HAVE you ever thought of picking up a new hobby or skill but just never got around to it? Or did you make a New Year’s resolution to learn something new and then promptly forgot about it?
Well, there are still several weeks left until the end of 2022, and there’s never a better time than now to explore and try something new, especially if you can have your loved ones join in.
There is an abundance of cooking and painting classes, short courses and workshops available; but perhaps it’s time to really challenge yourself
We’ve listed some of the things that are our own personal favourites, and are activities that you can easily try out at home.
Pottery
Start learning the ancient art of pottery if you fancy eating and drinking from your own mugs or plates. This art has been passed down through the generations, with various workshops available to teach the skills to a new generation.
Over the years, artisans have begun to experiment with the forms, designs, and functions of pottery through their own artistic skills and abilities. These days, people are getting more creative than ever with remarkable designs.
Potters from around the world have even embraced the digital age, with some showcasing their stunning creations through social media, including Instagram and TikTok.
Pottery classes are available around the Klang Valley. Clay Expression offers classes for beginners up to advanced learners. You can also try doing pottery at Good Times DIY Pottery Studio in Paradigm Mall in Kelana Jaya.
Cake decorating
Baking cakes has been a favourite pasttime for generations of home chefs with an oven, but these days you can find more and more people getting creative with how they present their creations.
Gone are the days of simple cream icing and cheap wafer flowers. These days, cakes are becoming more aesthetic, thanks to people being inspired by some of the professional creations seen on social media.
For cake lovers, we recommend learning Korean Buttercream Flower Piping skills, a cake decorating technique that creates a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
You can pick up this and other cake decoration techniques at Joyous Bakes at Bukit Jalil, where workshops and professional courses are available.
Paper flower making and dried flower arrangements
Craft beautiful paper flowers, which not only look realistic but can be turned into bouquets, table tops, or a wreath.
You can learn to make delicate blooms like roses, peonies, and poisentia, which are some of the more popular choices of paper flowers, at one of the workshops hosted by Evermore Flower (evermoreflower.com), a creative design studio founded by Soo Wai Yan.
Speaking of flowers, dried flower bouquets or flower arrangements are also becoming popular due to their longevity, and you can easily find flower arrangement and bouquet classes in the Klang Valley.
Terrarium workshop
Miniature terrariums are extremely popular among city dwellers living in condominiums and apartments.
Tiny garden or moss artworks are visually elegant, require little maintenance, and add a touch of greenery to any room.
Creating a mini garden in a glass jar requires certain skills, as well as the appropriate tools. You will also need to select plants based on their leaf size, texture and colour.
Button ferns, succulents and moss are just some of the popular plants, but you must also consider plant compatibility and decide if you want to add small figurines and decorative stones.
A terrarium workshop is open to the public on weekends at Mossarium Damansara Utama, where you can learn to create different types of terrarium gardens like a mini-forest, a tropical garden with various plants, a Zen garden, or a Japanese-style bonsai garden.
Watercolour calligraphy or brush lettering
Watercolour calligraphy is an artistic handwriting technique that uses calligraphy pens with nibs to create a thicker stroke at the bottom and a thinner stroke at the top.
Watercolors are used to create multicolour or light and dark colour effects on script-style handwriting. Various techniques are required to create various calligraphy styles.
Watercolour brush lettering necessitates contouring with water brush pens or paintbrushes for vibrant wording.
Once you have mastered the nuances of watercolour calligraphy or brush lettering, you can use the skill to write cards for weddings, birthdays, or corporate events.
Brush lettering and modern calligraphy classes are available on MyWeekendPlan, where you will learn about the various tools and techniques, basic strokes, alphabets, and wordings.
