Miniatures have always been a bit of a niche area. And one of the dominant niches was military miniatures. But the advent of dungeons and dragons and other role playing games has exploded the popularity of miniatures. Fantasy miniatures are now a very vibrant niche that is more popular than the military niche. Now there are significant miniatures in Fantasy, Military, Horror, Science Fiction and Game Players genres.
I have lots of tutorials, tips and guides on how to make all kinds of miniature stuff including how to sculpt them, make them out of balsa wood, paint them and much more.
CASTING MINIATURES
I take you through the whole process of making the mold then casting the miniature. I cast a miniature dwarf in a two part mold, includes videos.. How to cast two part rubber molds
PAINTING MINIATURES:
Tips and techniques for painting miniature subjects,- This tutorial for miniature painting starts here
SCULPTING MINIATURES
This is a very in-depth series of tutorials that take you through the whole process of sculpting your own fantasy miniatures. It includes a series of videos. How to Sculpt Fantasy Miniatures
Easy waterfalls and diorama water with Elmer's Clear glue gels
In this tutorial I make Ponce de Leon and the Fountain of Youth. But the real thing about this is the various water effects you can make with the new Elmer's Clear Glue Gels. We make a Waterfall, brook, fountain and pond. Easy Water effects Diorama
A look at Alisha's Miniatures Alisha has been making miniatures for 50 years! Yup! And she figures she has made about 80,000 miniatures! Wow! She has some outstanding tips and techniques to share with us. Check it all out right here: Alisha's Miniatures
Monster High Alchemy lab
A web visitor modifies and decorates Monster High Dolls and has created a wonderful Alchemy lab diorama for them. She shows us some excellent techniques for making miniature things including an alchemy book and stained glass windows. The Monster High Alchemy Lab Diorama
New: Working with 3d Printed miniatures
3d printed minis have really come a long way. You can now buy them or have them easily printed up for you (Without having a printer). I take a look at them, how to get them printed, how to paint them and much more including lighting them up with an LED. Working with 3d printed miniatures (These are the minis that go in the dungeon project.)
New: Make a Dungeon Diorama with 3d Printed Miniatures
I show you some great techniques for making a dungeon diorama which is also good for table top gaming. I also have some 3d printed minatures in this diorama. Make a Dungeon Diorama
How to make a Miniature House
Fun project and it all is very suited for making dollhouses too. This is foamboard at its best! And this tutorial includes a youtube video. How to Make a miniature house.
How to Make Miniature trees from Household materials
Miniature trees are expensive. But I have a nice alternative. You can make them with three materials: Brown paper, a kitchen sponge and glue. And they come out great. Make Miniature Trees
How to Sculpt a Miniature
In this tutorial I show you step by step how to sculpt a neat little fantasy miniature. I make a battlemage. I show you everything including the armature and the materials to use. How to Sculpt a Miniature BattleMage
Tutorial series: How to sculpt fantasy miniatures
This is a very in-depth series of tutorials that take you through the whole process of sculpting your own fantasy miniatures. It includes a series of videos. How to Sculpt Fantasy Miniatures
Tutorial on Painting Miniatures : The Spartan Warrior; This miniature is a series of spartans for the 300 Diorama. - This tutorial for miniature painting starts here
Make a Metal Earth Himeji Castle
Fun little metal kit you can buy. It is a replica of Himeji Castle in Japan. Make a Miniature Himeji Castle
The Viking
There are lots of great resin miniatures out there. Some you can paint, some you assemble and paint. But one thing you can do is modify them and improve them. This is what Steve has done with this resin miniature of a viking: The Viking Miniature
Make a DragonBone Sword Necklace
Fun Polymer Clay Project and a nice gift for the upcoming Valentine's Day. Of course I give you the template.
Make a DragonBone Sword Necklace
Painting Plastic Soldiers
A web visitor (Randy) has been having a lot of fun painting plastic soldiers. He gives us tips and techniques on how to do it. This really breathes life into those inexpensive soldiers we all know . How to Paint Plastic Soldiers
Make a miniature Roman Gladius Letter Opener
This is an easy little project and I even give you the template which makes it super fast to do. Make a miniature Roman Gladius
Make a miniature haunted house in a trick or treat bag
Fun and creative project. How about putting a diorama inside your trick or treat bag. You have never seen this idea! Video is on my youtube channel right here. Lots of cute miniature stuff in this tutorial including skull candle holders, tables, a mirror and more. I also have a web tutorial for it here
A look at some Courtenay-Greenhill Miniatures
A small company in the UK run by the Greenhill siblings puts out a wonderful collection of miniatures. I have pictures from the private collection of a web visitor (Glenn) Check them out here.
