Going through the fast-paced routine of work-life can be very mundane. To take your mind off stress while remaining productive at the same time, art therapy has proven to bring benefits to your mental health, such as reducing anxiety and improving your quality of life.
However, when it comes to art workshops in Singapore, a single 3-hour session can cause a dent in your wallet. Additionally, the time limit can make you feel pressured to complete your work — which can defeat the purpose of destressing in the first place.
If you’re on the lookout for a budget-friendly and relaxing art therapy session, we’ve broken down the types of crafts you can do at home and the cost of materials required instead. Now you can comfortably let your creative juices flow at your own time and pace.
From art studios to cafes, art jamming workshops are widely offered all around Singapore. The creative freedom to paint whatever you want on a blank canvas is both relaxing and refreshing. Grab your BFFs and turn this into a bonding session — extra cost is also saved through sharing common materials like paint and paintbrushes.
Materials required:
Canvas: From $3.50 for a 10×14 inch canvas
Acrylic paint: From $12.06 for an acrylic paint set
Paintbrushes: From $3.69 for a paintbrush set of 6
Total cost to do at home: From $20
Started as a Tiktok trend for anime fans, glass painting is the newest art idea to bring senpai to life. As the “canvas” you’re working on is transparent, print out an inverted picture of your favourite character and trace it over with a marker on the glass sheet.
Paint the drawing out layer by layer, starting with shadows and highlights first, followed by overlapping solid colours. Refer to this tutorial on Youtube for a more in-depth guide to glass painting.
Local Instagram store @glasspaintingkits also offers a range of anime and K-pop designs with paint-by-numbers kits starting from $16.90.
Tip for beginners: if you’re afraid of handling fragile glass, opt for an acrylic plastic sheet instead.
Materials required:
Glass or acrylic sheet: From $11.90 for a glass frame or $3.40 for a 30x30cm acrylic sheet
Marker: From $2.50 for a Posca Extra Fine black marker
Acrylic paint: From $12.06 for an acrylic paint set
Paintbrushes: From $3.69 for a paintbrush set of 6
Total cost to do at home: From $16.90 for the paint-by-numbers kit or from $22 if you buy the materials individually.
If you’re bored at home and want to create something chio and feminine, embroidery might be suitable for you. From basic sewing techniques to fancy flower stitches, there are many tutorials on Youtube to refer to while you embark on your journey.
Besides practising on embroidery hoops, progress further to embroider pillows, shirts and bags for your loved ones. Shopee also offers embroidery kits with everything you need from $3.50.
Materials required:
Fabric: From $13 for sewing cloth
Embroidery hoop: From $8 for a 3 pack embroidery hoop set
Thread: From $1 per colour for cotton thread
Needles: From $3.25 for a set of stitch needles
Total cost to do at home: From $3.50 for the embroidery kit or from $25 if you buy the materials individually.
Resin art is the process of creating homeware items like keychains, bowls and jewellery out of epoxy resin. Epoxy resin comes in 2 parts to mix together, consisting of the resin and hardener.
For those who are unfamiliar, epoxy resin is a liquid substance that can solidify to form a product through pouring into moulds. Expand the aesthetics of your items through making use of decorative items like flowers, glitters and gold pieces into your moulds. Check out this Youtube tutorial on how to use epoxy resin.
Tip for beginners: normal epoxy resin cures without any aids but UV resin can only cure under UV light. If you’re working on smaller projects, UV resin is more suitable.
Materials required:
Epoxy resin and hardener: From $21.90 for 1kg of epoxy resin and hardener
Silicone mould: From $16 for a jewellery silicone mould
Tools: From $16 for a resin tool kit
Resin dye: From $3.99 per colour of dye
Total cost to do at home: From $31.33 for the DIY resin kit or from $54 if you buy the materials individually.
Scented candles are not just aesthetically pleasing as room decor, but their fragrances are known to reduce stress. Boil the soy wax down in a pot and add your desired fragrance to it. Then, let the mixture cool and pour it into your candle jar with a candlewick. You can get DIY candle-making kits on Shopee with everything you need included.
Customise the candle by adding flower petals or make use of crayons to add a pop of colour. If you’re feeling romantic, you can even hide surprise gifts such as rings inside the wax to give bae a lovely surprise. Find a full beginner’s guide to candle-making on Youtube.
Tip for beginners: hold your candle wick upright using a pair of disposable chopsticks so that it won’t shift around while pouring the liquid wax.
Materials required:
Candle-making soy wax: From $12 for 100g of wax
Candle wicks: From $7 for a pack of candle wicks
Fragrance oil: From $6.90 for 10ml of fragrance oil
Heat-proof candle jar: From $3.40 for a candle jar
Total cost to do at home: From $29.90 for a candle-making kit or from $29 if you buy the materials individually.
