Lyka Mae Aya-ay’s miniature version of the famous ube cheese pandesal. | Contributed Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Have you seen miniature versions of your favorite snacks or meals?
Lyka Mae Aya-ay, a physical therapist from Barangay Cogon Ramos in Cebu City, spends her free time making miniatures of her favorite food from polymer clay.
And she posts photos of her works on her Instagram page to also share her craft with others who may share her interest and those who appreciate her work.
“I wasn’t exposed to work done by other miniaturists. I just knew that I wanted to make handcrafted things and I gravitated towards making food because I get to use more colors and play with different textures,” said Aya-ay who works at the Cebu Velez General Hospital in Cebu City.
Aya-ay, 25, said that she has been an art lover since she was a kid. She was fond of doing sketches then. She started her interest in miniature art in 2012 and has been working on whatever would interest her since.
Sometimes, she would get inspiration from her friends.
Aya-ay recalled an instance when a friend asked her to do miniature earings.
While most of her works are done as a hobby, she would also sometimes accept orders for a fee to especially cover for the cost of the materials that she uses.
Aya-ay said that doing miniature art is not as easy as it looks.
“The medium is called polymer clay. Back then I struggled to look for materials here in Cebu because people usually order it from overseas,” she said.
Doing the actual work is also time-consuming, she said.
“The amount of time really varies. When I’m trying out new things, it requires a lot of trial and error. If the piece is simple, I can finish it in one sitting. For more complicated pieces, it takes me days to finish,” she added.
But she is always ready to take on the challenge. / dcb
Take a look at some of Aya-ay’s works:
Famous breakfast food combo.
Burger, anyone?
In for some Japanese food?
Pies and cake goodness!