Sculpting Smaug from the Hobbit
A web visitor (Giorgio) has created a diorama of the hobbit scene where Bilbo meets Smaug on the pile of gold. He has given us lots of pictures and explained step-by-step how he made it. He has also included step by step instructions with pics on how he sculpted the dragon Smaug. If you love miniature sculpting you have got to check it out right here: Sculpting Smaug
Make miniature birds
This is a quick and easy tutorial on how to make tiny little birds with just a few basic supplies like air dry crayola clay or FIMO How to Make miniature birds
Make a cheap and easy spray booth for painting your miniatures and models
You just need a few basic supplies and a small computer fan and you are have yourself a nice little spray booth. This terrific project was submitted by a web visitor. How to make a cardboard Spray paint booth.
Make miniature tents out of home made paper
There are few things as rewarding as making your own paper. But the beautiful thing about it is that it can also be formed into shapes. In this tutorial I show you how to make paper and form it into miniature tents. We use them for the Storm The Castle diorama. Make miniature tents
Make a Tiny Miniature Rose
This is a fun little project to make a tiny rose with crepe paper and a bit of wire. How to make a miniature rose
A look at casting metal miniatures. Some ideas and thoughts with a video showing me casting some miniatures in metal. Casting Metal Miniatures
How to make a miniature army (I make lizard warriors) I show you the complete process from start with an idea and a drawing to making a whole bunch of them (as many as you want), This is an overview that explains all the steps including, wire armature, sculpting the master, making the rubber mold, and making all the miniatures. How to make a miniature army
How to Make a Miniature Ladder: This is an easy tutorial on how to make an old fashioned wooden ladder. The kind an adventurer might run across in a dungeon. All it takes is a little balsa wood and string. How to make a miniature ladder
Tutorial: How to cast a miniature fantasy figure in a two part rubber mold. I take you through the whole process of making the mold then casting the miniature. The picture here shows the original dwarf and the group of duplicates I made. How to cast two part rubber molds
Tutorial: How to Cast Miniatures - This is a nice tutorial on how to duplicate miniatures. In the first tutorial I show you exactly how to make a copy of a small and not too complex original like this treasure chest. Casting Miniatures is a lot of fun and not hard at all. How to Cast Miniatures I cast two different treasure chests.
How to Sculpt a miniature treasure chest. A treasure chest is a great first project to learn how to sculpt because it is very easy. You can get a good feel for the modelling putty. In this tutorial I sculpt three different chests and show you some techniques. I also use these chests as part of a Casting Miniatures tutorial. How to Sculpt a Miniature Treasure Chest
Tutorial: How to sculpt a miniature dwarf. A dwarf is a great first project because their body is easy to make. Their thick limbs and short size make them easy for beginner sculptors. See some pics and get some tips here: Sculpting a Miniature Dwarf
The sculpted miniature Hoplite
Kaz has sculpted the miniature figure to go with all the armor he made. It came out terrific. Check the pictures out here
Make a Miniature Greek helmet with Flourish
Here is another great miniature project made by Kaz. It looks amazing! Make a miniature helmet
Make a Miniature Cuirass (BreastPlate)
Here is another great miniature project made by Kaz. It looks amazing! Make a miniature Cuirass
Make a Miniature Sword (Xiphos greek sword)
This is one terrific little project submitted by a web visitor (Kaz).The sword is about 4 1/4 inches long and actually steel! Wow, This is a whole lot of fun and it looks fantastic! Might even be combat ready because he hardened and tempered it! Make a Miniature Sword
Sculpt a miniature Arthur (Sword in the Stone)
Here's a fun tutorial based around The Sword in the Stone. For this tutorial, we sculpted a miniature of Arthur pulling the sword from the stone. Sculpt a miniature Arthur It is part of a diorama.
Make a miniature anvil
This little anvil is simply a piece of carved foam. Yup! so is the stump. This is part of a stop motion animation set. You can see the tutorial on how to make it here. You can watch the animation too.
Make miniature fruits and vegetables along with a a fruit stand and cart!