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If you can’t decide between art jamming and embroidery, embroidered canvas art offers the best of both worlds. This simple and fun idea can add a splash of personality to any minimalist’s home.
First, paint your desired background colours and trace out your drawing. Punch holes along the lines of your drawing and thread your needle through them with a basic running stitch. You can refer to the hashtag #embroideredcanvas on Tiktok for tutorials and inspiration.
This art idea is suitable for kids as well, since it’s easy to do. If you want to take it to the next level, Tiktok users have also been using LED light instead of thread to make the drawing glow.
Materials required:
Canvas: From $3.50 for a 10×14 inch canvas
Thread: From $1 per colour for cotton thread
Needles: From $3.25 for a set of stitch needles
Acrylic paint: From $12.06 for an acrylic paint set
Total cost to do at home: From $24
Though it may look like embroidery at first glance, punch needle is a needlework that is more similar to rug hooking. Instead of a sewing needle, the artist is required to have a punch tool to “punch” threads of yarn into the fabric. This gives your artwork a floofy texture that is adorably soft to the touch. Shopee offers a range of punch needle kits in kawaii designs from $3.11.
For visual guidance, head over to Youtube for a beginner’s tutorial.
Materials required:
Punch needle tool: From $21 for a punch needle set
Yarn: From $4 per colour for 50g of yarn
Fabric: From $13 for sewing cloth
Embroidery hoop: From $8 for a 3 pack embroidery hoop set
Total cost to do at home: From $3.11 for the punch needle kit or from $46 if you buy the materials individually.
The satisfaction of kneading into the soft and gooey texture of slime took off in 2016, with many young adults starting their own slime business and ASMR videos. Slime art remains as popular as ever, including many variations such as fluffy, metallic and crunchy slimes.
Though there is a variety of chio slimes being sold online, making your own is simple since it’s basically just zhng-ed up glue. Slime making kits by Elmer’s, a glue brand that’s safe for kids, can also be found online and in Popular Singapore stores. Don’t forget to add decorative items like beads, foam balls and sequins to give your slime more texture.
Most of the time, getting the right ratio of glue and activator requires a lot of trial and error, but you can head over to Youtube for a quick tutorial. Tip for beginners: make use of shaving foam to make your slime extra fluffy!
Materials required:
Liquid glue: From $7.12 for 147ml of clear glue
Contact lens solution or activator: From $9.75 for Elmer’s Magical Liquid
Total cost to do at home: from $15.90 for the slime making kit or from $16 if you buy the materials individually
Polymer clay earrings are made from oven-baked clay to create affordable and unique jewellery pieces. As clay is easily malleable and versatile, you’re free to experiment with any type of shape and design when creating your own earrings.
After moulding your desired shapes, create holes for your earrings and place them on a baking sheet. Place them in the oven according to the direction of the polymer clay package. Lastly, allow them to cool before trying them on to complete your chic OOTD look.
Don’t worry about imperfection when creating these — that’s exactly what will make your handmade earrings all the more special. For more in-depth tutorials and inspiration, head over to Tiktok or Youtube. Amazon also offers a polymer clay starter kit that’s perfect for beginners.
Materials required:
Polymer clay: From $3.50 for oven-bake polymer clay
Earring hooks and rings: From $2.29 for 50 pieces of earring hooks
Moulds and tools: From $15 for a clay tool starter set
Total cost to do at home: from $15 for the polymer clay starter kit or from $20 if you buy the materials individually.
Gone are the days where crocheting is known as an ah ma hobby, especially since Olympic diver Tom Daley showed off his adorable handmade works on his Instagram page. Similar to knitting, crocheting involves the use of a crochet hook to make comfy clothing, blankets and even stuffed toys.
Crocheting requires a lot of time and patience, but the outcome of seeing the finished product is always rewarding. Check out Youtube to learn basic crocheting techniques as well as how to make different products. Shopee also offers crochet tool sets from $12.39 for beginners.
Materials required:
Crochet hooks: From $4.50 for a crochet hook set
Yarn: From $4 per colour for 50g of yarn
Total cost to do at home: From $12.39 for the crochet tool set or from $8.50 if you buy the materials individually.
There’s no need for advanced bookings that will break a hole in your wallet when you can get these art materials yourself to try out at home. Jio your girlfriends over for a fun art therapy session over the weekend to unwind and recharge for a new week ahead.
If you’re looking for more ways to destress, discover 7 self-care outing ideas to spend a well-deserved day-off with your BFFs here.
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