Turn Your Favorite Character Into a Real Figurine

From Flat to Solid: How a 2D Character Becomes 3D

The jump from drawing to sculpture isn't magic. It's translation.

Finding the right angles:

A 2D character has a front view. Maybe a side view. You're building from those clues. The width of the head, the length of the arms, how the body tapers at the waist. All of this lives in those flat reference images.

Proportions matter more than perfection. If your character is supposed to have impossibly long legs or a tiny head, keep it. That's personality. That's what makes it recognizable. Don't "fix" it into realistic anatomy—exaggeration is what makes characters work.

The pose determines everything. Is your character standing casually? Standing heroically? Sitting? Mid-action? The pose isn't decoration—it's personality captured in sculpture. A character that should feel dynamic needs to look dynamic. That means angles, lean, implied motion frozen in plastic.

Deciding on the pose:

The best pose is the one that shows off the character. For most figures, a slight three-quarter turn works universally. They're not facing perfectly forward (boring) and not in profile (limited). They're readable from multiple angles.

If your character has distinctive accessories—a weapon, a hat, unusual hair—choose a pose that features them. A character holding their iconic item feels more real than a character without context.

Consider how the figure will actually stand. Skinny legs need internal bracing or a hidden base post. Long hair creates balance issues. Wide stances are stable. Narrow stances look cool but need support structure you can't see.

Breaking It Into Pieces That Actually Work Together

A single-piece figurine is either fragile or impossible to print well. Smart separation lines make the difference between a figurine that breaks and one that lasts.

Where the cuts matter:

The head separates at the neck. This is basic. But hide the seam line. If your character has hair that goes past the shoulders, let the hair continue from the body piece. The connection happens under the hair. No one sees it.

Arms come off at the shoulders for a character standing still. If they're in mid-action, consider keeping an arm attached—it's part of the drama of the pose. The other arm separates for printing efficiency and stability.

Legs separate at the hips or, if your character wears something like a skirt or pants with a clear line, follow that line. A clean separation there feels natural. A cut through the middle of a leg looks wrong.

Large accessories—a cape, a staff, an oversized hat—these become separate pieces. They're easier to print, easier to paint, and easier to attach. A cape that's glued on looks like a cape that's glued on, but it's solid and won't snag or flex.

Hiding the seams so they disappear:

The best seam is one people don't notice. This happens by following the character's existing geometry.

If your character has a collar, hide the head joint under it. If they wear a belt, that's your body split line. Boots? Perfect place to separate the legs. A character with horizontal stripes? Hide a seam under a stripe.

On smooth surfaces with nowhere to hide, create a barely-visible line. Not a gap. Not a step. Just a line where the two pieces meet. Sand both sides smooth. When painted, it's essentially invisible.

Locating pieces so they can only fit one way:

Positioning posts are cylindrical pegs (2–3mm diameter) on one piece that slip into matching holes on the adjoining piece. Two posts minimum, three if space allows. They sit at opposite edges of the connection so they work together to hold alignment.

This does one critical thing: it makes assembly impossible to screw up. There's only one way the pieces fit together. Even a distracted person assembling it can't rotate it the wrong way or misalign it.

Magnets are the luxury option. Small neodymium magnets (6mm x 3mm) embedded in both sides of a connection. Flush with the surface. No visible hardware. The connection feels premium and magnetic attraction handles the work of holding. Plus, if someone wants to disassemble it for traveling, magnets allow it without wear.

For figurines people might handle repeatedly, snap-fit connections are risky. They fatigue and fail. Use them sparingly—maybe once on a secondary connection—but rely on positioning posts and adhesive for the primary joints.

Building strength where stress happens:

Sharp internal corners at joints are fracture points waiting to happen. Add a 1.5mm radius to every internal corner where pieces connect. Where the neck meets the body, where arms insert, where legs join. Everywhere. Smooth transitions stop cracks from starting.

