Dear Crafters, This time we’d like to introduce you to the inspiring journey of Shux. If you are a polymer clay enthusiast, you might have come across him through TikTok. Shux is a remarkable artist who brings imagination to life through his hyper realistic fantasy sculptures.
We had the pleasure of interviewing this talented individual. We asked him about the secrets behind his beautiful art so that we can share them with you.
Coming from an ordinary working-class background, Shux’s artistic journey began when he came across My Little Pony. Inspired by the show’s fan base, he got into crafting. He discovered his love for sculpting with polymer clay in 2015. Now, he has over 8 years of experience as a Polymer clay artist.
In this interview, Shux shares his creative process, tips for achieving realism, and insights into the challenges he faces. So, get ready to find out the secrets of his beautiful art.
1. Can you provide us with a brief background about yourself, including when and why you decided to start creating sculptures from polymer clay?
I am a guy from an ordinary working-class family, who has never studied in art schools and cannot exist without music in my ears.
From an early age, I had a craving for creativity. I always liked to create something with my hands, whether it be Lego or assembling plastic models. But at the age of 9 this was not enough for me, and I decided to go to the ship modeling club. There I realized how amazing it is to work with metal and wood. However, I gave up very quickly, My hobby ended after a couple of years, because I got a PC, and I went headlong into computer games.
After graduating as a car mechanic, I was not satisfied with this job. And also worked in a furniture workshop as a tower crane operator, and even restored a burnt yacht, until I joined the army in 2012.
This was a turning point in my life. When I returned home in 2013, I only wanted positive things, and I came across My Little Pony. I watched this show for a whole year, every day, all the seasons that came out. I have watched all the episodes several times and have been incredibly impressed with the quality of the show, mainly the voice acting and music.
In the end, I accumulated a huge amount of inspiration that burst out uncontrollably. This show has the most productive and talented fan base in the world, and when I saw what the fans were doing, I thought I could do it too, and decided to do something with my hands again. So I turned into a crafter, and in 2015 I started my journey. At that time, I did not have any knowledge, I did not even know that polymer clay existed!
2. What was the first sculpture you ever made and what inspired it? Can you discuss how your work has evolved since then?
My first sculpture was Rainbow Dash, which I made from river clay because I didn’t have anything. I just took the clay and started working… to quickly realize that I would not succeed. The material was completely unsuitable for a 14 cm figure. Huge cracks appeared on the surface, and I simply could not give it the desired shape. So I began to study materials and search for them.
I made my first real polymer clay figurine after 2 months and after 4 months I accepted my first commission.
If you look back and compare my workflow with the current one, the main difference is that I stopped counting time. I used to try to finish the work as soon as possible, and it did not take more than a couple of weeks. Now I can easily spend half a year on one figurine. I just work for my own pleasure!
3. When it comes to creating hyper-realistic fantasy sculptures, what is your creative process? Can you break it down step by step for our readers?
I can’t say that I create hyper-realistic sculptures, because my main focus is rainbow ponies 🙂 However, I have a huge love for detail. One great man said “Perfection is no small thing, but it is made up of small things.” But, my work can not be called perfect. Even now, after 8 years of work, I can confidently say that I make a ton of mistakes and am still learning.
I try to create cartoon characters with a level of detail that won’t make them realistic, but that will satisfy my inner perfectionist.
Usually, my creative process starts with inspiration that comes 100% from music. Even though I mostly work in the My Little Pony fandom, I can’t call myself a Brony. I am a real black metal dude to the core, and this is often seen in my work. I listen to very different music, but usually extremely heavy. Music is what inspires and energizes me. Without inspiration, it is better not to start working at all.
As soon as I am charged, I create an image in my head, something at the level of emotions and energy. Next comes the choice – start from scratch, or find an art that matches the image in my head and use it as a basis (It should be noted that I always contact the artists and get permission to work with their art Respect other people’s work!).
I won’t talk about the technical part because it’s a very big topic, instead, you can watch some videos on my YouTube channel where I try to show the process step by step.
The main thing is that the more complex the sculpture, the longer I take breaks between working sessions. Once I complete the figurine element, I give myself a few days off to look at the work with a clean eye. The first thing that catches the eye is where the error crept in. Only when I’m completely sure, do I bake the clay. This does not save me from all my mistakes, I often redo many elements of the “finished” work, but I think it’s good!
4. What is the most challenging aspect of working with polymer clay? How do you overcome these challenges?
Many people think that the hardest part of working with polymer clay is getting the surface smooth, but for me the hardest part is painting. I learned everything by myself, I never had mentors, and painting is the most challenging aspect for me mentally. When I paint a figurine, I always get the feeling that I don’t know what I’m doing. You can actually use colored clay and avoid painting, but I don’t specialize in this kind of clay, although I’ve seen people create really hyper-realistic things with it.
5. The hyper-realism in your sculptures is mind-blowing. Could you share a few tips for our readers interested in achieving similar realism in their work?
I spend a lot of time looking at drawings and filling folders with references. I believe that the dynamics in the work dominate the details. It is the dynamics that are responsible for realism. Even crudely created sketches, but with the right anatomy and understanding of movement, will look much cooler than the most detailed figure! By the way, I don’t think I’m good at it. I prefer to just do what I like and how I want, and often have no idea what the end result will be.
Here are a couple of commonplace tips that I can give.
- Pay close attention to the wireframe, the proportions of your work are the most important part of making it look realistic (I have often suffered from a hastily made wireframe).
- Frequently photograph your work in progress. This allows you to see what your eyes did not pay attention to. It’s really trivial, but it’s important and it works.
6. How have online platforms like TikTok changed or influenced your art and business?
I’m a pretty unknown artist, I don’t have a lot of followers on all my platforms. For 8 years of work, I did not even get ten thousand subscribers on YouTube. The reason is that I prefer crafting to blogging. However, I need an audience to sell my work, and social media is a must for any artist today. But aside from selling work, the main reason I make videos (very rarely but still) is because I see that it helps newcomers, and besides it’s fun!
As I said above, I did not have a teacher, no one wanted to help me. I want to become that person for those who chose handcraft instead of 3D. I try to answer every question in the comments that I see.
TikTok was a discovery for me because I did not expect my content to have at least some success there. However, now I have to read the thousands of comments I get there 😀 At the moment I am not able to post content on TikTok, but I still answer all the questions I get.
7. For beginners who want to start sculpting with polymer clay, what are your top 3 tips or pieces of advice?
Don’t be afraid to start. You don’t need expensive tools or materials, you can create sculptures from anything, and no one will stop you from changing materials when you’re ready for it. Try to combine different materials in your work, this will allow you to study the properties of materials and apply the right materials in the right place. It doesn’t have to be all clay.
I know it’s hard as hell, but don’t rush! I understand how you want to finish the work as soon as possible and show everyone. At the same time, do not try to do your best work for years to come. The next one will be better than the previous one.
Only work on characters that you like. You can’t do bad what you really love. If you see your mistake, don’t pity yourself! In no case! Be sure to redo your mistake, this will allow you to literally do two works instead of one at the same time, which means you learn 2 times faster.
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