’m a wife, mother of two lovely girls, nurse at a hospital, miniaturist, and also a painter (oil on canvas). I also do cross-stich, crochet and fabric dolls.

My interest for miniatures started in 1998 with the construction of a dollhouse (by kit). Since then, I have collected and changed other kit collections, and worked on a miniature kitchen and room boxes. Soon I decided to stop collecting and to become a miniaturist, creating my own pieces. That’s when the passion really started.

How has your work evolved over time?

After building 3 dollhouses from kits, I thought it was time to create my own pieces, almost entirely done by myself. I started then with “Zeferino’s vegetable market” with grocery packages, fruit and vegetable crates and that’s where the taste for the grocery packages was born. Scanned from the real size boxes, I have since then built 63 grocery boxes and a total of 145 Portuguese grocery products, including the typical salted codfish, smoked ham, crates of fruit and vegetables, and more.

Next, a chocolaterie (pâtisserie), called in french “Maison du chocolat,” was born. Inside it there are various cakes, bonbons, and chocolate boxes which turned into a real passion and are a tribute to chocolate. I looooove chocolate!

A haberdashery called “Casinha do botão” (Button’s home) and “Quintal da miquinhas” (miquinhas’s backyard) followed. They were both created and built entirely from scratch.

Sometimes, I feel a little lost with so many ideas and the strong wish of turning them real. At present, my creations are mainly directed to kitchen articles such as boxes of food, fruit and vegetables, groceries, and also some pieces of furniture in miniature, such as beds with their bed covers and bathroom towels.

What materials do you use to make miniatures?

I really enjoy working with polymer clay, but also with other materials, like fabrics, wood, cardboard, and more. Many times I use common daily materials in my miniatures. I usually say that other people’s “garbage” is our good fortune.

Favorite mini you have made yourself?

I love my market stall “Horta do zeferino” (Zeferino’s vegetable market) and the chocolaterie (pâtisserie) I mentioned above.

What inspires you?

Sometimes, just a common little thing is enough to suggest an idea for a new creation, such as a roombox. In the case of “Miquinhas’s backyard” it was that character doll, Miquinhas, that I bought from the talented doll maker Alicia Volta, a friend from Argentina, but living in Portugal, that inspired me to create a garden corner where Miquinhas is planting some pots. Chocolate inspired “La maison du chocolat” and thread reels led to the creation of the haberdashery “button’s home.”

Other hobbies you enjoy?

I have two more passions, as I mentioned before: oil painting and fabric dolls that can be seen at Shabby Paris Dolls blog, Shabby Paris Dolls Etsy, Shabby Paris Dolls Facebook.

La Belle Cuisine Miniaturas was created by Paula Marina Vasconcelos Barbosa of Portugal. You can shop her miniatures on Etsy, or head to Facebook for more photos. Don’t forget to check out three of the La Belle Cuisine Miniaturas blogs here: Blog I, Blog II, Blog III.

A photo posted by The Daily Miniature (@dailymini) on Jul 30, 2015 at 9:17am PDT

Daily Mini Interview: Mackenzie McAlpin Miniatures

July 17, 2015July 17, 2015 admin

Mackenzie McAlpin Miniatures

| Website & Shop | #mackenzieminis & Instagram | Daily Mini Studio Visit |

What are some of your earliest memories that involve miniatures?

My mother made miniatures, so I remember watching her make all kinds of things. One of the coolest things she did was buy cheap Santa Claus figures and then she’d make a new face and sometimes even change their clothes, and then fill Santa’s bag with miniatures themed around a family’s hobbies. I always thought that was such a great way to make money and get to do what she loved. Mini making was just something she did on the side.

What kind of miniatures did your mom make?

Besides the Santa dudes, I remember her having a friend make a wooden Noah’s Ark and she made all the animals, two of everything she could think of. She made a lot of holiday-themed things, it was a way for her to earn extra money. She was a single mother with 5 kids so, she really needed the extra. Heart necklaces for Valentine’s Day, mini Santas and snowmen or snowwomen for Christmas, pumpkins with willow tree branches as the stems, Fourth of July flags with glitter… you name it. I still have some of the little guys she made, I have a Santa, an alligator, a bird, and a few others. She was so fun to watch. She worked with polymer clay and acrylic paints. That’s what I use too, I didn’t stray far from what I knew.