This is a fun little tutorial that shows you how to improvise a whole bunch of good looking fruits and vegetables using stuff found around the house. This is part of the medieval village diorama. Make Miniature fruits and vegetables
Make a miniature medieval helmet
This is a fun little project that I did for a stop motion animation film. It's a tiny medieval helmet with horns that fits on a stop motion figure. Make a miniature helmet
Miniature Medieval Furniture
This is a whole Medieval Estate with the buiding and lots of miniature furniture. Lot of fun and just uses some cloth and some balsa wood. You can get real creative and make some fun stuff. Miniature Medieval Furniture
Cigar Box Castle Miniature stuff
This is a fun and very creative project. Just a cigar box and a little imagination, bits of foam, balsa wood, toothpicks and clay. All kinds of miniature stuff can be made for this project. Right here
Creating Miniature Stained Glass Windows
The ones I make are actually 14 inches in height so I wouldn't say they were strictly miniature but you can use this technique to make very small stained glass windows and we use clear plastic rather than glass. Pretty easy to do and they look great How to make a miniature stained glass window
Making a Miniature Treasure chest
I have a tutorial on how to sculpt a treasure chest out of hardening clay and even how to cast duplicates of it. (that tutorial is further down this page).But you might not want to sculpt in clay. Its a lot easier to carve a cut a piece of foma to make a great looking treasure chest. Here is the tutorial.
How to create realistic miniature chainmail armor
Here is a quick and easy way to make great looking chainmail. I make it for a knight's suit of armor. Comes out great: Make miniature chainmail
Sculpting miniature barrels and crates for the medieval village diorama
I show you the complete process to make lots of miniature objects including how to sculpt, how to make rubber molds and how to cast them in plastic. Sculpting/casting barrels and crates
How to Sculpt a miniature Raver and Gegenhound These are two figures from my novel. Its a fun project and It shows you some of the basics of how to sculpt a miniature both four legged and two legged. How to Sculpt a Miniature Gegenhound and Raver
How to Make Miniature Christmas Presents
With a few simple materials you can make some terrific looking miniature christmas presents. Wire, paper and more. I show you how. And don't just make square presents you can make envelopes, bags and more. How to make miniature Christmas Presents
Getting acrylic paints to look more realistic
Acrylic paints are cheap and easy to use. But, they can make your miniatures look cartoonish and anime because the colors are so bright. THere is a technique for getting acrylics to look better. And a recommendation for some citadel paints that are designed to do this. Getting a realistic look out of acrylics
Miniature Roman Warship
Here is a look at a miniature model Roman Warship built by a web visitor (Marshall). My thanks to him for submitting this.
A model like this is a great place to start if you are interested in miniatures. The Roman Warship Model
Make a Miniature Statue
The important thing is what to use as a finish so you get that marble statue look. This is a tutorial giving you a look at how to make a miniature statue, how I sculpted it and what I used for a finish.
Make a Medieval Peasant's House The First Tutorial in a new diorama series on making a medieval village diorama- It has that nice stucco and beam look that were popular in the Middle ages and there are a few nice extras like a unique thatched roof, a flower pot under the window and a short stone base. How to Make a Medieval Peasant's House
Making a Miniature Set for a Stop Motion Animation
I created a complete one room set with furniture to shoot a video sequence for the DragonSlayer series of Videos. This is a tutorial showing you how I made it and how you can put together a good looking miniature set cheaply and easily. Making a Miniature Set for your animation (Note: This is in my Stop Motion Animation Section)
Sculpting a miniature beehive This is a fun and easy project that only takes an hour. Just a few pieces of balsa wood and some paint are all you need to make this miniature beehive
User submitted miniatures: Here are a couple of miniatures made by a web visitor (Igor) An interesting thing about these minis is the use of a new type of clay (Beolin Plus) It stays soft while you are working on it and you can harden it by boiling it! Which is pretty terrific. See more pics and learn more about the clay here: Igor's miniatures with Beolin Plus
Sculpting miniatures using Talc
Talc is a soft stone that is pretty easy to sculpt yet hard enough for miniatures. Here are some tips and pictures from a web visitor on how to sculpt using talc or engineers chalk.
How to sculpt a miniature Sphinx. In this tutorial which includes a video I show you how to sculpt a miniature and I do a sphinx.
I have sculpted two new miniatures (Jack, and a Giant) These are for a diorama called "Jack and the Beanstalk". I show you some of th process of how to do sculpt miniatures and I use Greenstuff for Jack and Super Sculpey for the Giant (shown in the pic) Sculpting Jack and the Giant I call this a miniature Giant but that is a bit of an oxymoron! Since when is a giant only 4 inches tall?
