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Nov '25 •
If I Started Selling Miniatures Today… Here’s Exactly What I’d Do
If I were starting my miniature-selling journey today with absolutely nothing — no audience, no platform, no clue where to upload anything — this is exactly the roadmap I wish someone had handed me. A friend messaged me yesterday asking how to make money from his sculpts, and as I walked him through the whole thing, it struck me that half the miniature community is trying to solve the same puzzle in the dark. So rather than repeat the advice one DM at a time, I thought I’d turn it into something useful for everyone here. This isn’t theory, guesswork, or “I watched a YouTube video so now I’m an expert” fluff. It’s what I’ve learned from years of selling minis, working across multiple platforms, getting things wrong, correcting course, and eventually figuring out what actually moves the needle. If I were starting again, this is the exact blueprint I’d follow — the platforms I’d prioritise, the ones I’d treat with caution, and the strategies that genuinely make a difference when you’re a one-person operation trying to get your sculpts out into the world. So grab a drink, settle in, and let’s get you selling your minis in all the places that matter. ***Before we start I want to make a note about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Get your preferred home page established early (a landing page on your own domain or your Patreon would be the best options). Any time you create a product, make sure you put a link back to that URL on there. Back Links (links from other websites to your own) are a big factor in SEO, and you shouldn't underestimate the power that a link on every product listing on every platform could possibly be for your home page!*** TIER 1 — HIGH TRAFFIC, HIGH VISIBILITY, HIGH POTENTIAL 1) Cults3D Traffic: roughly 8–10 million visits per month Commission: around 25% Why It’s Good: best traffic-to-sales ratio for miniatures and no monthly store fees My take:Cults is slightly chaotic behind the scenes, but it genuinely gets results. If you're going to sell STLs anywhere, this is the platform where most creators see their first real traction. Not the cheapest commission, but the visibility makes up for it. Bonus: it can import your models directly from Thingiverse, which saves a huge amount of time.
Pinned
Aug '25 •
Come and introduce yourself
Hi, thanks for coming! I just started up this Skool community in September so I'm going to be inviting people in and trying to build this community up. If you've arrive here and are wondering why there's not much going on, this is why. I'm working on my first proper zbrush sculpting course right now (check it out here https://dankelly1.gumroad.com/l/uxser) and it's almost complete as of the end of October. I'd love for this community to be a hub for like minded people who want to learn about the full ecosystem of miniatures. Whether you're doing this for relaxation and mindfulness or you want to turn miniature sculpting into a career and free yourself from the shackles of your 9-5 job, I'll be here to help you every step of the way! Please post an introduction and let us know who you are, what you do for a living, what level your miniature experience is at, and what skills you're looking to develop. Oh, and where you are in the world - it would be great to organise some in-person meetups if we start getting groups of people with common geography! Everyone is in the same boat so don't be shy! Oh, and if you had to pick one and banish one - Lord of the Rings or Starwars?! 😉
7d •
Beautiful Renders and Broken Promises: Why Crowdfunded Miniatures Need to Be Designed for the Real World
Good afternoon you beautiful people! I’ve just published a new article on something I think is becoming a real issue in tabletop crowdfunding: Beautiful 3D renders that won't actually work as real miniatures. We’re seeing more campaigns showing models with ultra-thin weapons, delicate tassels, tiny chains, floating cloth strips, micro-detail, realistic seams, AI-inspired design clutter, and all sorts of visually impressive elements that look great on a screen… …but may be an absolute nightmare to 3D print, cast, mould, paint, or manufacture at 32mm scale. A render only has to look good - A miniature has to survive the real world. That means sensible and appropriate part thickness, readable detail, strong shapes, paintable surfaces, and designs that are made with the final production method in mind. This isn’t about attacking specific creators or saying every project needs final production samples before launch. Small indie companies (myself included) often have to work in stages, but I do think campaigns need to be clearer about what is concept art, what is a render, what has been test printed, and what the final product is likely to look like, becasue many renders I'm seeing lately will never make it to production looking even close to what is being marketed. Backers should feel comfortable asking to see physical prints before pledging, especially when a model looks extremely delicate or overloaded with detail. In fact, photos of a physical product over a render should be the norm when it comes to seeking funding as a proof of concept. I go into this properly in the full article, including the warning signs to look for and why AI-led or video-game-style sculpting can create real production problems for tabletop miniatures. You can read the full article here: https://thelionstower.com/blogs/news/beautiful-renders-and-broken-promises-why-crowdfunded-miniatures-need-to-be-designed-for-the-real-world
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Apr 9 •
I'm preparing some valuable content and need your input!
Good morning all! I've put my sculpting course and chainmail tutorial in the courses available to premium members, but I want to make sure that there is useful and valuable content in there that is exclusive to you guys here in this community. What I'd like to know though is are there any topics that you'd like to deep-dive into and get some instruction and direction on? Could be digital sculpting, putty sculpting/conversions could be painting, modelling, terrain building - take your pick! Let me know in the comments and I'll get cracking and start making videos and documents to scratch your itches!
Apr 9 •
Video - Painting FDM terrain to minimise the visibility of the print layers
Hi all. I made a video a while back and I thought it would be a good one to share. I printed a lot of terrain for our game Crystal Collapse using an FDM printer for the first time. Its all very highly stylised into a square grid format (akin to the terrain you'd see in games like Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem) so not realistic at all, but perfect for the game. I wanted to paint it in a stylised way too, and I was also conscious that I wanted to minimise the visibility of the lines on the print so I opted to stipple a thick base layer using a cheap, craft acrylic paint, and then proceeded to overbrush a few layers of progressive highlights and then brushed in a layer of shading glaze to add more contrast. Overall I'd call it a success and I definitely achieved my goals on it. Check it out and let me know what you think. Would you try this method out yourself, or is there anything you'd personally have done differently?
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