How did your mom’s work in miniatures inspire you to create your own?

Making miniatures was something that I just happened upon. I wanted to be a part of a group art show and decided I would make a miniature orange tabby cat. That was the first mini I made, as an adult. While I was making it I felt like my Mom was there helping me. It made me laugh… as if she was sooo happy that I picked her medium to work with. That felt really amazing. Doing something my Mother did. I feel a huge connection to her when I work. Also, I should mention that my Mother passed away 6 years ago… so it feels extra special to feel a connection with her through something she did, it makes the work even more important to me.

How long have you been creating works of art and photography?

I have been making art for so long. I feel like we are all artists starting out. Some of us choose different paths, but creativity is so strong in us as children. I was lucky to have a mother that nurtured that part of me. She loved every little thing we made, even if it was leaves and sticks in a paper bag, she loved it.

I started to get more serious about art in high school, because my art teacher, Tryon, ruled. She let me get into photography, but we didn’t have a photo department. We had to work with what we had, so I did a lot of collages with my photos (developed at CVS) and magazine cut-outs (National Geographic mostly). I loved them. I ended up going to college for Fine Art Photography and I still loooove making collages.

As for miniatures, I’ve been creating them for 2 years now. It’s still really new for me.

Describe the pieces from your most recent collection.

The mini boob pots that I make are a collaboration with my friend Isaac Nichols, he makes life-sized boob pots for actual plants. I always wanted some of his pots, but I couldn’t afford them, so I decided to make mini versions of them. Turns out, the minis were a big hit. I also make lots of food and handfuls of jewelry, little mugs, plants, beauty supplies, naked ladies dancing, animals, pretzels, and… and… and, well… I like to make lots of things. I’ve also just started a series of shadow boxes, so hopefully I’ll have a gallery show at some point.

Daily Mini recently visited Mackenzie’s Studio — see the photos here!

Why miniatures?

Without feedback from friends and family, I probably wouldn’t be making miniatures right now at all. They are who makes this a “thing” for me. I can talk myself out of everything pretty quickly, so having support from them keeps me going.

Do you create miniatures on a full-time basis?

I do not. I am a full-time odd job kinda gal. I babysit, I am a bookkeeper for a couple different companies, I work as a Production Assistant sometimes, I help teach little kids art… oh man, I have a long list of things that I’ve been doing for the past 10 years in Philadelphia. This is a rad place to make art and make a living. The community here is so supportive and I am lucky to have the friends that I have and be surrounded by people who understand my lifestyle. I am so very lucky.

Tools, techniques or materials you can’t live without?

Cheap acrylic matte finish paint, tweezers, music (I consider this to be a tool, without it, I get nothing done), sarcasm, my cat, and this weird little pencil that helps me shape each mini and at this point is coated with old clay and paint… it’s the best.

Advice for beginner artists?

Make what you want, how you want it, and keep at it. DO NOT try to be perfect. Let your personality shine through; that’s what people are drawn to in art, or at least that’s what I’m drawn to. Oh, and always work with good light.

What’s your most beloved miniature?

I don’t just have one. That’s the best part of miniatures! You can have a million beloved teeny things and they don’t take up that much space. BUT, I would say all the minis my Momma made, they are very dear to my heart. It’s cool to look at the way she made them and compare it to how I would make the same thing. I also have these really weird little pieces my boyfriend made me. One is a little mouse-like thing made out of clay and feathers. I call her Face Veil. And the other is a peanut on a piece of wood… I absolutely love them. They are the first gifts he gave me, and they make me smile.

What’s the most difficult mini you’ve ever attempted to create?

Custom miniatures are rough for me. I feel a lot of pressure and anxiety because I want the animals to look right, I want the person to be happy with their mini. Somehow they always turn out well, and I end up loving them, but it’s a hard thing to get started. I’m sure I overthink it. I have to take my own advice here and stop trying to make it perfect, because that’s impossible. Also, I’m sure my most difficult miniature is still to come.

