Yap Swee Cheng discovered diving in 2008 and since then, she has travelled from Sipadan Island in Malaysia to South Africa, the Galapagos Islands and California in the US, enjoying and exploring the world beneath the waves.
“I love the ocean and I absolutely enjoy scuba diving. I have a soft spot for sea life and they always inspire me,” said Yap, who has swum with whale sharks in Indonesia, dolphins in South Africa and watched turtles in Sipadan. She also adores hammerhead sharks!
Passionate about sea creatures, Yap even ventured into underwater photography, capturing everything from ribbon eels to sharks. But it was sea slugs, or nudibranchs, that captivated her heart due to their small size and striking beauty, and led to a love for all things tiny.
“I love to take photographs of small things that are hard to see with the naked eye. I use a camera with a close-up lens to capture these colourful and beautiful sea slugs. They are so amazing, fascinating and very cute,” said Yap excitedly.
From sea to sculptures
It was also sea slugs that sparked her interest in sculpting miniature versions of sea creatures, and she translated her love for marine life into tiny sculptures.
“There are more than 3,000 sea slug species. An endless number of sea slugs to create, and I love sculpting,” said the self-taught artist.
She dove into creating tiny things when a fellow scuba diver and an underwater photographer requested her to sculpt nudibranchs.
Yap began to experiment by crafting little replicas of nudibranchs before expanding her designs to include whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, seahorses and orcas, which she turned into earrings and pendants.
“One thing led to another and
Tiny Imaginarium (Instagram page @tinyimaginarium) was born in 2016. Initially, it started as a hobby and eventually, it became a full-time job after I realised there was a demand,” said Yap, who was then a Facilities and Operations manager for a visual effects and animation studio in Singapore.
“When I first started making (trinkets), I designed them for myself and made what I would like to wear but couldn’t find in the market.”
Her delicate creations are adorable and unique. The seahorses look realistic, with vibrant colour combinations while the shark and manta ray earrings are simply cute. But the most intriguing ones are the pretty pendants, intricate with all things beautiful, like a little aquarium.
Made with love
“Most of the pieces are made with polymer clay or resin, or with both. The polymer clay pieces are hand-sculpted and painted with acrylic paints, while the process of making resin pieces is longer as it has to be first sculpted with polymer clay. Then, a special mould is created for the resin. The miniature sculpture is placed inside the mould before it is filled with resin,” she said.
The pieces are created over a few days. Sometimes, a few weeks, depending on the intricacy of the idea and it can be very challenging to make just one piece.
“The challenge is to capture all the details in a tiny piece of art. I love making miniature seahorses and snails and then putting them together, in (an underwater sea landscape).”
“My ideas stem from what inspires me at a particular moment. It could be a beautiful photo or art or even a nature documentary. I am always exploring different designs and techniques. Everything is handmade and that makes each one unique. Most of my creations are made in limited quantities,” she said.