Thin sections between joints need internal reinforcement. A character with delicate limbs gets internal ribs—not visible, just 1–1.5mm ribs running along the inside. They prevent the arm from cracking under its own weight.

The base is structural. Figurines standing on tiny feet tip over. Add a hidden base post that screws into the underside, or make the feet slightly wider than they look. Barely visible but solves the entire balance problem.

Choosing the Right Material for What You're Building

Different materials deliver different results.

SLA resin for maximum detail:

If your character has fine facial features, intricate hair, or delicate accessories, SLA resin is the answer. The layer resolution down to 0.025mm means everything you designed prints crisp and clear. A character's expression lives in the details—eyebrows, eye shape, mouth curve. Resin captures that.

The surface comes out smooth enough that it almost looks pre-painted. No layer lines. No texture. Paint goes on cleanly and shows every detail.

The trade-off is brittleness. Resin figurines are precious. They live on shelves and desks, not in pockets or backpacks. They're display pieces.

MJF nylon for figurines that actually get used:

Nylon is genuinely tough. It handles repeated assembly, disassembly, being held and turned in hands. If your character design is going to be printed multiple times and distributed as gifts or collectibles, nylon is practical.

Details aren't quite as knife-edge crisp as resin, but they're still excellent. A well-painted nylon figurine is beautiful. It just accepts handling without fear of breaking.

It also accepts paint beautifully and won't crack if someone drops it (which they will).

FDM plastic for balance and speed:

PETG or ASA prints fast and costs less. Details are good, not perfect. Durability is solid. If you're not obsessing over microscopic detail and you want affordability, FDM works.

The surface isn't as smooth as resin, so you'll sand and prime regardless. But that's standard practice anyway.

Hybrid approach for the best of everything:

Print the main body and large pieces in economical FDM, but specific elements—the face, hands, intricate accessories—in SLA resin. Glue them together after finishing. You get crisp detail where it matters most and economy everywhere else.

Small detail reality:

Anything thinner than 0.5mm is basically unreliable to print and handle. Instead of pushing print limits, design small details slightly thicker and recessed, then hand-paint the fine details after. This actually looks better because you have direct control.

Fingers, hair strands, weapon edges—these work best at 0.6–1.0mm minimum. Thinner and they're fragile and difficult to paint.

Printing, Sanding, Painting: The Process That Makes It Real

Your digital design is perfect. The printed piece has layer lines, texture, and probably some support marks. Finishing is where it becomes beautiful.

Removing the evidence of printing:

Sandpaper is your first tool. 180-grit removes support marks and rough spots. Work patiently. Then 220-grit, then 320-grit if you want a polished finish. For matte finishes, stop at 220—the texture helps paint grip.

Pay special attention to seam lines. Sand them smooth so the connection practically disappears. This is where patience pays off dramatically.

Prime, then build color:

A good primer (light gray or white) fills microscopic pits and gives paint something to grip. Two thin coats beat one thick coat. Let each dry completely.

Block in your main colors first. Big areas—skin tone, clothing, dominant colors. Use spray paint for even coverage and fast drying. Multiple light coats, never thick coats. Thick paint obscures the detail you just spent time revealing.

Hand-painting brings personality:

Once base colors are dry, switch to hand-painting for details. Thin your paint slightly—straight from the bottle is usually too thick and covers detail poorly.

Eyes are where the character comes alive. Even a simple dot makes a difference. Use a fine brush or paint pen. Keep the dots slightly smaller than you think they should be. Slightly oversized looks wrong; slightly undersized looks intentional.

Line details—wrinkles, stripes, shadows—add dimension. Use a thin brush and steady hands. These don't need to be perfect. Slightly imperfect looks hand-crafted, which is exactly what this is.

Depth through washing and highlighting:

A thin dark paint applied to recessed areas and then wiped from high points creates instant depth. This single technique makes the difference between flat and three-dimensional.