What’s to come from Mackenzie McAlpin?

I’ll be working on updating my website off and on, as well as working on custom mini orders and OH! I’ll be selling minis at Art Star Pop Up Market at Spruce Street Harbor Park on July 25 (I will update my Instagram and my website accordingly). I also have a piece in the Fleisher Art Memorial Faculty Show right now.

What inspires you?

I can’t think of any one thing in particular as a source of inspiration… but I am definitely influenced by Miranda July, my family, Amy Sedaris, Billy Dufala, Isaac Nichols, LIFES HAPPENINGS, Gabriel Orozco, dollar stores, childhood, animals, boobs, women’s bodies, flowers, the sky, my cat, the moon, the sun, nature in general, people who work their butts off, Nan Goldin, routines in life, food, relationships, mistakes, children’s encyclopedias, sustainability, Mexico, Africa, music, rocks, Outsider Art, Folk Art, love, laughter, and that list could go on and on and on…

What are some of the most memorable miniatures you’ve seen?

Dalton Ghetti’s carvings are so perfectly wonderful. Also, Anatoly Konenko’s smallest aquarium in the world is crazy. I went to the Philadelphia Miniaturia in New Jersey last year and those people are no joke. They blow my mind.

Other activities you enjoy?

One of my favorite hobbies is Windowkitty on Tumblr and @windowkitty on Instagram. I get soooooooo much joy out of this. I started doing it probably 8 years ago and still love it.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Everyone should know that I like to laugh, love and have fun ’cause life is so short.

To see many mini more Mackenzie McAlpin Miniatures, visit Mackenzie’s website or check out #mackenzieminis and @kenzaloolee on Instagram! To see photos from a recent Daily Mini Studio Visit, click here!

A photo posted by The Daily Miniature (@dailymini) on Jul 19, 2015 at 2:38pm PDT

A photo posted by The Daily Miniature (@dailymini) on Jul 19, 2015 at 2:35pm PDT

Daily Mini Interview: Hungarian Miniatures

June 12, 2015June 12, 2015 admin

Hungarian Miniatures by Erzsébet Bodzás

How did you first get started in miniatures?

I wanted to give my daughters a dollhouse for Christmas but the available ones on the market were so impersonal and way too expensive. I decided to make a dollhouse by myself. I had no clue how to start, so I started to search on the Internet and I accidentally found some very impressing miniature works. I had never heard about miniatures before. It was love at first sight.

I’ve been making miniatures for five years, and I’m self-trained although I capitalized on everything I could find online. Any time I have aside from caring for my family and my garden, I use working in my workroom.

How has your work in miniatures evolved over the years?

Through the years, I meddled in almost every territory of the miniature world. I made foods, furniture, roomboxes, scenes, and more. Although I enjoy creating all of them, after a serious inner debate, I opted for miniature food making as my specialty. I prefer the traditional homemade foods, rustic breads and pies, heirloom vegetables, and fruits. I also love arranging my foods into little scenes where I can set together the elements like in a three dimensional still life painting.

What materials do you use to make miniatures?

I use polymer clay, paper, wood, fabric—practically everything except glass and precious metals. Nowadays my personal favorite is paper. You can’t believe how many things you can do if you have proper templates and apply some layers of acrylic paint.

Advice for new miniaturists?

It’s never the perfection that makes a miniature real, but the natural flaws. I like to show the little imperfections, the brown spots on the apples, the scratches on the fresh pear skin, the pale places of the cucumber where the sun couldn’t reach it. So use your eyes to find the unique features in everything to make it alive.

Tool you can’t live without?

My X-ACTO knife is my best friend in the workroom, I use more toothpicks than a restaurant, and I am emotionally attached to my lathe tool.

Most treasured miniature you’ve made?

I made an old cottage kitchen with a furnace just like my great grandparents had. I filled it with all the things I remembered from my childhood. It was great to make, and this is the only miniature work I could never part with. It’s in my living room now and I look at it every time I go past it.

