Exploring the idea of personal miniatures

While printing and painting figures, an idea has slowly been taking shape, "What if I could create small, realistic models of actual people?".

I want to explore the whole process, from reference photos to a digital model, then printing it in resin and painting it by hand.

For my first experiment, I’d like to make a model of my wife, Malin. She feels like a good starting point because I know her face and expressions so well. It should be fairly easy to spot when something looks wrong. Figuring out how to fix it will probably be the harder part.

I’ve already tried Meshy and got an interesting first result, but I’d like more control over the model. I want to explore using more reference photos, adjusting specific features and shaping the result more precisely. There’s plenty for me to learn, both in creating the model and painting a face that actually looks like someone.

What makes the idea especially fun is where it could lead. A miniature of yourself, your partner or a friend. Perhaps wearing everyday clothes, or turned into a favorite superhero or fantasy character.

I can imagine a small, hand-painted version of someone being a really fun birthday present. Eventually, it might even be something I could make for others on request, who knows?

For now, I’ll start with Malin and see how close I can get. I’ll share some of the experiments and results along the way.