One of Ceres’ old works known as Imaginative was an exploration into a world within layers of papers and colours, carefully drawn and cut to create the effect.
Never give up on your dreams.
That is a mantra most people would live by but for designer Ceres Lau Sin Yee, it is more than just a slogan. In fact, it is the very essence of her life and her passion for the arts, fuelled by encouragement and love from her late father.
“Dad had always been my inspiration. He is the reason why I’m still going on. Regardless of what people throw at me, I will always remember what he had done and said.
“He was always telling me how hard his life was, how he never got to do what he loved. When I said I wanted to study arts, a lot of people were like, what are you doing? That’s suicide, a waste of money!
“However, Dad said if I was really serious about what I wanted to do and if I thought I could do it, then he would support me all the way. It was Dad who made sure I continued my studies in London to get the exposure despite our difficult times and his illness,” she shared with thesundaypost recently.
A closer view of the sape on Ceres’ Promoting Malaysia project.
The 23-year-old dreamed of opening a shop to spread the love for arts and paper crafts which she believed is something very underrated here.
“I wish to be a professional paper artist, fusing paper crafts into design and advertising. I would want paper as my primary medium to work with.
“I have a long way to go before achieving my dream but I’m definitely not giving up on it. I hope to be recognised and respected in this profession because many people have tried to put it down as a useless industry.
“I think to achieve something in life, we should never let others bring us down with their words. Don’t lose focus of your dream because it is up to you to keep it going. If you have a dream, you have to protect it,” she said.
Ceres enjoying playtime with her handsome beagle Conan at home.
Ceres’ love for paper crafts started when she was doing her Foundation in Design at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology.
“One of the assignments involved paper but because the industry here is always stressing on digital works, I never really ventured deeper into it until my final year in London.
“That was the time I started moving out of my comfort zone and explored more about papers. My lecturer over there encouraged me to do what I love instead of what I’m bound to do.
“After the first paper-based assignment, I began to explore more complex designs. I remember creating a set of movable paper toys, which got short-listed into a national arts and design competition. That was something I did not see coming. It was the starting point of everything.
“For me, paper crafts are something you can express yourself in freely. You can cut and glue, bend and fold, almost anything can be done using paper,” she added.
Ceres uses flat papers to create a project that promotes Malaysian culture while she was in London.
Ceres loves challenging herself to see what she is capable of – which is why she is constantly experimenting and exploring different styles and techniques in paper crafts.
“It can be layering, cutting, folding and quilling. I’m trying to explore more of paper quilling at the moment. I have done a piece of paper quilling work for an exhibition just recently. That was one of the most challenging piece of work I have done, to date. It requires so much patience, concentration and time.
“I work mostly with flat-surfaced papers because I love testing out and making textures out of plain papers.
Work in progress for the paper quilling piece now on display at Lov Gallery.
“Brands such as Daler Rowney’s Canford series and Canson are among my favourites as they do not bleed when glued. Actually, materials for paper crafts are quite hard to find here. I tried to find the colours, texture and weight I needed but it is always a headache. I have to travel to Kuala Lumpur for the supplies or buy them online.
“Sometimes, I would ask friends in Singapore or the United Kingdom to help me search for the papers I need,” she revealed.
Paper crafts have made Ceres see things differently as a designer and approach projects with more creativity.
“I think we don’t always have to stick to digital designs only. I love to be hands-on with every project I approach. The reason behind this is that I feel it helps me learn and gain more experience. It gives the project more life and more of my personality.
“I always try to be as original as possible but I would still look at others’ works as reference and from there, create different styles of my own. I always strive for creativity and perfection. I hope that shows in my works,” she explained.
Toys made out of paper.
She is inspired by her two favourite paper artists – Yulia Brodskaya and a French duo known as Zim and Zou.
“They have been my inspirations for years. I find their detailed paper works very interesting. I can spend hours just admiring and observing their works which are crazy in every way but superb at the same time,” she enthused.
Ceres now has one piece of artwork on display at an exhibition, organised by LOV Gallery at Jalan Padungan.
It is an intricate piece made of quilled papers with a short but strong message on Love.
“I was actually planning on exhibiting two pieces of artworks but paper crafts require a lot of time – from designing and sketching to choosing the right papers and colours. The process took me weeks to a month – it was definitely out of my expectation. In the end, I only managed to complete one out of two but it was totally worth it.
“My former lecturer approached me to take part in the exhibition. I’m glad to have been involved as it inspired me to do things beyond my ordinary reach. It pushed me to produce something I couldn’t even think I could make.
“I hope through the exhibition, people will get to know more about the art of papers and using papers in design. I hope they will see how a piece of plain paper with some glue and a tweezer can produce wonders,” she noted.
Patience and concentration is much needed to produce a piece of artwork using papers.
When Ceres is not working on her paper crafts, she will still take the time to try her hands on other kinds of Do-It-Yourself crafts.
“Besides that, reading and gaming have been among my favourite pastimes ever since I was little. If I’m not doing these, I will be outdoors playing with my dogs.”
She may be leading an ordinary life right now but the spunky designer is determined to live life to the fullest, undaunted by naysayers.
“Don’t ever let someone convince you that only a certain career path or a certain lifestyle will make you successful in life. If it’s not something you truly want yourself or something you truly feel in your heart, then it’s all wrong and not something you should be doing.
“I’m not saying don’t listen to other people’s suggestions but in the end, you will still have to listen to that voice in your heart. It will never be an easy journey but it will always lead you to the right place,” she said.