What’s been the most difficult miniature to create?

My kryptonite was making early cherries. Half yellow, half red with the slight groove on one side and the thin light green stem. My first attempts were terrible. I tried to get the coloring by applying chalk powder with a brush on the tiny cherry balls. I used polymer clay and wire for stems. But my cherries were just fake polymer clay cherries, nothing more. It took me three years to figure out my own method to copy nature. Now I brush my palm over with red, orange and yellow chalk powder and I rolled the tiny light yellow balls on it, then press a groove and a hole into them with a pin. The result is a bunch of perfect, various shades of yellow-red cherries. For the stems I use painted sisal fibers. Many times I wanted to give up, but I couldn’t get over it. I had to find a way to make realistic cherries because I had a miniature still life with them in my head and I desperately wanted to make it real.

Artists you look to for inspiration?

I admire some Russian photographers, Elana Tatulyan (Елена Татульян) and Карачкова Татьяна. Their still life photos are wonderful, just in the same country style I love to try to show in my miniature scenes. Another favorite artist is a Russian painter, Николаев Юрий Викторович, who I like also for his still life paintings.

Fellow miniaturists that inspire you?

My first shock was when I found Kiva Atkinson’s works. I couldn’t believe my own eyes. I didn’t know it’s possible to make such realistic foods in miniature. The quality of her miniatures was a real goal to reach in my own works.

And I think everyone just loves Tomo Tanaka’s Nunu’s House and his miniature foods. I still think there is a magic wand involved.

What is the most memorable miniature you’ve seen?

Lori Nix‘s miniature scenes are a fantastic mix of art and precise engineering. Choosing the post-apocalyptic world as a theme is very interesting. Her dioramas could be sad, but they are oddly invigorating and sometimes humorous for me.

Why miniatures?

I feel like a genie in a bottle or a wizard with a wand. I’ve always been a creative person. If I had time and money in limitless amount, I would try every craft in the world. I would make furniture, pottery baskets, and more. Since I’m not that lucky, I had to find a close enough substitute. In miniature, I could do anything I couldn’t do in real size.

Upcoming news you’d like to share?

I’m one of the five new IGMA Fellow members that the International Guild of Miniature Artisans (IGMA) elevated this year. That means a lot to me. I worked hard on my miniatures application, and fortunately it paid off.

There’s an exhibition in October in Budapest where some miniaturists including myself show their works. This will be my first exhibition, so I’m very excited about it.

Other hobbies you enjoy?

My other love is my garden. Actually I’m a landscape architect, but after the births of my daughters, I couldn’t work as an engineer in an office anymore. The necessary overtime, the travelling and the stress of imminent deadlines couldn’t work for me as a mother. But my green thumb still exists and I spend long hours in my garden almost every day.

IGMA Fellow Erzsébet Bodzás lives in Hungary. You can shop her work in miniature on Etsy and eBay. Check out her latest work on her “My Tiny World from Hungary” blog or Pinterest.

A photo posted by The Daily Miniature (@dailymini) on Jun 12, 2015 at 11:38am PDT

Daily Mini Interview: Miniatures by Chocoholic Jewels

June 8, 2015June 8, 2015 admin

Miniatures by Chocoholic Jewels

How did you first get started in miniatures?

I first started working with polymer clay 4 years ago. I was working as a flight attendant and I saw some amazing miniatures in an airport in France. When I returned home unemployed from the economical crisis in Greece, I decided to start making mini food for my dollhouse using polymer clay. I fell instantly in love and decided to turn my minis into OOAK (one of a kind) jewelry that I would be able to keep with me, or on me every day. My love for desserts is the reason why I make most of my jewelry chocolate themed.

I have also created a special series of aromas to be used with clay, that make every piece of jewelry smell as it would in real life.

What materials do you use to make miniatures?

I now use many different kind of materials as my work continues to progress, such as cold porcelain, resin, and upcycled materials.

What is your favorite miniature you’ve made?

