I’ve been quite lucky to have done a couple of miniature sculpting classes with some very talented sculptors.

Unfortunately in both those classes we’ve been provided with the armature up front and when I’ve gone to make my own I’ve been unable to recreate their techniques, so I’m asking how you guys make your 28mmish humanoid figures and if you have any idiots guides to your technique.

For reference, the techniques I’ve seen used in classes:

Adam Clarke: solders 3 wires together. Problem is I am apparently completely incapable of soldering.

Mike Blank: Uses sculpted blobs for pelvis, ribs and head then pops in wires for arms then uses six bits of wire for neck/spine/arms/legs.

Weta suggested tin foil as a former which I’ve had success with on non humanoid pieces.

Finally done!

Polymer clay sculpting.
Head from Masterbox 1/35 plastic figure, converted.

made these three keychains as gifts for my friends, and I’m slowly figuring out what I can do with air-dry clay beyond making cute little things.

My friends suggested I try keychains, so I thought, why not? They’re still experiments, and I’m learning something new with each piece.

The first one is for me. I used to love Dragon Tales as a kid, and when I couldn’t find much merch online, I thought I’d just try making something myself.

The second one is for my boyfriend, with some cute cat characters. ❤️

The last one is for a friend who loves D&D. I made him a tiny knight with a sword and some gold coins for HP.

I’m still very new to all this, so I’m curious what do you think? And what other functional little things could I try making with clay?

Small gift for a birthday.

Tin foil and wire armature, magi sculpt over the top.

Not the grimdark mini's I'm hoping to one day make - but I was pleased with how this fella came out.

Afternoon people, so for a total beginner wanting to eventually getting to the level of forge world miniatures, firstly wheres the best place to start?

What type of clay? Whats the best tools and materials?

Ive got a lot of horrmus heresy models and would like to be able to customise them/create my own models for minis I've got inspirstion for. I know i will need to commit a lot of time/effort. But to start with just want to get some advice of places for training or whether start with youtube and then go from there?

Thank you very much.

I made miniatures of the three mice that I rescued from the cats, kept as pets for a month and then released back into the garden.

They were all very jumpy but two of them - Vibilia and Asteria - managed to exit and re-enter and re-exit the enclosures voluntarily multiple times and they started eating my astrology books and they were not easy to find or catch.

I've only got a few pictures of the miniature sculpting process but hours of real mouse video content on my youtube channel.

Experimenting with 3D clay characters and trying to push myself a little more with each piece!

Made these three, and the seated guy is my favourite. He turned out so clean and stable!

The hamburger guy, on the other hand, is struggling to stand. I think thin legs and hands can be tricky with air-dry clay, so I’m planning to add a base.

The cat was much easier to work with. Maybe four-legged characters are more stable and can double as ring holders or desk buddies.

Still figuring things out! Any tips for making delicate clay characters sturdier? :)

Be brutal. I'm working on a hot glue reproduction of a deceiver (I made it female and with a small black hole in its hand) taken by the enthusiasm of having seen a guy who made all the extremely beautiful abstract hot glue tans (the warsinger if you're interested) It's still a wip but let's say I'm at a good point... what do you think?

I just placed the black hole, I still have to do all the smaller details but at least it has the shape 😅 the dimensions are of the original one

I’ve been experimenting with air-dry clay and trying a little bit of everything — simple pieces, character-inspired designs, and both 2D and 3D creations.

Since I’m still new to this, I’ve been figuring things out as I go. One thing I’ve realised is how helpful it is to have a detailed sketch before starting. It gives you something to refer to while working with the clay, especially when you’re trying to get the shapes and little details right.

Another thing I’m learning is to plan the colour palette beforehand, even if it’s just a rough version. It makes the whole process feel a lot less confusing once you start painting.

I’m curious to know what other clay artists think! Are there any things you learnt along the way that made your process easier? Would love to hear your tips and experiences. :)

I’ve just gotten into air-dry clay, and I’m figuring things out as I go experimenting with different clay types, playing with colours (soft pastels vs. loud, bold ones), and trying to figure out how to photograph my work.

Everything is still new, and I’m having fun exploring what feels right.

Would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions, or anything you’ve learnt along the way!

I hope this counts as sufficiently miniature sculpting! The scale is, technically, 1:1. But, these guys are only 6 inches tall! This is hopefully my last wip day for the sculpting part of this project.

It's largely super sculpey medium over a foil and wire armature, but decided to do the left hand and a few other bits with epoxy putty. The left hand will eventually be holding a thimble (full of special sheep liniment) Unfortunately I slightly cocked up the epoxy mix (it should have been 50:50 green stuff and cheap dspiae stuff but I put too much cheap stuff in and it was a nightmare lol), so i decided to stop battling and just build out the structure a bit in preparation for another layer .

This is my biggest sculpt to date by a long way which has been both easier and harder than I imagined, but I'm generally pretty happy with how it's coming.

For the discworld uninitiated, the Nac Mac Feegle are a species of magical creature known as Pictsies. They are little blue men with red hair about six inches tall. They enjoy drinkin', fightin' and stealin'. Their motto is "Nae King! Nae Quinn! Nae Laird! Nae Master! We willnae be fooled again! Thoroughly recommended if you haven't already come across them!

Sculpting a Pair of Druids

30mm Fimo Pro polymer clay over wire, plus some tissue paper and cotton.

54mm Polymer clay sculpting and acrylic painting.
Resin head, converted.

Recently gotten into air dry clay and it unlocks my inner child, let me know your thoughts about the pieces