Making miniature buildings - Here are some pictures of buildings for a diorama. They are for the colonial period but can just as well be used for medieval work. Pretty amazing and I also have a tutorial on how to make some amazing bricks in miniature.
This is a great project submitted by a web visitor (C.Garrett). It is a really neat and creative idea. You start with the model of a dragon and you modify it by painting, adding materials and replacing/rebuilding the wings out of stained glass! Nice! See more pics and tips here: Make a Stained Glass Dragon
This is a tutorial created by the good people over at Kraftmark. They make the ProCreate that I like so much. This tutorial shows you how to make a great looking miniature hedge maze for wargaming or just for show. The Maze of Maddness
I have a whole new miniature section on WW2 Miniatures, How to make the models and paint the miniatures. Sherman Tank, Tiger Tank and more. This is all part of an upcoming how to make a WW2 tank Diorama. WW2 Miniatures
Polymer Clay fairy miniatures are very popular, and very beautiful. A guest artist has submitted to me a pic of his work and some great tips on improvising materials if you are going to sculpt your own fairy miniatures. Check it out here: Sculpting Polymer Clay Fairies
Making Fantasy Miniatures with Cernit: Here are some pictures and tips from a web visitor (Nicholas W.)who uses Cernit to make fantasy miniatures like wizards, warriors and more. Cernit has some great properties and stays soft forever until you bake it. You can also work it after its baked. See the fantasy miniatures Nick has sculpted and learn more about Cernit here
New Tutorial on how to use foam to make wargaming terrain or a diorama. This tutorial, which includes a video, shows you types of foam, good and bad foam, the tools used, including regular tools and hot wire tools. And it shows you the process for making terrain from foam. The project shown here is completely made out of foam -castle and all. How to use foam to make wargaming terrain and dioramas
Here are some pictures of a Lord of the Rings type miniature that a web visitor has sent in. Check out larger pictures here and if you sculpt miniatures I would love to get pictures so I can post them here to my website.
Understanding the Scale of miniatures. I have an easy to understand explanation of the various scales of miniatures and how you can use them in your dioramas. Miniature Scale
Check out some great miniature sculptures created by a guest sculptor. See more of his work and read some of his tips on sculpting miniatures here: Miniature Cat and Mouse Sculptures
So you want to sculpt your own miniatures but don't even know where to start. Here is an easy overview of the clays you use to make miniatures. This is a good place to start. You will get an understanding of what the stuff is all about. So you want to sculpt your own miniatures?
How to Make realistic Miniature Trees - This tutorial (with a video) shows you how to make great looking miniature trees. The focus here is on using clay to sculpt the trunk. Make realistic Miniature trees
Going through some stuff in the basement I stumbled across a box full of Ral Partha Miniatures. Nice find! The company went out of business years ago but these miniatures are still available on ebay. See a larger pic of my miniatures and check out some ebay listings. Ral Partha Miniatures
: A Spectacular Wall Diorama for a Miniature Dungeon Scene. This is a fantastic project and something like this is often called a shadowbox. In this series of tutorials I take you through the whole process of making the box, mounting it on the wall and then designing and making the scenery that goes inside. Looking for a spectacular way to show off your miniatures? The Spectacular wall diorama for your miniatures.
Castle inside a lightbulb diorama
Miniatures often go hand in hand with dioramas and they are especially nice when the diorama is very small. Here is a nice tutorial complete with video. This is a creative little diorama that has a castle and a dragon right inside the lightbulb. I also show you how to add a tiny light to the tower of the castle and the easy way to hollow out the light bulb. Lightbulb Diorama
The 300 Diorama - The latest tutorial on miniature painting (above) uses a spartan warrior. I painted this warrior and others for my 300 diorama depicting the battle of thermopylae. You can see that diorama project here and see how I made it and how you can make a big diorama like this too. 300 Diorama It has a sound system and lights too!
Painting Miniatures Tutorial Here is the basic tutorial on how to paint miniatures. It assumes you are an absolute beginner and teaches you all the tricks and techniques you need to know in order to do some fantastic painting. Your miniatures are going to look great! This tutorial also shows you the tools, paints and supplies you should have.
Make a Shadowbox to Show off Your Miniatures - This is a great project. You build a small dungeon under glass and mount it right on the wall. The Tutorial uses a group of female warriors. It looks great.
Make a Fantasy diorama for your Miniatures - This is a very popular tutorial. It takes you through all the steps to make a terrific diorama for your miniatures. It looks very realistic. |