My favorite one is… well… I cannot decide. Maybe every single one, as each creation contains a tiny bit of me!

What inspires you?

I am inspired by real food and other artists, but mostly by the fact that the majority of people viewing my creations think they are real! This is a great achievement for me. And being able to make people smile; I see excitement and also a great appetite for desserts.

Advice for beginner miniaturists?

My advice to beginner miniaturists is practice, practice, practice and share, share, share! Practice makes perfect and sharing makes people happy!

Highlight thus far in your miniatures career?

In 2013, I was invited to present my “sweet” accessories on national and international TV.

What do you want miniature fans to know about you?

I am a huge animal lover. My future goal as an artist is to create a series of jewelry of the same kind, with a higher price, and to be able to donate funds to animal shelters and provide food for strays.

Other activities you enjoy?

Besides making miniature food jewelry, caring for my puppy and other stray animals, I love finding and creating healthy snacks or desserts, such as my favorite black bean brownies! These are sooo delicious and sooo guilt free. No one could ever tell you that this amount of deliciousness could contain beans. Here is the recipe if you would like to give it a try.

Eva Stamataki of Chocoholic Jewels lives in Greece. To see more of her delectable miniature works, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, and Flickr. To purchase, shop on Etsy.

A photo posted by The Daily Miniature (@dailymini) on Jun 10, 2015 at 7:32am PDT

Daily Mini Interview: Pink Cute Sugar Miniatures

May 17, 2015November 8, 2017 admin

Pink Cute Sugar Miniatures

What does Valentina Pink Cute Sugar mean to you?

When I first began creating miniatures in late 2008, I looked for a name to best represent me, so I created a virtual identity. I’ve always loved pink (it’s my favorite color), sweets (all without exception), and miniatures. Back in 2009, I created a Facebook page to share my passion and my name was “Pink Sugar.” I knew I had to differentiate myself from Aquolina Pink Sugar perfume. So, I added “Cute” to my name. Thus, my stage name was born: a true representation of all the things I love.

How did you first get into miniatures?

I started working in polymer clay by chance. I was looking for nail art inspiration online and came across Japanese nail designs that had micro objects out of polymer clay. I learned that many of these artists were making polymer clay objects that could be worn at all times. Taking a cue from their creations, I started making my own. At first, I was making miniatures just for myself, sometimes to give to my friends for their birthdays. Friends of friends began to see my creations and fall in love with them. I started to sell miniatures privately through word of mouth.

Over the years I have tried to develop an unmistakable style of my own. I seek to create unique works that are always different, never the same. I am not yet 100% satisfied with my work, and still consider myself to be an apprentice. Oftentimes, I don’t have enough time to create the things I want in 1:12 scale. I’m constantly working on commissions and have a full-time job as a mom to a 2-year-old. It’s always difficult to find time to do the things you enjoy. But the greatest satisfaction I’ve felt recently was when I was contacted for the October edition of Spanish Miniatures magazine, which includes work of talented miniaturists from all over the world. I had a page dedicated to my work, and was also published on the magazine’s cover! It was a great honor and satisfaction!

Do you sell miniatures full-time?

It is my passion and thus I turned it into a real job. I would do this for a lifetime, in addition to being a mother which is obviously the best job in the world.

What types of miniatures do you make?

I make miniatures out of anything but mainly I create accessories to wear, and miniature food in 1:12 scale. I like to create everything myself, from the notch of the plywood to the painting, to the construction of cups and cutlery. I try to recreate scenarios in miniature form. For example, you’re cutting up vegetables for a soup and then the phone rings, so you put the knife on a plate to rest. You can preserve this memory forever with one of my miniatures.

What materials do you use to make miniatures?

Today I use mainly polymer clay, sculpey, liquid polymer clay, plywood, paper, and pieces of metal.

Advice for beginner artists?

I don’t consider myself to be a great artist. I’m just a girl of 25 who has a great passion. From this passion, I attempt to bring happiness to others. The advice I would give to new artists is to always have a unique style that can be recognized immediately, even without signing the photo. Never give up because only time will help you achieve what you want. Create things because you like them, not only because you want to sell them. Put all the love from your heart into a project and it will soon reward you.

