Choose a figurine style by what the piece should do: Classic Realism or Anime 1:7 when it should look like the person, Classic Chibi, Soft Chibi or Mini Pop when it should make them smile, and Free Style when you already have a specific idea. Then make free previews in two styles from the same photo and compare them, because a preview tells you more than any description.
This guide covers the styles on our Create your own page, the one the CREATE button in the header opens, with the names exactly as the style cards show them.
Where the styles are
- Create your own lists nine styles: Free Style, Classic Realism, MINIX Style, Classic Chibi, Soft Chibi, Mini Pop, Anime 1:7, TRPG and Pet Portrait Keepsake. Everything made there is a full-colour print in 6, 7, 8, 10, 12 or 15 cm, from US$79.99 to US$449.
- The Mini Me page has the first seven, the people styles. It adds Artist Hand-Finished sizes from 15 to 30 cm, and Duo, two people side by side, from US$159.99.
- The pet creator and the TTRPG creator have more poses and sizes for pets and tabletop miniatures.
Sizes are measured on the figure's longest side, base not counted. The display base is optional and free, and the square bases take a name of up to 15 characters. Prices are in US dollars and correct at the time of writing.
The nine styles at a glance
| Style | What it looks like | A photo that suits it |
|---|---|---|
| Free Style | Shaped by your notes; with no notes, a friendly, stylised-realistic look | Any clear photo, plus a clear idea |
| Classic Realism | Natural proportions, a carefully detailed face, clothing and pose from your photo | Full length, sharp face, an outfit worth keeping |
| MINIX Style | In our illustrations: your own outfit, a larger head and a simplified, smiling face | Full length, outfit clearly visible |
| Classic Chibi | Big head on a small body, large shining eyes, sculpted strands of hair, a lively pose | A clear face and a recognisable hairstyle |
| Soft Chibi | A head as big as the body, tiny dot eyes, a small mouth, a faint blush, smooth rounded forms | Hair and outfit colours easy to see |
| Mini Pop | A vinyl-style figure: rounded-square head, simple round eyes, block-sculpted hair, small body | A strong silhouette: a beard, a hat, a distinctive haircut |
| Anime 1:7 | An elegant, slender anime figure about seven to eight heads high, with layered, flowing clothing | Full length, an outfit with some movement |
| TRPG | You in fantasy adventuring gear, with heroic, realistic proportions and a dynamic stance | Full length, plus class and gear in the notes |
| Pet Portrait Keepsake | A realistic pet portrait with true markings and fur texture | A clear photo of the pet with its markings visible |
When it should look like them: Classic Realism and Anime 1:7
Classic Realism keeps natural proportions, gives the face careful detail and follows the clothing and pose in your photo. It is the closest to a small standing portrait. Anime 1:7 keeps your features in a refined anime face on a long-limbed, slender figure, with clothing in layered, flowing folds.
Natural adult proportions, and the seven to eight heads of Anime 1:7, put the head at roughly a seventh of the figure's length. At 6 cm that leaves a face less than a centimetre from chin to crown, and very fine details are simplified more on small pieces. Our advice for these two styles is 8 cm or larger: the Create your own page goes up to 15 cm, and the Mini Me page offers hand-finished sizes up to 30 cm. Both styles need a full-length photo, because the legs, shoes and outfit are a large part of the figure.
When it should make them smile: Classic Chibi, Soft Chibi and Mini Pop
The three cute styles change proportions on purpose, and that has a practical upside: the head takes up much more of the figure, so the face gets room even at 6 cm.
- Classic Chibi is the lively one: an oversized head, sparkling anime eyes with highlights, detailed hair and a clean, toy-like finish. Pick it for someone with a big personality and a hairstyle people would recognise from across a room.
- Soft Chibi is the calm one: dot eyes, minimal features and soft rounded shapes in your outfit colours. Likeness comes from hair and clothes more than from the face, which makes it forgiving of a photo where the face is small.
- Mini Pop is a vinyl-style figure with a rounded-square head and simple round eyes. The likeness is carried almost entirely by the silhouette: hair, beard, hat and outfit colours. It suits someone with a distinctive look. If the person is recognisable mainly by their face, choose Classic Chibi instead.
MINIX Style: between realistic and cute
Our product pages do not describe MINIX Style in words yet, so this is what our illustrations show: the person's own outfit and an upright, natural stance, with a head noticeably larger than in Classic Realism and a smoother, simplified, smiling face. Choose it when you want the clothes to stay true to the photo but would like the face softer and the figure friendlier than a realistic portrait. The preview is the real test, so make one.
Free Style and the instructions box
Free Style is the open brief. You bring the photo and the idea, and the preview is shaped around your words. On the Create your own page the box reads "Describe your idea", and it takes up to 300 characters. Name a pose, an outfit, a prop or a mood: the page's own example is "Change the outfit to red samurai armour and add a katana." Leave the box empty and the preview starts from a friendly, stylised-realistic look.
Three ways to make notes easier to follow:
- Concrete nouns and colours. "Green raincoat, yellow wellies, holding a red umbrella" gives the preview something to draw. "Make it fun" does not.
- Say what to keep as well as what to change. "Keep my curly hair, change the outfit to a chef's whites."
- One idea per design. If you have two ideas, make two previews.
Be realistic about what a note can do. Our refund policy says that for a look described in the instructions box, the preview may not fully show it, and our artists interpret your description when they refine the model. If we cannot reasonably follow an important instruction, we contact you before printing, and you can go ahead with your approved preview or cancel for a full refund. A reasonable difference in interpretation is not treated as a defect, so approve the preview you actually see, not the one you described.
TRPG and Pet Portrait Keepsake
TRPG turns your photo into a fantasy adventurer in armour or robes, with a cloak and a weapon. On the Create your own page it comes in the same 6 to 15 cm sizes as everything else there. For a miniature to play with on a 1-inch grid, or to choose from six preset poses, use the TTRPG creator instead.
Pet Portrait Keepsake aims for a realistic pet with true markings and fur texture. For a choice of poses, from Sitting to Curling Up, and for hand-finished sizes up to 30 cm, use the pet creator.
Compare two previews before you pay
Previews are free, and nothing is charged until you add a piece to the cart. You can start the next design as soon as the current one's 3D model is ready, usually within a few minutes, and there is a daily allowance of free designs. That is enough to try one photo in two styles in a single sitting.
- Pick the two styles from the table that fit the person, one realistic and one cute if you are unsure.
- Use the same photo for both, so the only difference is the style.
- Turn each 3D model all the way round and look at the face, hair, outfit and accessories.
- Hold a ruler to the screen at the size you plan to order. A face that reads well on a full screen may be under a centimetre on the shelf.
- Show both to someone who knows the person, and order the one they recognise first.
Previews are AI-generated and approximate, and the finished print can differ from them in likeness, colour and detail. Before printing, an artist refines the 3D model from the preview you approved, and every piece is inspected by hand. Our article on how your figurine is made covers each step.
What a style choice cannot fix
- A poor photo. No style rescues a blurred or shadowed face. Choose the photo first, using our photo guide, then the style.
- Two people in one piece. Create your own has no Duo option. For a pair, use Mini Me Duo on the Mini Me page.
- Hand painting. Create your own is full-colour print only. Artist Hand-Finished people figurines are on the Mini Me page, from 15 cm.
- A guaranteed likeness. Small differences in likeness, expression or colour shade compared with the preview are not treated as a defect, so judge each preview as it is.
Next step
Choose one clear, full-length photo, open Create your own, and make two previews from it: Classic Realism and Classic Chibi is a good first pair. Then order the one you would rather see on the shelf. Our size guide helps with the size.