Highlights—a tiny bit of lighter paint on edge catches, a nose, a cheekbone, a hair strand—make flat surfaces suddenly pop. These don't need to be realistic. They just need to suggest light hitting the figure.

Protecting your work:

Matte finish clear coat protects paint and kills the plastic shine. Glossy or satin finishes work depending on your character's vibe. Multiple thin coats. Never spray until you're confident—one too-heavy coat ruins hours of work.

Seal detailed areas with gloss first, then matte over top if that's your goal. Gloss protects crisp detail lines better than matte applied directly.

Common mistakes that wreck everything:

Painting too thick. Thick paint covers detail and looks plastic. Three thin coats always beats one thick one.

Not waiting between coats. Wet paint is soft. Touch it too soon and you smudge your work.

Starting with dark colors on light undercoats. It's nearly impossible to cover. Work light to dark. Build color gradually.

Mixing paint directly on the figurine. Always mix on a palette first. Paint pools and settles unevenly on the figure.

From One Figure to a Small Collection

Once you've designed one character well, printing it multiple times changes the math.

Consistency across prints:

Every piece needs to orient the same way during printing. Consistent orientation, consistent support placement. Assembly line thinking makes post-processing faster and results more predictable.

Positioning posts and magnets should be identical across every copy. Same depth, same diameter, same location. After you assemble the second copy, muscle memory takes over.

Controlling paint across multiple figures:

Create a color reference card from your first finished figure. Write down every paint color, brand, and ratio. Photograph it under neutral light.

When you paint subsequent figures, compare each piece to the reference before finalizing. Consistency across multiple figurines matters more than one being absolutely perfect.

Work in batches:

Sand all bodies. Prime all bodies. Apply base colors to all bodies. Then move to detailing. Your hands stay in the same motion, the work flows, and you actually finish instead of giving up halfway through.

For gifts or a small collectible series, batch processing reduces fatigue and improves results.

Start With Your Favorite Character

Have a character design and reference images? Upload them with dimensions. Our modeling team translates your 2D character into a 3D printable figure—complete with smart separation lines, integrated positioning posts, and structural thinking baked in. You approve it, we print a sample, you live with it for a week. Then we dial it in based on your actual experience holding it.

No 3D model yet? Send your reference art, character sheet, or photos of similar figures for proportion reference. We model it from scratch. 2–3 day turnaround on CAD. You get a finished STL file that's yours to keep and reprint whenever you want.

Questions That Actually Matter

How detailed can the character actually look?
SLA resin handles detail down to 0.3mm. Combined with hand-painting, a resin figurine reaches display quality—literally gallery-ready if you care enough. Even standard painters hit "genuinely impressive" with patient work. Details work because they're designed in, then revealed through finishing.

Will the pieces stay connected?
Positioning posts plus light adhesive (cyanoacrylate or epoxy) creates a joint stronger than the plastic around it. It won't separate under normal handling. Magnets feel premium and hold reliably—plus you can disassemble for storage or shipping without permanent commitment. Either approach handles a figurine's weight and the stress of being held.

What if I want to print the same character multiple times?
That's the whole point. Once the design is finalized, you print it repeatedly in different materials, colors, or finishes. Same figure, unlimited variations. This is how small collectible series actually work.

Can parts move or pose differently?
Yes. Design a ball-and-socket joint for full rotation or a pin-based joint for controlled movement. Nylon naturally handles articulation better than resin. The tolerance is critical—0.2–0.3mm clearance is usually correct. Too tight and it doesn't move; too loose and it flops.

What if the painting part intimidates me?
We offer painting services. Your design, we print and finish to commission. Prices vary by complexity, but it's available. Or your first figure is your practice run—no stakes, just learn the process. Your second one will be better.

The gap between imagining a character and holding them real—that's where 3D printing lives. Not mass production. Not commercial replicas. Just you, a design you love, and the ability to make it tangible.

That moment when you pick it up for the first time and turn it in your hands—that's worth the work.