Tools you love the most?

I do not use special tools to make my miniatures. I use toothpicks, needles, chisels of various sizes, and resin. I really love the versatility of resin. You can do so many things with it!

Favorite miniature you own?

I own creative accessories by Italian artists such as Pies Tellina, Neraneve Stella, Daniela Pupa, Claudia Lolle Bijoux, Francesca Gnam Gnam, and more. I also enjoy books by Angie Scarr.

What miniaturists inspire you most?

My absolute favorite miniaturist in the world is Tomo Tanaka’s Nunu’s House. I love everything about it! He can do anything! He creates houses, furniture, silverware, metalworks, food miniatures, and more. He is the impressive KING OF MINIATURE! I love his style and one day hope to become as good as him. He’s a great source of inspiration. Look at the work of Tomo Tanaka you’ll be entranced!

Why miniatures?

I love miniatures because their smallness contains so much dedication, study, love, work, and sacrifice. It is not an easy job. You have to measure everything… every millimeter. You have to focus on color in order to achieve a good image for thumbnails. It’s an art form full of love, because only those who have a passion and love miniatures can create them. I love to think that my miniatures are a preserved moment, frozen in time forever.

Other activities you enjoy?

Being a mom.

What do you want people to know about you?

I have a critical eye and share my work online to let others inform me if my creations are up to par. Only after receiving appreciation from fans do I relax. My fans on Facebook are important to me. They inspire me and give me strength! Miniature collectors and enthusiasts are also looking for a “perfect miniature,” so this helps me to create more and more. I seek to create on an even higher level. This makes me not a miniaturist, but an apprentice for life!

Valentina lives in Sardinia, Italy. You can now shop her newly opened Etsy store! Follow her miniature adventures on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Flickr, DeviantArt, or take a tour of her blog.

A photo posted by The Daily Miniature (@dailymini) on Mar 8, 2015 at 6:47pm PDT

Daily Mini Interview: Made by Lee Miniatures

April 30, 2015April 13, 2016 admin

Made by Lee Miniatures

| Blog | Instagram | Facebook |

What types of miniatures do you create and why?
Right now, I make polymer clay food, dollhouse furniture and other various miniatures. I find it very fascinating to create food miniatures, and I think I’ll keep on doing that. On the other hand, I’m planning to develop my skills by making other types of miniatures.

What materials do you use to make miniatures?
Polymer clay, wire, metal, wood (often balsa), cardboard, and paper.

How long have you been been creating miniatures?
I started making clay charms in August 2013. In November 2013, I created my first miniature scene.

Accounts or artists you look to for inspiration?
I love the work of Tanja from Sugarcharmshop and Tomo Tanaka from Nunu’s House. And of course the many different artists featured on The Daily Miniature!

Advice for beginner artists and miniaturists?
Find your own style and love what you do. It doesn’t matter how good or bad your creations are. When you practice, you will be rewarded.

Most difficult miniature you’ve ever tried to create?
I tried once to make a chessboard but it was very difficult. I hope to find a way to make it better!

Favorite miniature you have made?
I like a cookie baking scene I made a few weeks ago.

Most memorable miniature you have ever seen?
There are so many cool pieces I’ve come across. I love Halloween scenes with bones and other creepy, strange stuff.

What appeals to you most about what you do?
I can create my own world and fascinate other people.

Other hobbies you enjoy?
I like horseback riding, singing, reading, caring for my animals, and helping animals in need.

Do you work on miniatures full time?
No, I am a student. After finishing school, I want to study veterinary medicine, but I’m sure that making miniatures will stay a fascinating hobby.

What’s to come from Made by Lee Miniatures?
I want to start a project against animal cruelty (definitely in miniature scale), as well as make my own tutorials on YouTube and my blog.

Stay tuned for many (mini) more adventures in miniature food by Germany’s Lee Ann. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or visit her blog.

A photo posted by The Daily Miniature (@dailymini) on Apr 27, 2015 at 2:52pm PDT