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  • CLAY TO CHARACTER

    • July 16 to July 17, 2026
    CLAY TO CHARACTER - Sculpt Your Story!

    The Department of Animation & Visual Effects at Yeldo Mar Baselios College proudly presented "Clay to Character," a two-day hands-on sculpting workshop held on 16 and 17 July 2026 in the Creative Den. Led by Mr. Sunil Kumar P, Faculty Head at Westford Institute of Film Technology, the workshop invited final-year students to explore the tactile foundations of character design by transforming raw clay into expressive three-dimensional personalities. Mr. Sunil emphasized on a practice-first approach; short demonstrations followed by hands-on sculpting time and personalized feedback. Students worked on individual armatures using clay and basic sculpting tools provided by the department. Instruction included quick checkpoints to ensure structural integrity for future digital scanning or moulding, and tips on photographing sculptures for portfolios and showreels. Over two intensive days, participants learned fundamental and advanced modelling techniques that bridge traditional sculpting and contemporary character art. Sessions covered proportion study, armature building, facial anatomy, gesture and expression, surface detailing, and finishing methods. Mr. Sunil combined live demonstrations with step-by-step guidance, encouraging iterative sculpting and problem-solving suited to animation and VFX workflows. Students described the workshop as energizing and transformative. Many noted that working with clay helped them think more three-dimensionally and solve proportion challenges more intuitively than purely digital methods. Several final-year students shared their experiences that accelerated their learning, enabling them to refine expressions and surface detail within a short timeframe. The sessions also fostered collaborative learning and sharpened visual communication skills. This techniques taught them how it's applicable to character development pipelines in animation, stop-motion, VFX, and prop-making. Students left with improved sculpting confidence, a clearer workflow for creating physical maquettes, and practical advice for converting physical sculpts into digital assets for rigging and animation. As the final session closed, the Creative Den buzzed with new confidence. Students walked away not only with stronger technical skills but with a renewed belief in their creative instincts and the power of making. These sculptures are more than class projects - they are the first physical steps toward characters that will move audiences, shape narratives, and bring ideas to life on screen. Equipped with practical workflows for turning tactile sculpts into digital assets, our final-year animators are ready to lead projects, collaborate across disciplines, and contribute bold, original work to the animation and VFX industries. This workshop proved that when curiosity is paired with craft, learning becomes creation and creation becomes impact. We look forward to seeing these students transform clay into characters that tell unforgettable stories and leave a mark on the world of visual storytelling.



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